I really liked this one. It takes a little bit to take off, but wow, does it get the blood pumping once all the characters and pieces are in place.
Disgraced police officer, Jon Gutierrez, is given one chance to put a dumb, altruistic mistake behind him and save his career. His main task is to get Antonia Scott to show up at a specific location. The problem is that Antonia does not want to deal with the world and steadfastly refuses to have anything to do with the cases she used to take on before tragedy struck her family. But the case is too mystifying and heartbreaking for Antonio or Jon to let go of when a second person is in danger and there's still a chance to rescue her alive. It's a race against time, egos, and secrets that gets darker and more interesting by the page turn.
The only reason I'm not rating this higher is that it gets a bit too gory and descriptive in the violent scenes for my tastes, but I can understand why it's done and will admit that it's done in a tasteful manner that helps move the story.
Props to the English translation of the very Spanish book because it's expertly done. If it wasn't for the very Spanish locales and some minor details that the hyper-curious might get distracted by, I don't feel like I'm losing much of the story.


Happy thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the wonderfully twisty read!

Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado

The first in a trilogy that has now sold more than two million copies in the original Spanish.

Antonia Scott—the daughter of a British diplomat and a Spanish mother—has a gifted forensic mind, whose ability to reconstruct crimes and solve baffling murders is legendary. But after a personal trauma, she's refused to continue her work or even leave her apartment.

Jon Gutierrez, a police officer in Bilbao—disgraced, suspended, and about to face criminal charges—is offered a chance to salvage his career by a secretive organization that works in the shadows to direct criminal investigations of a highly sensitive nature. All he has to do is succeed where many others have failed: Convince a recalcitrant Antonia to come out of her self-imposed retirement, protecting her and helping her investigate a new, terrifying case.

I really enjoyed this story that was a great balance of intriguing character development and interesting plot turns. It's a mid-paced thriller that continues to reveal layers throughout the entire story. I wanted to keep coming back to find out what would happen next, and I will definitely be reading the second in the trilogy as soon as it's available. While the story in Red Queen came to a satisfying conclusion, there are plenty of threads to continue to unravel.

I enjoyed the narrator, Scott Brick, although once in a while it feels a little like a radio announcer.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for a free copy of Red Queen for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own. #NetGalley

I picked up RED QUEEN after hearing it compared to THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Like the beloved heroine Lisbeth Salander, Antonia Scott is an intriguing and equally strong female protagonist.

The story follows officers Jon Gutierrez and Antonia Scott as they seek to solve two murders while both navigating messy personal situations. I enjoyed the dynamic between Jon & Antonia and will be curious to see how it develops as this book is slated to be a trilogy.

The story was action-packed but also contained flashbacks that took me out of the present-day timeline that I was invested in which was my only qualm. I haven’t read many books in translation and it was a fun experience knowing that this book has been well-received by Spanish readers.

RATING: 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4 stars)
PUB DATE: March 14, 2023

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good. Great characters with a fast paced plot. A dark and fun thriller for fans of Jo Nesbø and Stieg Larsson.

The title Red Queen made me curious, but it was not what I expected. The author is unfamiliar to me, but the cover made me curious, with #1 International bestseller. Then, I read the blurb, and thought this could be a winner for me. And boy was it. Antonia Scott was so much more than I expected and I love that her ‘partner’ is a disgraced police officer. I love when a characters can find redemption, and I feel he will.

Antonia Scott allows herself to think of suicide no more than three minutes a day.

Does that intrigue you? It sure did me. Why did she think of suicide at all? Isn’t she a gifted forensic investigator? A personal tragedy leaves her with a heavy sense of guilt that she cannot escape. I am not going to tell you why. You will have to discover that for yourself.

Inspector Jon Gutierrez is a disgraced police officer, suspended from work. He has always been harassed because of being gay in a male driven society. He loves to cook. He is not fat, just rock solid. I think a lot of cooks love to eat. For others, like me, it is more like fuel. He has been tasked with bringing Antonia out of her self imposed isolation and has no idea what he is coming his way.

“My brain…isn’t normal. I can do things others find impossible.”

When I found the reason for that, I had ambivalent feelings. I guess, if it was what she wanted, who am I to judge.

Red Queen started out slow for me, but I think that is Juan Gomez Jurado’s way of preparing me for what is to come. The only problem I had was when he went back and forth between Jon and Inspector Gutierrez. It was early in the book and took me a little while to go with it and quit questioning whether he was talking about two people instead of one.

‘You sacrifice a pawn for the sake of continuing the game. Because the only thing that matters is to keep on playing.’

As we delve into the mystery, the suspense slowly rises. The story deepens. The sacrifices are costly, the players out for themselves

When Jon brings a rubber plant to her place, trying to make the barren room feel like a home, I cracked up. And…well, I can’t say. I will say this, though, the story kept getting better, the characters more real, foibles and all.The last quarter or more of the book was unputdownable. My desire to know them better, to work another case with them, intrigued me.

After the story is over, Juan Gomez Jurado shared some information that had me going to the internet to find out more for myself. Now…that is the sign of a great writer.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado.

See more at http:;//www.fundinmental.com

The Red Queen is an amazing, fresh and unorthodox detective novel. A fun read, interesting, plenty of plot twists, intelligent and even funny at times. I enjoyed the main characters and can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy to be published! Put this one on your tbr!

**Thank you NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked that the main characters were different from the usual and also different from each other. Yet, they worked together well. The story was interesting and also different from other stories that I've read. There were a couple of small things that didn't make 100% sense to me, However, I was able to overlook those details and appreciate the story. The book ended with an opening for the next in series and I am looking forward to reading it to see where the story takes us. I'll be happy to revisit these characters.

Thank you to Grace Stephenson at St. Martin's Press for recommending this one to me via widget. I had not heard of it previously and would have missed out on a great series.

I really enjoyed this new to me author’s story. I enjoyed the way the characters interacted with each other. If you enjoy mystery, suspense, and intrigue I believe you will enjoy this story. I cannot wait to read the next story in this series.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Excellent writing and characters kept this thriller exciting for me. It held my attention throughout. Thrillers rarely do so big props for that. If it were just a bit shorter it may be perfect.

Promotional material compared the Red Queen's Antonia Scott to Stieg Larsson;s Lisbeth Salander and they were not wrong. Antonia Scott is a unique character, as compelling as Salander, but not at all derivative. This book grabbed me from page one and never let go. Great characters, fast paced, with several unexpected twists. I literally read it in one day! Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy.

What I loved:
✨Highly addictive: a good mix of character development with a twisty plot. Be prepared! The crime scenes include macabre, ritualistic murders. The stressful action scenes race to an explosive ending - an ending I didn’t anticipate or guess. Bravo!
✨Crime-Solving Duo: I loved partners Antonia and Jon. At first glance, this partnership seems like an odd match: Antonia is too intelligent, and Jon a snarky, jaded overweight cop. But together, they develop a strong platonic bond filled with trust. We will never see a romance between these two since Antonia is married (her husband is in a coma due to one of her cases - Book 2 might uncover more?) and Jon is gay.
✨Narration: This book is my first narration by Scott Brink. I toggled between the physical book and the audiobook, both I highly recommend. But towards the end, I gravitated more towards the audiobook because Brink adds the perfect amount of snark for Jon, lack of understanding sarcasm for Antonia, and tension in the action. Plus, I love the bonus content - conversation between Scott & Juan. I'm thrilled to hear he's narrating the rest of the series! 🫶

Highly recommend this one for fans of:
✨Lisbeth Salander (Dragon Tattoo)
✨Hannibal Lecter
✨Serial Killers
✨International Crime & Mystery

This book was fantastic! It had everything I love in a thrilling mystery: odd murders, well-developed and brilliant characters as the lead investigators, and tight background information for everyone and everything with long histories to fill in the gaps. I loved this book and could not put it down.

Antonia is a virtual recluse living in her apartment, only leaving at night to visit a loved one in the hospital. Jon gets into a bit of professional trouble and is given an out if he can get Antonia out of her apartment and to a second location. He accepts, and so the ride begins. They're taken to a very exclusive, highly secured neighborhood to see a young man who isn't just dead, but murdered in a horrific way that raises questions that the investigators didn't even know they had: who the victim is, why was he murdered, and obviously, who did it?

There is so much more to this book, and Juan Gomez-Juardo's debut novel is stellar. I don't want to include spoilers and but there's so much more to say about these incredible characters and their journeys. Gomez-Juardo promises this won't be the last of the books with Antonia and Jon. I can't wait to read the next one. This is a book that's one for the ages, and I'm so excited to see what's next for the characters and the author.

Characters in “Red Queen” by Juan Gómez-Jurado, arrive on the page with complicated and “unclean” pasts. They feel they live in a world full of the incompetent, the egotistical, and the just plain stupid; readers immediately want to know everything about them.
It is Sunday evening in Spain, close to dinnertime. A teen-aged boy from a wealthy family is found dead, and yet there are no signs of violence. His body has been totally drained of blood, and not a drop of blood can be found in the pristine home. Solving this horrific crime will be complex, demanding, and will require a special investigative team.

Antonia Scott is unbearable, secretive, bossy, and has terrible taste in food. She is unpredictable and probably as mad as a hatter. However, when she smiles, her face lights up like a Christmas tree. She also has a gifted forensic mind, and her ability to reconstruct crimes and solve baffling murders is legendary. Jon Gutiérrez is forty-three, hates to climb stairs, and can lift 293 kilos. He is a suspended police officer about to face criminal charges when he is offered a chance to salvage his career. He must team up with the temperamental Scott to crack an unsolvable case. They will work not as police officers, but will instead, investigate outside normal channels as experts from the super-secret “Red Queen Project,” a highly classified organization that investigates crimes of a highly sensitive nature.
The murder of the teen-aged boy is macabre and ritualistic, but this is just the start. An heiress of one of the richest men in Spain is kidnapped, and this crime is tied to the previous murder. The mastermind behind these crimes might just have even more sinister plans. Antonia Scott can certainly match wits with the killer and solve the crimes, but can Jon Gutiérrez keep her focused and on task in order to make the connections before there is another death?
“Red Queen” is fast-paced and filled with tension, intrigue, and secrecy. I also listened to “Red Queen” as an audio book narrated by Scott Brick. Brick has a multi-dimensional voice that is melodic, reassuring, and matter of fact, but at other times cautionary, unsettling, and alarming. There is urgency in the narration, a tone of anticipation and yet dread of what is to come. The audio version provides a very different experience than the printed book. Both are exciting with non-stop action and reaction.
I received a review copy of “Red Queen” from Juan Gómez-Jurado, Scott Brick, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio. Readers frantically turn the pages and yet are afraid of what might come next.
“Red Queen” is now available in print, as an e-book, and on audio from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries, and anywhere you get your books

4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5) Antonia and Jon are assigned to work on increasingly horrific and ritualistic murders and kidnappings. With Antonia’s brilliance and Jon’s police experience, they make the best team.

The characters were great! Antonia was brilliant, exceptional in everything she did but she was also broken. A recent tragedy left her inconsolable. Jon was the perfect cop, facing criminal charges but with a strong conviction to do right. They were the perfect pair.

I was hooked from page one. The investigation was intriguing, showing their personal sides. Emotions arose and both relied on each other. The villain in the story ended up being a complete “no way!” moment and I loved how it was incorporated. Emotions were brought in well to each part of the story which made it have the perfect balance of sensitivity and excitement. It hooked me from all angles.

My only complaints are that Jon is mentioned to be queer but that was just about the extent of it. I wanted to know how that played into the story. Also, I would have loved more info into Antonia and her tragedy. We got some, but I would’ve liked a deep dive since it consumed her entirely.

I will be continuing this series and I cannot wait for book 2!

AUDIO REVIEW: Scott Brick. Ah this narrator is sneaking his way into a lot of my thrillers lately and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve mentioned he is the best thriller narrator, and I stand by that. He builds the excitement or intensity when needed but also is great at different voices and the more sensitive scenes. He’s quickly becoming a favorite.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies!

The book releases March 14, 2023.

Red Queen follows gifted Antonia Scott and disgraced police officer Jon Gutierrez as they get thrown together on a case and are on a short deadline to solve it. Starting with the murder of the son of a well-known banker, then the abduction of the daughter of a billionaire, Antonia and Jon determine this is the work of one person, Ezekiel, and they need to find them soon before another death occurs. A fast-paced series opener with many twists and turns that will appeal to readers who like dark thrillers.

Red Queen by Juan Gomez-Jurado has been a bestseller internationally since 2018, and I can see why! Antonia Scott (half British-half Spanish) is a terrific character, a super-intelligent woman who has experienced a good deal of personal trauma. Jon Guttierez is a Spanish police officer who is in a bit of disgrace and he is offered an opportunity to make the problem go away if he works with Antonia, who doesn’t want to work at all. They wind up being an amazing team. The mystery is complex and I loved all the Spanish atmosphere. If you enjoy thrillers with great characters, don’t miss this one.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. Scott Brick does his usual fabulous job with the narration. The audiobook also includes a lovely conversation between Brick and the author.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. I can’t wait for the rest of the series to be translated into English!

All opinions are my own.

Red Queen features an interesting team of detectives - a mismatched pair of seriously flawed souls united by a sense of justice - in a fast-moving story. The plot has enough twists and turns to satisfy mystery fans, and there is plenty of action (including a few gory scenes that I would have preferred to leave offstage). I enjoyed the author's voice: an omniscient narrator who skips in an out of characters' heads while maintaining a distant and almost sardonic tone.

The characters' interactions are a pleasure, and the author does a good job in filling in the backstory without slowing down the momentum. I gather this is the first book of a trilogy already published in Spanish, so I definitely look forward to the English translations of the next two books.

I really wanted to like this one. Serial killers and quirky detectives? Sign me up! Unfortunately I found myself dragging through it. At about 40% I found I just didn’t care anymore. It’s well written and I think it would be a huge hit for a different audience, just not this one.
Thank you to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the copy for review.

🌟 5/5

I want to thank St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Net Galley for allowing me to get an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

As a quick note this is actually a reprint of Reina Roja which was originally published in 2018.

I loved the opening and first few chapters as we get ourselves acquainted with this developing mystery. First, we meet Antonia Scott, a woman alone in her apartment seeking solitude. Then, there’s Inspector Jon Gutierrez, a cop who’s found himself in some hot water. And finally, Mentor, the reason Jon and Antonia are meeting in the first place.

This story is paced so incredibly well. I couldn’t put this book down and finished it within 24 hours. Each of these characters has their own pain and pressures that they’re trying to manage as they investigate a kidnapping with a strict deadline that is quickly approaching. Interspersed throughout the action we get to learn about the backgrounds of these fascinating characters and are exposed to the history of Madrid along the way.

I LOVED this book and while I’m bummed that the rest of the series hasn’t been translated to English yet, it is available in Spanish and I might have to pick them up so I can figure out what happens to our unlikely duo.

Would recommend for those who are fans of
- Spanish Setting
- LGBTQ rep
- Fast paced Mystery/thriller
- Mostly-linear timeline (flashbacks sprinkled in)
- Unlikely friends
- Criminal Minds meets James Bond

I'm so glad I started reading this when I had no plans in my immediate future. No way was I going to set it aside to do anything but read to the end. Now I can't wait for the second of the trilogy. Antonia Scott has a brilliant outstanding mind. Like off the charts brilliant. Along with that comes lots of mental baggage. Her partner is Jon Gutierrez, a cop who made an unwise choice on a case that went south and got him suspended. In order to save what's left of his career he agrees to connect with Antonia and work a high profile case. It's a story that sucked me in from page one, a story that never let up. Antonia and Jon make a great pair. I'll say no more as I don't want to spoil it for you.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.