This book is translated from its original Spanish. The translation to English is probably its biggest issue. Sometimes things just don’t translate as smoothly as you’d like or expect. In my mind the translation is just a side note and a review should try to focus mainly on the story itself. That being said, I enjoyed the story. The characters are unique and interesting, the investigation into the kidnappings and death was well crafted and the differing perspectives helped to flesh out the storyline. The conclusion tied up many of the loose threads - but not all - leaving me a little unsatisfied. Those unanswered questions look like they’re the setup for the next installment in the series.

This is a thrilling, fast-paced novel I could not put down. Although we don’t delve as deep into the characters as I would have liked they are, nonetheless, multidimensional and fleshed out in a relatable and clear way. This heavily plot-driven novel is written very cinematically and I would not be surprised to see a successful movie based on it in the near future. A definite must-read.

An action packed thriller that will keep you in suspense right until the end!

Antonia Scott is gifted, she can see patterns and calculate minute details in a very short time. After a tragic ordeal that put her husband in a coma, she retires from the secret network only known as the Red Queen. Until disgraced inspector Jon Gutiérrez shows up at her door, her assistance is needed to solve a gruesome murder of a young boy. With more questions than answers, they are thrown into an investigation of a kidnapped heiress and soon the killer sets their eyes on the duo.

I enjoyed this novel right from the start, I could compare it to certain shows such as Bones or Person of Interest but grittier and darker. I thought the bigger picture at the end really opens up to be a great series. I'm looking forward to reading more from Antonia and Jon when it becomes available in English, and seeing it on the small screen with an Amazon series!

Red Queen comes out on March 14, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy, this is my honest review.

RED QUEEN, a popular Spanish mystery by Juan Gomez-Jurado, pairs an eccentric female lead with a fumbling police detective, on their first case. I found this translation to be less than ideal. The creativity and uniqueness of the characters and writing were lost to a translation style that was just flat. It took too much effort to move beyond the translation and try and imagine what the writing must have been like in the original. I just could not care enough about the main characters to engage with the plot. If only I could read this in Spanish, I might enjoy it as much as the Spanish reviewers suggest. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I enjoyed the read. There was nothing spectacularly new here. It’s a “I got out but I keep getting pulled back in” kind of book. It was a fairly quick read, though sometimes slowed down with backstory that was important but sometimes felt wedged in. It could be the translation. Either way, still a solid crime story.

Red Queen is a newly translated book by Juan Gomez-Jurado.

"Antonia Scott is not a policewoman or a lawyer. But she solves the hard crimes - the ones that regular law enforcement can't solve. She's been hiding in her apartment for a long time when she hears footsteps again. She knows their coming to ask for her help again. Except this might be the case to pull her back."

I like the concept in this book. Disgraced cop just trying to put away a bad guy - gets caught taking a short cut and now he's suspended. Civilian that's able to process a lot of information at once. Press reporter looking for any story to bring him attention. A horrific murder and kidnapping. And a psychopathic bad guy with unknown motives. All of that should make for a great story. But it mostly falls short because of the flashbacks and numerous backstories. Cut that out and this might be a compelling read. But with them, there is no momentum to the narrative.

Scott Brick does a great job with the audiobook narration but even his great performance can't save the herky-jerky pace of the story

There's another author that writes like this and I have a friend that loves his books. So if you like a lot of back story, you may enjoy this one

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this novel. It has some familiar parts - traumatized but preternaturally intelligent investigator combined with beleaguered but good hearted detective (teams like those from The Bridge TV series). That bit of predictability aside, the story was enjoyable and the mystery interesting. I would definitely read the next in the series to see where it goes.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press Minotaur for the advance copy - the opinions are my own.
4.5 stars
I loved this book. It's a page-turner with tons of action. Jon and Antonia are great characters, especially as we learn their back stories. I started out thinking Antonia was just an ultra smart weirdo, maybe on the spectrum. Then I learn more. I thought Jon was a guy who didn't show great judgment - then I learned more. I found the murder case creepy, a bit graphic sometimes, but interesting and the villain was weird and diabolical. All in all, a good read that I didn't want to put down.

I loved the setting in Spain - there were plenty of local references to remind you that it's set in this beautiful country. This is part of a trilogy and I can't imagine how it proceeds after the ending of this one, but I hope the translation happens soon, because I'm ready for it! Definitely recommended.

Review will appear on my blog 3/7/23; is on Goodreads & Storygraph now

What a read, I wasn't able to put down!

Red Queen is a story taken place in Madrid Spain. Jon Gutierrez is a detective that tried to help a woman who has a pimp by planting drugs in his car, unbeknownst to him it was a set up and he was busted for it. Already in deep trouble with the force he was contacted to work a special case with the person known as the Red Queen. Antonia Scott is a genius and has been conditioned to solve/help with special cases (on the down low), once the case is resolved the local law enforcement team takes credit.

Jon's job is to get Antonia in the car and back on the job. After her husband was injured and in the hospital in a coma she has not left his side, she has not been able to parent her son who her father is raising as she contemplates suicide everyday.

Jon and Antonia partner up when things don't go as expected, what a wild ride!

I would recommend this book for those that like a good thriller. This book was well written and very fast paced, I look forward to reading the next book.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unique thriller that combines a genius and a disgraced policeman to solve crimes as an unsanctioned duo. The story is rather fast paced and jumps between some first hand experience of the victims and then back to Antonia and Jon. Strangely, I felt the story slowed a bit as the conclusion loomed. But overall a very entertaining read!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the free e-book in exchange for my honest review.

*4.25 stars

Inspector Jon Gutiérrez has been suspended without pay for attempting to plant evidence to incriminate a pimp, a video of which has gone viral online to great outrage. Jon is thrown a career lifeline by a man calling himself Mentor. All Jon has to do is convince a woman to leave her attic apartment in Madrid and join a hush-hush investigation. The woman is Antonia Scott, the most intelligent person on the planet.

The case is an unusual one, involving the kidnapping and death of the young son of a wealthy banker. When another wealthy young woman goes missing, the investigation becomes more complicated and impossible to keep from making headlines.

Jon and Antonia form an unlikely team and the author weaves in plenty of sarcasm to his tense, exciting plot. We learn who is behind this plot pretty quickly but not the reason--which turns out to be so diabolical. Quite the page turner! I'm looking forward to more in this series.

I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. Many thanks for the opportunity. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

This story is so freaking great! It is one you will get hooked on and lose all track of time. The author has created superb characters and an awesome plot. Jon is a disgraced police officer who is being given a special assignment to redeem himself. Antonia is a super genius investigator who works with a special team. The two are on the clock hunting down a psychotic murderer when it becomes personal. There are several twists and turns which lead to the very exciting ending.

Loads of thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Publishing and Minotaur Books for the ARC on this terrific thriller.
Even if it's cobbled together from familiar tropes that all mystery-suspense lovers well know, "Red Queen" is such an expertly written, entertaining thrill ride, I doubt anyone will complain.
You'll most definitely want to book a flight to Spain ("book" being the most operative word here) and meet yet another unlikely pairing of odd couple sleuths recruited by a clandestine law enforcement agency. They're tasked with with solving the most incomprehensible crimes imaginable and help bring the dangerous, violent perpetrators to justice.
Antonia Scott, estranged daughter of the British ambassador to Spain, is an emotionally damaged savant, whose perceptive brilliance measures somewhere off the charts. Her 'Red Queen' agency drafts a most unwilling partner to join forces with her (with the promise of making his problems go away) - Jon Gutierrez, a disgraced police detective on the verge of unemployment and impending indictments.
This offbeat dynamic duo is pitted against a truly frightening, formidable adversary, the mysterious "Ezekiel" a serial kidnapper-murderer. And this psychotic but wily fiend exclusively targets the children of Spain's most powerful corporate billionaires......and tormenting them with unknowable demands they dare not comply with, even at the risk of their children's lives. .
The twists and turns here come hurling out one after the other. And the pacing and cleverness of the the plotting kept me me glued to this book. deep into the wee hours. (I'd defy anyone to stop reading, no matter what time of night, once they arrive at Antonia and Jon's nerve-wracking climactic showdown with the unfathomable evil perp..) An extra bonus comes from the sly, often impish wit in the frequent pop culture and film references sprinkled about in the prose. For anyone who gobbles up thrillers, "Red Queen"s a 5 star treat from beginning to end.
And for us North American readers, more good news......since "Red Queen" arrives here as the first in a best selling trilogy already published in Spain and Europe, there's two more books to look forward to. I for one will stand first in line for next one.

Rounding up from 4.5. An unputdownable, suspenseful novel. Red Queen features a fascinating character ala Elisabeth Salander. She winds up teaming up with Jon Gutierrez, a disgraced policeman who’d been caught planting drugs to ensnare an abusive pimp. A bizarre murder then several kidnappings get the team working together to solve and, hopefully, save the kidnap victims. At the heart of the book is Antonio Scott, a genius of sorts whose mysterious background keeps you guessing. It is said “The Red Queen tells Alice that in her country you have to run simply to stay where you are. In evolutionary terms, it means you have to adapt continually to keep up with the bad guys.” And adapt Antonio does, when her mind is revving in overdrive and she needs to find a way to calm herself in order to survive and save others. She trusts no one but somehow forges a relationship with Jon. There are a lot of layers to these main characters that only add to the story. This was a great, compelling read that had me rushing to pick up to continue. I look forward to future pairings of these two.

Juan Gomez-Jurado’s Red Queen is the first of a fast-paced, smart series. Originally published in Spanish, I got an ARC of the English translation and can’t wait for the next two books to be released.

Red Queen, by Juan Gómez-Jurado, is an enjoyable, fast paced suspense. The main characters are well developed and interesting. I can't wait for both the upcoming TV series and the next book to come out in English.
Antonia Scott is a most brilliant forensic detective. Her claim to brilliance is her uncanny ability to solve crime and murder unlike anyone else, in the world. But she's retired and just wants to be left in peace.
Along comes Officer Jon Gutierrez to disturb Antonia's carefully crafted peace. All he has to do is lure her back to work so he has a chance at saving his career. She is not about to make any of this easy for him.
Soon, they find themselves in the middle of an extremely disturbing murder investigation. Then there's a kidnapping, that at first seems random and unrelated. But Antonia soon realizes that there's actually a common thread.

This was a slow burn thriller for me. It takes place in Spain and is translated, which is what I found most difficult. I found myself getting confused a few times and I think it was basically the translation. I also found that the middle of the book dragged a bit. This is a very popular series in Spain. I will certainly read the second book when it comes out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 3.5⭐️

Antonia is a reclusive genius with a gifted mind who refuses to go back to work for a clandestine crime solving unit after a case goes horribly wrong, turning her life upside down. Then one day, Jon, a disgraced cop on the verge of losing everything shows up on her doorstep and she can’t help being intrigued by the story he tells her.

Both find themselves pulled into the Red Queen project, a division of professionals in the field of crime solving that have skills that allow them to continually adapt in order to catch the bad guys. A division that has no hierarchy, no internal rivalries, no bureaucracy. And no need to follow the letter of the law.

The author perfectly orchestrates this complex crime novel, switching narrative voices at just the right moment, layering in plenty of twists and turns and creating characters that keep the reader engaged. All the while ensuring the crimes are sinister and macabre, and not remotely simple for a regular reader of the genre to puzzle out.

I adored both characters, but especially Antonia. The way the author describes how her brain works was fascinating. Her staggering intellect and Jon’s dedication to outing criminals no matter the cost to himself will draw inevitable comparisons to the lead protagonists in the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. And that’s okay, because it’s the blend of those similarities and its rare uniqueness that make this a stellar crime thriller.

Intrusive thought after finishing Jaun Gómez-Jurado’s Red Queen: Which of my Spanish speaking friends could I convince to read me the next book in this series?

I feel like I’m late to the party since this book has been out since 2018 but just now making its way to U.S. markets. Fans of gritty thrillers, flawed but lovable characters will like this one. Compared to the The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, which I think puts too many expectations on this book, it’s still an unputdownable read.

Without giving anything away, Jon Gutierrez and Antonia Scott are thrown together to work a case in a secret police organization. One giant plus is that Jon is gay so there is no sexual chemistry between them but you can tell they will become deep friends in books to come.

Bring on the English edition of the rest of this series!

I am so excited to learn that this will be an upcoming TV show since this character, Antonia Scott, belongs on TV. She is a bad ass with a mind like no other and when she teams up with Jon Gutierrez, who first has to get her out of self confinement, they are a force to be reckoned with! This is not a crime novel for the week of heart, the crime is gruesome and the fall out is even worse. I look forward to meeting Antonia Scott again on the big screen!