Juan Gomez-Jurado
Thriller
Introducing Antonia Scott – the most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander – in the international bestselling thriller that has taken the world by storm.
Red Queen is the first book in a trilogy that has sold over 2 million copies in Spain, sold to seventeen countries, and is the basis of an Amazon streaming series to debut in 2023.
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.
The case is a macabre, ritualistic murder—a teen-aged boy from a wealthy family whose body was found without a drop of blood left in it. But the murder is just the start. A high-ranking executive and daughter of one of the richest men in Spain is kidnapped, a crime which is tied to the previous murder. Behind them both is a hidden mastermind with even more sinister plans. And the only person with a chance to see the connections, solve the crimes and successfully match wits with the killer before tragedy strikes again…is Antonia Scott.
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
(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.
General content summary: F words= 27, queer protagonist, sex trafficking (references), teen corpse (some details), stabbing death (blood, some details), contemplation of suicide, spouse in coma, abduction and captivity (injuries, multiple), corpse found (injuries, blood), pills (to excel brain), car accident (injuries, blood), rape (assumed, few details), torture described as training (shocking volts, hanging upside down, pills that memory swipe, intimacy (some details, ended early), parental stroke and caring for them, menstruation reference, bomb detonated (previous), car accident (previous, believed to be suicide), bomb (intense details of people hit who were close by, beheading, limbs cut off, killing gas), gunshots and many injuries, maternal cancer death (previous), suicide attempt (gun, didn’t fire), a mothers rights are taken away and her child is placed with family, car accident (injuries), reference to possible physical and sexual child abuse, alcohol, references to slave child labor, strangulation, gunshots, stabbing (blood).
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies!
The book releases March 14, 2023.
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