gay-cops, thriller, 21st-century, crime-fiction, suspense, Spain, Spanish-literature, noir, detective, intrigue, kidnapping, Madrid, law-enforcement, forensic-consultant, reclusive, adrenaline rush, PTSD, extortion, gruesome, serial-murder, investigations, unputdownable*****

Translated into English from the Spanish of Spain.
Twisty, alarming, fast-paced, and thoroughly addictive. The publisher's blurb covers the very basics, and no need to repeat, and spoilers are just wrong. Did I mention addictive addictive?!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you.

#AntoniaScottNo1 #TranslatedIntoEnglish

Fast paced and suspenseful mystery thriller set in Spain.

First in a trilogy featuring the brainiac Antonia Scott, a young woman whose intelligence makes her able to solve some of the most difficult murder cases, who teams up with a disgraced police officer, Jon Gutierrez, from Bilbao. Together they are meant to work behind the scenes on an investigation involving the discovery of a savagely murdered teenaged boy from a very wealthy family. Then the daughter of a billionaire is nabbed. The cases appear to be linked. The clock is ticking and these two must figure out who and why.

The action was rapid and the chapters were short. Lots of time hops and backstory. Interesting details that many nerds will love. Despite it being a bit choppy, the narrative came together leaving some unanswered questions. The partnership between the two main characters is interesting and definitely has a lot of potential for added depth especially in their personal lives. I’m interested to see where the story goes next and plan to read the second in the series shortly.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

I really enjoyed this new to me author’s story. Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado
This is a fast-paced, full of tension an intrigue story.
I thought this thriller had a great plot, exciting characters and a compulsive story to keep reading to the end.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Antonia Scott was crafted into the woman she is today. Through intense and inhuman training she has become most intelligent person in the world. A covert police force created her to help them fight crime but it's come at a price...it's cost her the people she love. Enter dishonered Police Inspector, Jon Gutierrez, who has been blackmailed into bringing Scott back to work to find a heinous criminal mastermind.

Antonia and Jon were endearing characters. The location for the final scene was very interesting and if I'm ever in Barcelona I need to find it. The plot moved fairly quickly and the ending was satisfying - but only because I knew this was a series.

FYI There is a gruesome bomb scene described in minute detail so be warned if that's not your thing.

I'm looking foward to reading the next installment. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I almost gave up on this book. It felt sluggish to me and there were a lot of people to keep track of, in my opinion. However, I am glad I did not give up. Antonia Scott is an anomaly - she has a mind that can remember everything - and that is part of her problem. No matter how hard she tries not to, it all comes back. She works for a special team that "does not exist." However, when she experiences a traumatic event, she removes herself from living.

Jon Gutierrez, an inspector from Bilbao, is in a LOT of trouble. After planting evidence that will end his career, she is summoned to help this non-existent team. He is tasked with getting Scott back on the team - they have an urgent case that needs her special set of skills.

The story weaves, back in Scott's life, and forward with an ending that will be worth the read. After logging the read into Goodreads, this shows as book #3 in the series. That may be why I had issues in the beginning, I did not have the backstories.

Red Queen introduces the reader to Antonia Scott, a unique and skilled investigator, who is called on only for the hardest cases - and she is about to be pulled into her most difficult case yet.

I have to admit that I've never read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (I actually have it on my shelves but just haven't read it yet). I only bring that up because Antonia is compared to Lisbeth Sanders from that trilogy in the summary, but I can't really speak to that obviously since I haven't yet read those books. What I can say is Antonia was a very interesting main characters. From the beginning, it is easy to see that she has been through something traumatic that she is still struggling with but you aren't sure exactly what. Slowly, as the pages went by and we got to know both her and Jon (the police officer that is trying to work with her), we are shown more about why Antonia is struggling so much and trying to stay out of further investigations. The mystery behind her character, how her mind works, and then the current situation all combined to make a really interesting read. My one qualm was the attitudes towards Jon's sexuality. I'm not sure how to put it besides I didn't think it needed to be there. It felt negative towards him and I'll leave it at that. I would have preferred for his sexuality not to have been portrayed so negatively towards him and his character. I did really appreciate how complex the mystery felt as well as how intricate Antonia's skills were. I'm curious to see what will happen in future books as I believe that this is meant to be a trilogy. So a solid read overall.

Readers who enjoy mysteries and are looking for a unique, dark read should give this book a try. Just with the caveat that Jon being gay wasn't treated well at times.

Thanks to Minotaur books for my copy - honest thoughts are my own.

"Red Queen" by Juan Gómez-Jurado is a gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. The novel tells the story of Antonia Scott, a former intelligence agent who is forced out of retirement to help stop a series of kidnappings that have left the nation in a state of panic.

The story is set in Spain and the plot revolves around the hunt for a serial killer who is targeting young women. The killer is known as "The Red Queen" because he leaves a chess piece at each crime scene. Antonia Scott is recruited by the police to help solve the case and she is paired with a young detective named Jon Gutiérrez. The two of them make an unlikely team, but they soon discover that they have a lot in common.

The characters in this book are well-developed and the plot is full of twists and turns. There are plenty of surprises along the way, and the author keeps you guessing until the very end. The story is also very well-written and the pacing is excellent. The tension builds steadily throughout the book and the final showdown is both thrilling and satisfying.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Red Queen is a haunting mystery with a female protagonist who has been damaged beyond repair. Antonia is coerced into a macabre murder of a wealthy young man whose body is found drained of blood, yet his family seems emotionally remote. Then a kidnapping of a wealthy heiress with ties to the first murder happens. The question becomes how much loyalty is owed to a father and where is love?

Antonia Scott is freakin' smart, so smart she was drafted into the Red Queen program for Spain, as part of a multi national intelligence task force. Can't say much more than thank without spoilers. However she dropped out three years ago, but her talents are needed again. Her counterpart, a compromised police officer, has been blackmailed into it by the promise to keep his job in spite of recent problematic events. Fast-paced, full of action and full of plot twist, Red Queen delivers. In spite of some early confusion on my part with POV shifts, I enjoyed the ride.

I couldn’t put this one down! There was plenty of action and adventure, twists and turns. I will definitely be waiting for the next installment.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the lead character in this book. She is so cool. It made the book and I will buy the sequels as soon as they come out

OK! So this one was entertaining to read! Quite an easy and fast read. I have to say that I loved the humor in the Noir detective/Thriller novel and loved the characters even more.

I did the audiobook and I have to say that once I started listening to it it was very hard to put down. there was something quite addicting about this story and I think it was just the perfect rythm the plot and characters were driven that made me want to know what was happening next.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this novel in exchange of an honest review.

This book is the perfect blend of Plot, and there is lots and lots of that, with character development.

I also really love Gómez Jurado‘s writing style. The construction is different, but not so out there that you can’t follow along. It’s just really fresh and really interesting. I was on a ride and I was so happy to be on that ride with these characters.

And be John Gutierrez and Antonia Scott characters are each incredibly fascinating in their own right in together. They are a perfect pairing. I absolutely loved watching their relationship grow.

What an excellent start to a series! This was a solid crime thriller with a kick ass, take no prisoners female main character. The plot was clever and unique. Can’t wait to continue with it.

This book is a murder mystery series that was originally published in Spanish. It features Jon Gutierrez, a friendly and overweight gay cop who was suspended for setting up a career criminal for drug possession. Despite this, Gutierrez still believes that he is a good cop who made a mistake.
One day, Gutierrez is approached by a mysterious man called the Mentor, who offers him help in investigating a murder. The Mentor has an ulterior motive, and wants Gutierrez to convince Antonia Scott, a forensic specialist, to come back to work for him. If Gutierrez can do this, the Mentor promises to make all of Gutierrez's problems disappear.
Gutierrez is intrigued by the opportunity and agrees to help the Mentor. He learns that Scott has a unique ability to solve crimes by finding clues and evidence other investigators often miss. However, the Mentor's organization must remain in the background, not appearing to be involved in any investigation.
Under Gutierrez's protection, Scott solves not one but two related murders, which leads to further adventures for the pair. The book's strength lies in its excellent character development. The author paints a vivid picture of each character, giving readers a glimpse into their innermost thoughts and feelings.
We see Gutierrez's struggles with his suspension and his determination to prove that he is a good cop. We also see Scott's unique talents and her inner conflicts with the Mentor's organization. Furthermore, the Mentor himself remains an enigma throughout the story, adding an extra layer of intrigue.
The story's twists and turns are sure to keep readers entertained, and the unique plot will leave them wanting more. The book is a great read for anyone who enjoys mystery novels. It's a must-read for any mystery lover, and I can't wait to see what happens next in the series.
Overall, this book's combination of excellent character development, intriguing plot and unique twists make it a great read that will keep you on the edge of your seat

As soon as I started reading Juan Gomez-Jurado's Red Queen, I knew this will become one of my favorite new series (or in this case technically a trilogy). It took only one chapter for me to realize why this series found so many fans among European readers. Now I just have to suffer through the wait of the second book getting translated in English. If you enjoy police procedurals and are looking for something slightly different and refreshing, I highly recommend Red Queen.

A murder, a kidnapping and two unlikely and reluctant leads - Jon, a police officer with a penchant of getting himself in trouble and Antonia, a brilliant forensic specialist who has no intention of returning to this line of work.

I absolutely loved the unconventional characters and the premise of Red Queen. I could not get through this book fast enough and short chapters and lots of action definitely helped with that. We get to know the main characters as the story unfolds. There was no slow lead in. The story read like a gripping mind puzzle and I loved working out how it all connects together. The writing style and just the overall vibe of the story were very different than how north American thrillers/crime books read. Second book cannot get into my hands fast enough.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was quite good at the beginning but for some reason I completely lost interest in it around the halfway point. I don’t know if it was the translation, or the plot itself - I might give it a go in the original language and see if it pulls me in more. But I will definitely come back to this book at some point in the future - just need to be in the right mood for it.

2.5 stars. The beginning of this book really intrigued me but the middle was just ok and the ending was disappointing. Gomez-Jurado writes interesting, fully fleshed out characters but the plot just fell flat for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this book free from the publisher through netgalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a fast paced thriller set in Spain with subtle nods to books like the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. However Antonia is not Lisbeth.

Antonia is brilliant but her brilliance was enhanced by the government as part of a special program call the Red Queen. They work under the radar but usually always have a cop with them to help smooth their work along. Jon is a disgraced cop about two minutes from going to prison himself for setting up a pimp when he gets recruited into the Red Queen project to help Antonia get back to work.

I loved the LGBTQ visibility and the true life hassle that Jon has to deal with by his fellow cops for being gay especially since this is set in Spain and machismo culture. Antonia is broken. She loves what she does but it put her husband and child at risk - her husband is currently in a coma and her son living with her father who thinks she is insane.

There is a lot going on in this book and the twisty turny mystery of who abducted the children of the rich and asks the impossible for their safe return was brilliant. I'm going to assume that this is the first in a series since there is set up for a follow up book at the end. It hooked me from the beginning and didn't let me go