Antonia Scott and Jon Guttierez are the leads in Red Queen, a Spanish novel now translated into English. Written by Juan Gómez-Jurado., a well-known successful Spanish writer., the novel has moments of great action. Particularly well written is the scene where Jon enters an old tunnel, attempting to find the kidnappers that he and Scott have been pursuing.
The novel does not start well. At least for me, as I gave up on it at the quarter mark. Once it had set a while I gave it another try, finishing it. I loved the action, but in between it often dragged. Some of the characters are flat. Perhaps the author was trying to do too much. 3.5 stars
It will be interesting to read the sequel which is sure to follow
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St Martins Publishing for this amazing ARC.

Antonia Scott has suicide constantly on her mind and lives in an apartment with no furniture. Her neighbours bring meals to her, knowing she won’t eat, otherwise. Enter Jon Gutierrez, a cop who has been suspended without pay for REALLY messing up a case. To lessen his punishment he’s been sent by The Mentor to get Antonia to go for a car ride. She refuses. Antonia doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to but Jon pleads his case. Eventually they’re off on a clandestine adventure and the suspense mounts as they search for a killer and a kidnapper.
I loved this book from page one. It kept me on the edge of my seat, pushing me to read more and more. This was a true thriller/suspense with twists and turns, action packed. Juan Gomez Jurado has written an incredibly entertaining book. You feel you’re right on the streets of Madrid with the characters.
One can only hope the next two books in this trilogy, yes, there are two others, will be translated from Spanish to English in the very near future. I can hardly wait!

I liked this book very much, which surprised me ;) It has a slow, measured pace, and while I don't have to have every chapter in a thriller end in a car chase, the pacing surprised me. It was, however, exactly right for the story. I don't feel as if too much or too little was told. Despite my lack of any knowledge of Spain, I could follow along with wher they were and what their surroundings might have looked like. I liked both characters very much, feel that there may be more to reveal in coming books, and look forward to it.

An ultimate crime prevention premise must feature a genius and someone to handle them. In other words, it’s your very basic odd/oddly unmatched pair of detectives sort of thing. It’s been done and it’s been done and I can’t honestly tell you that Red Queen brings something new to either the genre of that very particular set up.
In fact, it’s quite underwhelming as far as those things go. Because, of course, you got to get your Sherlock right. Meaning the oddball has to be originally compellingly odd and Antonia Scott is garden variety odd at best.
She’s meant to be a genius, a person with the highest IQ out there. And of course, she’s traumatized, because trauma forges the best character traits. Though maybe not in her case so much; in her case, it just made her into an emotionally stunted shut-in with a crappy diet. And then she gets dragged out once again into the field to track down a kidnapper/killer. And then man to drag her out is a jumbo-sized (and allegedly mostly muscle) police detective who veered off the blue path to follow his morals and the only way to get out of the doodoo he’s in now is by working with Antonia.
And so, the two of them chase after their mystery fiend all over Madrid. Which is nice locale wise and was one of the main things that attracted me to this novel in the first place.
So, score for international reading.
And objectively, the book was plenty entertaining and perfectly decently written. Just…nothing special. Much like its protagonist. Which is frustrating because she's meant to be exceptional and, presumably, exceptionally interesting. Plus, the book is quite bulky at something like 400 pages. Certainly not enough here to draw interest for the entire trilogy.
It’s sort of like an inferior version of Kill The Father (Colomba Casselli trilogy) by Sandrone Dazieri. So if you want to read a genius and detective team solve crimes books done right, go for those.
Otherwise, this was fine, passed the time, some fun was had. Thanks Netgalley.

Red Queen by Juan Gomez-Jurado is one of those novels when certain aspects of the novel are disclosed they could be considered story spoilers, therefore, the less known beforehand, the better. Red Queen is also the first novel of a trilogy, with Red Queen being the first to be translated into English.

Red Queen opens with the introduction of Antonia Scott. Scott is a tiny and tough eccentric person living in a sparsely furnished apartment and possesses a mind with unique abilities. As the novel opens, Scott is in the middle of an exactly three-minute ritual of the meditative contemplation of suicide when she realizes someone is coming up the stairs that lead to her apartment. Scott strongly desires no visitors, especially when interrupted during this ritual she conducts to maintain her sanity and to quiet and control her mind.

The person creeping up the stairs is Madrid, Spain police detective Joe Gutierrez. Gutierrez is overweight, but strong, openly gay, and currently on suspension while possibly facing jail time for an act of goodwill misconduct. Previously, Gutierrez had been contacted by a man coined Mentor and was persuaded to fetch Scott upon the promise of help with his misconduct issue. Mentor informed Gutierrez, that if successful in persuading Scott to come along with him and meet Mentor at another location, he would be able to have Gutierrez reinstated and his misconduct problem disappear as if it never even happened.

With much difficulty, Gutierrez is able to collect the tight-lipped and socially walled-off Scott and the two then meet Mentor outside a home in an area of the city described by Gutierrez as a “VIP zone within a VIP zone.”

Inside the luxurious home of a wealthy and highly influential mother, they are then shown the body of a young man murdered in a manner with apparent ritualistic undertones.

With the mother being unusually coy and uncooperative, Mentor then tasks Gutierrez and Scott to conduct their own secretive investigation alongside of the authorities. Mentor also warns the two to be careful of running afoul of the ambitious lead investigator who clearly wants nothing to do with the two, which they soon learn includes him actively dismissing any findings the two may make.

Before long, a second heinous crime occurs with just as bizarre circumstances, leading investigators to ponder the motive behind these crimes, while at the same time slowly starting to realize some things may not be what they seem to be.

As the story moves forward, Gomez-Jurado slowly reveals more and more about the two main characters, which allows the reader to develop a favorable kinship toward a pair of opposites that appear to mix as well as oil and water, but who also are slowly developing a respectful relationship of admiration and respect for each other.

Red Queen then evolves into a criminal investigation race against time where the author continues to build a complex story with different plot threads. Gomez-Jurado also increases the tension with an additional layer of destructive internecine rivalry between the two investigative groups which may hamper the identification and apprehension of the suspect.

While the story may seem familiar in some aspects, Gomez-Jurado’s introduction of Scott, Gutierrez, and Mentor allows the novel to appear fresh and appealing to those that enjoy interesting characters and stories that constantly move forward and tales that end in unexpected ways.

Red Queen has an anticipated US release date of March 2023.

This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com.

Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado

9781250853677

384 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Release Date: March 14, 2023

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Action, Adventure, Kidnapping, Murder, International

Antonia Scott and Inspector Jon Gutierrez have nothing in common. She is an intellect with off the chart detective skills. He is a fat disgraced police detective who was caught setting up a drug sting with a pimp. Mentor is a man who leads a covert operation for high profile investigations. His methods keep the investigations out of the news.

The first case Jon and Antonia are assigned is the death of a young man. He is the son of an executive banker. His death was staged. He was found sitting on his parents’ sofa with a glass of blood in his hand. His blood was drained from his body. The second case involves a kidnapping. The clock is ticking against Antonia and Jon. Will they be able to beat the clock? They will have to think like the criminal to stop him.

The book is set in Spain. It has an extremely fast pace The characters are well developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. If you like thrillers with international intrigue, you will enjoy this book.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Inspector Jon Gutierrez, a well-intentioned police officer, finds himself in dire straits, suspended without pay from the force. Caught planting heroin in a pimp’s car in order to protect a young girl, he’s also facing charges of falsifying documents, tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, and professional disloyalty. If convicted, he faces prison for as much as ten years.

As he sits waiting for what comes next, a man calling himself Mentor approaches him, offering Jon a way out of his troubles. In exchange, Jon must meet a friend of Mentor’s and take her dancing.

Antonia Scott is the friend. All he needed to do, Mentor said, was get the woman into the car. But Jon has no idea of what will happen when he gets her into the car. Antonia, of course, refuses.

Mentor and Jon have a phone conversation in which Jon learns some things about the mysterious woman living in an attic apartment with no furniture, and he decides to try again. But Antonia requests the answers to two questions; if he has the right answers, she will go with him.

And so begins an adventure with a good policeman and a woman with a gift that allows her to reconstruct crimes and solve baffling mysteries. Their case involves the murder of a teen-aged boy and the kidnapping of the daughter of one of Spain’s richest men. But there’s something more, something sinister involved . . . and Antonia is the only one who has a chance of discovering the truth before tragedy befalls someone else.

Will she find a way? And why does the mysterious Mentor need Jon’s help?

=========

In this, the first in a trilogy involving Jon and Antonia, readers meet the inspector and the gifted woman, two well-drawn, engaging characters. Their relationship is the linchpin in the telling of the tale as readers slowly learn the backstory of each individual.

A strong sense of place anchors the narrative; its gripping premise is original and intriguing, yielding an adventure filled with both danger and fascination.

With its ever-present undercurrent of tension, the unfolding story is both gritty and compelling. The plot takes several unexpected twists, keeping readers guessing as the suspense-filled tale slowly reveals its secrets.

Readers are sure to find themselves pulled into the telling of the tale from the outset; the author’s skillful weaving of the events into an unputdownable tale creates a story that readers will find impossible to set aside until they’ve turned the final page.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#RedQueen #NetGalley

Name of Book: Red Queen
Series: Antonia Scott #1
Author: Juan Gomez-Jurado
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books
Genre: Cultural Thriller
Pub Date: March 14. 2023 ~ originally released November 8, 2018
My Rating: 2.5 Stars!

Antonia Scott and Jon Gutiérrez are a pair and seems unlikely.
She is not a policewoman or a lawyer and yet, she is a crime solver.

Antonia has not left her attic apartment in Madrid in some time. The things she has lost are much more important to her than the things awaiting her outside. She never has visitors so doesn’t like when she hears unknown footsteps coming up the stairs ~ it is overweigh Jon a former police detective and yes he is unique.

Antonia is someone who you will like and I can see why there are two more books in this series

However, I struggled with this story.
I read a lot of psychological thrillers and this was so much slower than I expected.

There are already 3 books released in this series but so far the other two have not be translated into English `~ perhaps that is why this is being released next spring and the others will follow.
SO there are more Jon & Antonia stories waiting for you!

I always enjoy reading the ‘Author’s Notes’. In this case author, Juan Gomez-Jurado provides us with some interesting details as well as information he gathered on his research.

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press~ Minotaur Books for this early uncorrected e Galley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 14, 2023

We begin the book with a kidnapping, and it doesn't slow down very much from that point: a kidnapping, multiple murders, a corrupt cop, a forensics genius, a mysterious organization, an arrogant cop, and an aging journalist. There's a lot going on here. Unfortunately, there are too many coincidences, a heroine that is described as special, which turns out to be a genius-level intelligence [aired with some kind of monstrous and odd medical experiment that turned her into an Asperger's like character who is much like Sherlock Holmes or The "Bones" character from the tv series, based on a book series. Antonia Scott is her name, and she blames herself for her husband's injuries during a police operation, which left him reliant on machines to keep him alive - basically, in a vegetative state.

She is teamed up with Jon Guitierrez, the aforementioned corrupt cop - because he was accused of planting drugs in the car of a suspect - who is also a fat gay man who lives with his mother. Toss a trope on that bonfire of pile of crimes and such up there. Jon is approached by a man who belongs to a super secret organization that works on particular crimes. He recruits Jon by, one, offering to pay him, since Jon is currently suspended, and two, telling him that all he has to do is convince Antonia to get in a car and then drive her to a particular address.

This unlikely pair is assigned to look into the case of a young man who was abducted and killed, then staged in the house of a super-rich family. It's also a case of mistaken identity, as the young man is not the son of woman they were attempting to extort. And this is the point at which Antonia's bizarre behavior and manner of seeing the scene begin. She also draws several conclusions that seem to be a bit premature. Whatever the case, they are then pulled out of that and reassigned by the mystery man (codename: Mentor).

The pair are then told to start looking at another crime, this time the kidnapping of a woman who is the daughter of what sounded to me like a billionaire. Interestingly, he has receive a all from the kidnapper(s), with a bizarre directive for him to say something publicly that would be highly embarrassing. They learn that in the other case, the woman who runs one of the largest banks in Madrid (and it seems all of Spain) has received a similar call and demand. Obviously neither of the two want to submit to these demands.

What follows from here is a series of leaps of logic, actions taken by Antonia and Jon that in any reasonable law enforcement organization would result in them not just being taken off the cases but tossed into jail. As it turns out, the ranking investigator from the local police - the typical arrogant local law enforcement dude with a giant ego who thinks himself always right - kicks them out of the crime scenes. They ignore him, naturally, returning to both scenes when the locals are gone.

There come some coincidences, and a bunch of flashbacks too tell us how Antonia changed from just a very smart woman into some kind of crime scene whisperer/savant. I won't go further into the plot in current (book-wise) time. But I will say that the astute reader who takes in the details will be able to determine the kidnapper/murderer as well as the incident that started everything and pretty much how the book will end.

I will add this warning: the kidnapped woman is put in a cell of sorts that is rock and does not have the vertical clearance for her to stand up, basically making it a long stone box. If you're claustrophobic, this might be an issue for you, as it was for me.

There were a lot of ideas here, and I think the idea of Antonia and what she can do is quite interesting. But it seems to have made her some kind of superhero. For instance: when the pair need to bribe someone, and don't have the funds to do it, she teaches herself a card game, goes to an online gambling site, and wins enough to pay of the guys they need to get information out of in less tan half an hour. It's all just running around from that point to reach the end.

It is an ok read. Not great, not the worst I've ever read. For the middle of the road it took, it's a three. I'll read the next one, probably.

Three stars out of five.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the reading copy.

Originally published by the author, in Spanish in 2018, and the first in a series of three, this book will be published in English, in the U.S., in March, 2023. This was an action packed mystery thriller, with kidnapping and murder as the devious plot. Good investigative work brings to light the main characters of Jon, a disgraced, but likable police investigator and Antonia, a crime solving savant with a mysterious background.

Things were a little confusing at first and I had difficulty connecting with the story. It was hard to figure out the characters in the beginning; their backgrounds, relationships and purpose to the story. I was worried that something may have gotten lost in the translation. However, the storyline quickly picked up and ended with an exciting finish.

This first novel does an OK job of laying the groundwork for the remaining books in the series, even though I would have liked to learn more about the Red Queen project and what happened to Antonia's husband, but I think that may be covered in one of the other books. I would probably read the rest of the series if, or when, they become available in English in the U.S.

Red Queen is a psychological thriller bleeding originality and intrigue. Jon Gutierrez is a disgraced cop, caught setting up a pimp for drugs to save one of the girls on the street. Soon to be without a job and possible in prison, Jon is recruited by a secretive group to get Antonia Scott out of her home and to a crime scene and his charges will disappear. But Antonia is deeply traumatized from her husband being shot due to her past work. No one can do what Antonia does, she is the Red Queen to the secret sect called in to handle delicate matters that should never see the light of day. A murdered billionaire’s son and a missing heiress to another fortune finally convinces Antonia to engage with a dangerously conniving killer in an action packed thrill ride. The Red Queen draws you in from the first page and keeps a tight grip until the end for an excellent beginning to a promising series. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

This was a very interesting story. On the whole I thought it was very well crafted. There were times when it felt like it needed a tighter edit to keep things moving along though.. I must confess that I found John much less intriguing as a character, he felt a little flatter than I wanted him to be - I'm hoping he will be fleshed out as a more well-rounded character and less of a caricature in the next book. Fortunately I found Antonia to be an entirely fascinating character who totally sold the story for me and I will definitely read the next book to see where her adventures take her and how she resolves the fantastic cliffhanger dropped at the end of the book.

I was very intrigued by the synopsis and I couldn’t wait to read this, but I had trouble getting into the story and I never did really connect with the characters. The ending is full of action though, which I liked, and I really appreciate the author’s note at the end of the book where the author shares with us the real people and events that inspired this novel. I love it when authors share this kind of information with us readers!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

Interesting,fast paced,well written thriller.
Main characters are well developed and fascinating. Maybe not the most original pair of detectives as we saw a few similarly badly matched couples but nevertheless very entertaining and likable. Looking forward to read next books in the series.

Review copy (eARC) provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It is the first in a series (per Goodreads, I understand there are three novels in Spanish).. The main characters are a police officer with good intentions who is down on his luck and a character who I would describe as a combination of Sherlock Holmes and House.

Through a series of seemingly unrelated events, the two main characters work together to solve a murder, at least one kidnapping and certain other crimes. The author brilliantly weaves together a vivid picture of Spain's architecture, culture, etc. and an engaging, fascinating mystery. I could not put this book down until I finished.

This book resolves the majority of the plot (i.e., self-contained), but ends on a cliffhanger that I cannot wait to see resolved. Many of the characters would be ripe for spinoffs.

I highly, highly recommend this book, and cannot wait for translated editions of the rest of the series.

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.

This original novel begins with the premise that the problem is jurisdictional rivalries within law enforcement. The Red Queen project was set up to circumvent that. But it seemed to this reader that they just added to the disfunction. Antonia Scott and Jon Gutierrez are great characters, and i'd love to see more of them. Recommended. #RedQueen #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado is one of the most original, gut-wrenching, suspenseful novels I have read in years. When I reached the final 50 pages of the book, there was nothing I would let get in the way of finishing it. Nothing. I had to know. I wanted answers. I needed to understand. Unknown in the US, it is easy to see why the Red Queen trilogy is an international best-seller (selling more than two million copies in the original Spanish, and published in seventeen countries), I read the book courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's / MacMillian Publishing Group.

I was speedily swept away into the dark world of the extraordinary (and tragic) genius of Antonia Scott and disgraced detective Jon Guiterraz as they try to solve the frightening, macabre and virtually-impossible kidnapping and murder of a teen-aged boy from a wealthy family. The boy’s body is found without a drop of blood left in it. This kidnapping/murder is quickly followed by a second - this time of a high-ranking executive and daughter of one of the richest men in Spain. Both involve blackmail, though not for money.

A secretive organization that works in the shadows to direct criminal investigations of a highly sensitive nature, offers Guiyterraz a chance at redemption - convince Antonia, who has all but removed herself from everyday life, to come out of her self-imposed retirement and solve the crime.

Jon and Antonia’s developing relationship is at the heart of the novel, as we learn more about their isolated lives. The book is populated with memorable characters, including a washed-up journalist eager to be back on top, and a arrogant police chief eager to solve the mystery himself.

The writing is taut and immediately captures the tensions of the hunt for the kidnappers. Gomez-Jurado creates a delicious atmosphere of evil without sacrificing the novel’s relentless pacing as he creates an effective and vivid sense of place.

Juan Gómez-Jurado, where have you been all my reading life? This is as close to a perfect thriller as one can get. Happily, Red Queen is part of a trilogy, with the remaining novels on their way soon. A Netflix series is already planned for 2023.

There are not enough stars to give this book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Jon who is a cop for now has to convince Antonia to help him solve a murder with her unique gifts. To solve this murder and other occurrence will take everything Antonia has in her repertoire.

Antonia Is Their Last Hope…

Can Jon convince her to help Mentor with a very difficult case? Let’s go back to the beginning. John Gutierrez is a cop, at the moment a suspended cop. Mentor contacts him as a last resort to convince Antonia Scott to rejoin the group. He believes she is the only one who has the ability to solve the problem. When teamed with Jon, a cop who just wants to defeat evil, the pair work together outside the normal law enforcement channels to attempt to solve the horrific murder of a young boy whose corpse was drained of blood before being returned to the family home. They are puzzled, though, by the seeming lack of grief of the child’s mother and father.

This book is a wonderfully written story of an unconventional woman, with a different set of values and skills who, when given the right incentive, has abilities that are above normal human capacity. Jon is single and gay, an inspector who went too far when he planted evidence on a pimp. When teamed up they reach an understanding that is simultaneously combative and cooperative, each relegating the other to their areas of expertise. The relationship between them contributes a great deal to the overall story of murder and vengeance. Thank you, Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of Red Queen.

This is one of those books that I wanted to love so much more than I did.

I adored Antonia – she’s just a wonderfully unique character. I also loved Jon. He’s damaged, but he has a ton of heart. Finally, I loved the setting – the culture and history of Spain is presented so well here.

But the plot was mostly quite dull, the story moved at a glacial pace, and I finally realized that I was only reading for Antonia.

I would revisit the author again if there’s another Antonia book, but I’d hope that the pacing of the book improves.

So for me, this one gets an ‘Okay’ and a ‘I’ll try the next one’.