This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Antonia Scott series is set in Europe, in Spain. Antonia and her partner, Jon, are sort of government agency law enforcement but a special program. Jon is gay; he has had some issues with trying too hard to get the bad guys. Rather than jailing him, he works with Antonia. Antonia has a high IQ. She is excellent with deductions and her unit uses special drugs to enhance her abilities.

I like the main characters. We get some of their personal aspects and stories as they work together. Antonia has a son who lives with her father. Her husband was injured and is in the hospital. Antonia is also preoccupied with some loose ends from the last case.

Antonia and Jon are in a smaller town looking for the wife of a Russian mobster. The wife, Lola, is pregnant and diabetic. There is a good chance the mob bosses want to kill her as they have just murdered her husband. In fact, it seems they may have hired the Black Wolf, an assassin to take her out. We follow her journey of trying to hide from killers without money or anyone to trust.

The local cops are not happy to see Antonia and Jon and would get rid of them if they could. It seems odd since Antonia and Jon never take credit and might be a great help. In fact, they do help and learn a lot of things about the mobsters and why Yuri and Lola became targets.

The Black Wolf is another point of view we get. I didn't understand it was her thoughts until later. Her thoughts are mostly historical about the little girl in the ashes. I first thought they were Lola's history. Lola came from a poor place and her chance to better herself was to marry well, which she did. She loved her husband.

There is a huge action scene when all the players manage to get together in a remote location during a blizzard. Plenty of twists in this story. Things are not what one thinks. The very ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, going back to the case from the first book, Red Queen.

There is also a TV show, just starting, based on this series called Red Queen on Amazon Prime.

Narration:
Scott Brick is an excellent narrator and I have enjoyed several different works with him. It may be because I just read another series with him plus the action and situations in Black Wolf but I kept expecting Evan Smoak to show up. The voices all felt comfortable to me. I was able to listen at 1.5x speed.

"The black wolf isn't the bogey man. She's the one you call to kill the bogey man."

...and her target is the smartest woman in the world, with an IQ over 200, Europe's covert agent Red Queen. In the nonstop action packed high body count Black Wolf (Antonia Scott book 2) by overly talented author Juan Gomez Jurado, we start right back with our Red Queen (book 1), Antonia still (not) dealing with the tragedy of her husband, and an emotional wreck from the lost relationship, and custody, of her son from the first book.

Just like in the first book, there are a few events that seem unrelated that happen throughout Spain, from a murdered Mafia boss, his pregnant wife, Lola, escaping the killers and on the run, a cargo crate filled with nine dead suffocated women and a report that the Russian assassin Black Wolf has entered the country with one target, Antonia.

Once again, the award winning voice actor Scott Brick brings these intense, emotional, and surprisingly often humorous characters to life. My favorite character, Antonia's partner and handler (she tends to lone wolf it while having emotional breakdowns), Jon is his usual gay self deprecating clever one liner self with lines like, "He was so deep in the closet he couldn't see the door for the coat hangers."

This smartly executed translated from Spanish crime thriller can be a standalone but why would you not want to know the Red Queen's origin story (now a Prime Video series!)? Look for my book vs TV series post on it soon. The sly twists at the end will have you howling at the Black Wolf.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved Red Queen by Juan Gomez-Jurado and was very excited to find out the next book in the series, Black Wolf, was finally being translated into English. This series has been a bestseller internationally and deservedly so. If you enjoy thrillers with great characters, don’t miss this series.

Antonia Scott (half British-half Spanish) is a terrific character, a super-intelligent woman who has experienced a good deal of personal trauma. Jon Gutierrez is a Spanish police officer who works with Antonia on very complex cases, assigned by someone called Mentor. Antonia and Jon are an amazing team. In addition to working cases together, he sort of babysits her. In this book, we get to know both characters more deeply. Antonia is part of the Red Queen project, “created to work behind the scenes to solve the most devious and dangerous crimes.”

As with the first book, the mystery is complex. The action takes place in Spain, this time in Marbella and Madrid. Antonia and Jon are assigned to find Lola, the pregnant (and diabetic) Spanish wife of a Russian mobster, who has gone missing after an assassination attempt. A professional assassin, nicknamed the Black Wolf, is also searching for Lola.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient, and allowed me to continue with the story even when I could not sit down and read. Scott Brick does his usual fabulous job with the narration.

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. All opinions are my own.

Antonia Scott has an unusually gifted mind, able to see what others miss, able to solve the crimes that baffle all others. The only thing she fears is herself.

Antonia is the lynchpin of the Red Queen project, created to work behind the scenes to solve the most devious and dangerous crimes. But she is unwilling to move past the last case, convinced it’s related to a personal tragedy, until a series of deadly events pulls her back in. In southern Spain, in the Costa del Sol, a key mafia figure is found brutally murdered in his villa, his pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, barely escapes an attempt to kill her in a shopping mall and is on the run. Now Antonia, with the help of her helper and protector, Jon Gutierrez, must track down this missing Lola. But they aren’t the only ones on Lola’s trail – a dangerous contract killer, known as the Black Wolf, is also on her trail. And Antonia Scott, still plagued by her personal demons, must outwit, outmaneuver, and, ultimately, face this terrible, mysterious rival.

A great second part in this Spanish crime series. Scott Brick does an outstanding job of bringing Jon and Antonia’s journey to life. Jon and Antonia’s friendship deepens in this second novel and it is just precious to watch unfold. Jon brings a lightness to the story, but he is also fiercely protective of Antonia. Antonia is brilliant, but trauma from her past makes her try to keep her distance from others. The fast-paced plot, high stakes, action packed thriller with a killer female protagonist will have you listening or reading nonstop. Book three of this trilogy cannot come soon enough! I highly recommend this novel!

There are so many working parts to this story that I had a hard time keeping track of everything. I generally enjoy stories with POV changes each chapter, but this one definitely challenged me. The book was translated from Spanish to English. It’s set in Spain. Characters include an inspector, a super genius, local police, and the Russian Mafia! I didn’t feel like the character development was significant. They were difficult to for me to like. I also had a difficult time following the narrator. I found myself being distracted by pronunciation. All the characters sounded exactly the same unless it was a Russian because of the accent. It was slow-paced. There was so much build up. I kept waiting for the ball to drop but it kept dragging on. When the twists finally started happening they were great! I think this one just missed the mark for me. Overall it’s a good story; perfect for readers that like the Russian Mafia and tons of back story!

I listened to this audiobook in one sitting as I was thrust back into Antonia Scott's world. I love the intelligence behind this series and the action and adventure that take place as much in the mind as in the body. Jon and Antonia have such a fun working relationship and I love the way he draws her out of her shell.

In this novel we meet another intriguing character in Lola Moreno and I enjoyed her role in the story. She's another strong female character and doesn't make the best choices, but she has reasons for being the way she is. Antonia proves her brilliance and worth once again as the Red Queen in solving the case and taking down the Black Wolf. The author noted that they will be back and I can't wait for the next book!

4.5 Stars!

Antonia Scott is a Latina Sherlock Holmes specializing in forensics and trained by a secret organization. Her home life is a hot mess, she's not a bad ass fighter, she's a petite, bad driver, who doesn't like to cuss, and is neruo divergent.

This is the second book in her series. I listened to the audio as an ARC. I had no issues reading this as a standalone but want to read the first book expeditiously and the rest of the series as it's translated. I can confidently say Antonia and her partner Jon are something special.

I loved the writing, and the Guy Ritchie type action.

I understand why this series has been so popular internationally, it’s wholly bingeable and entertaining. I loved being back with the dynamic duo - Antonia and Jon. These characters are super likable and complex. The story keeps me on my toes with the suspense, mystery, and action scenes. The way Juan Gómez-Jurado writes cool female characters is really appealing to me in this series, short fast paced chapters really make the book unputdownable. I’m just dying to know what happens next after the cliffhanger!

Scott Brick does the audiobook performance and his storytelling voice is incredible. I love the kind of whimsy he puts into the narration, the characters’ personalities shine through, and the pacing never really lulls or drops off. I enjoy his speaking voice from other audiobooks and I’m looking forward to listening to him more in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and Minotaur Books for the listening and review copies.

Exciting and fast paced, this suspenseful crime thriller is the second in a series featuring the enigmatic, brilliant Antonia Scott and her squire, Inspector Jon Gutierrez.

The duo works behind the scenes in Spain as part of the secret Red Queen project. They are assigned to the most difficult cases and try to stay within the boundaries of the law. After a harrowing pervious job, they are again sent into a delicate situation involving the mafioso. Yuri Veronin, a man known for his money laundering expertise, is found brutally murdered in Costa del Sol and his pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, is on the run after an attempt is also made on her life. The Russian cohort is hot on her trail and even call in the notorious contract killer, the Black Wolf. Antonia and Jon are meant to find Lola first. It seems that there is a lot of double crossing and profit skimming going on and no one is to be trusted.

I really rated the first two books in this series and can't wait for the third installment. I like the short chapters and the writing style. I both listened to the audiobook and read along with the e-book so I could fully appreciate the nuances and also helped with the fact that I am not fluent in Spanish. I love the characters of Antonia and Jon and they make quite an unusual pair. Appreciate so much that there is no romance and enjoy each of their personalities and quirks. The story line is great and there are some surprises along the way. Definitely some dark humor as well.

The audio was a superb production and I absolutely love the narrator, Scott Brick. He has the most wonderful voice and gave life and individuality to all of the characters he voiced in this novel.

I am recommending this series to everyone who likes a good crime thriller and am thankful for receiving the ARC audiobook and e-book from the publishers. Looking forward to the next, White King.

Also -- there is an adaptation of the first book in this series, Red Queen, on Prime right now and I sure hope to see this one there as well.

Black Wolf is the second book in the Red Queen series, translated from Spanish. I read both books back to back and it was a thrill ride and a half! I do love a good action adventure and these 2 books will have you holding your breath in anticipation.

In Black Wolf we are reunited with Antonia and Jon who are sent to the Costa Del Sol to find the missing and pregnant wife of a murdered Spanish mafia member. They are not the only ones looking for her so the stakes are high and the conditions are dangerous.

This book has it all, there are gunfights, scary dogs, car chases and a very high body count. This book is dark and very graphic. It is messy and violent and I loved it.

The relationship between Antonia and Jon is a highlight of this book. They are still getting to know each other, but feel more comfortable together.

The narrator, Scott Brick was just fantastic. He really brought the story to life and made it very exciting to listen to.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy. Released on March 12th.

A taut novel that will leave readers on the edge of their seats. The narrator was perfect at adding tension, suspense, and humor when called for. The story was unique and interesting and kept me enthralled. I loved Antonia and learning about her gift, and the locations were lush and intriguing.

Black Wolf is the second book in the Red Queen series by @juangomezjurad. Antonia and Jon are back this time trying to find the missing pregnant wife of a murdered Spanish mafia member. There is an assassin, aka the Black Wolf, who is also looking for this mafia wife. Who will find her first?!

I love the character of Antonia Scott and was so glad to read another book with her in it. I really enjoyed switching between the book and audiobook with this read since I did not want to put this crime thriller down. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series. I recommend this series and reading it in order.

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @minotaur_books for allowing me to read and listen to this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)