The final in the trilogy. Antonia Scott has to find Jon Guitterez who has been kidnapped. The Red Queen program is under attack. You can trust no one. Antonia and Jon are some of the most interesting characters in crime fiction today. and while the machinations in this book can be a bit hard to follow the characters keep you invested.

Enjoyable read. I was given a copy by Netgalley. opinions are mine.

(3.75 stars)
White King is the third (and final) book in the international bestseller Red Queen series by Juan Gomez-Jurado. Originally published in Spanish in 2020, it is finally available in English. 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. Antonia is part of the Red Queen project, “created to work behind the scenes to solve the most devious and dangerous crimes.” Jon Guttierez is a Spanish police officer who got in a bit of disgrace, so when he was offered an opportunity to make the problem go away if he worked with Antonia, he jumped at the chance. They are a terrific team. I particularly loved Jon in each of these three books. He’s gay so the author has avoided any of the possible male-female entanglements that so many books include with people who work together so closely. They work on very complex cases assigned to them by a man code named Mentor.

This book picks up exactly where the cliffhanger ending of book two, Black Wolf, left us. (Not going to say what that cliffhanger was, in case you haven’t read Black Wolf yet.)

Antonia and Jon are working against the clock, racing all over Madrid trying to solve multiple cases on a deadline set by an evil antagonist, the titular White King. It was not quite as enjoyable for me as the first two books, probably because of all the bouncing around in time, with flashbacks that were not clearly labeled as such and involved several different characters. While still a very good book, I found myself speeding up the audiobook beyond the speed I usually listen at, which is a sign that something wasn’t quite working for me.

While this could technically be read as a standalone, I think you would be even more confused than I was, so I wouldn’t recommend it as a standalone.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Antonia is her amazing grasp of numerous languages. She was constantly coming with the odd words in lesser-known languages to express/describe a particular situation. Here’s one example: “Dharmanisthuya, In Kannada, a Dravidic language spoken by forty-four million people in India, the relief of the downhill slope, the sensation an exhausted walker has when they come to a downward stretch of the path.”

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. 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.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and I'm sorry to see it come to end. Antonia Scott's mind is absolutely fascinating and I love her friendship with Jon. This story was a great way to conclude the trilogy as it really puts Antonia's skills to the test. With many twists and turns that you won't see coming this a novel that you can't put down. I listened to the audiobook and felt like I was right in the middle of the action.

What an ignoble ending.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, but this book felt utterly slapdash and sometimes outright lazy. I don’t know if it’s the fault of the translator or the US editors, but there were two lines of dialogue that were almost taken directly from MCU films (as in, almost verbatim), and even though the Red Queen project has always been very reminiscent of other female secret agent “projects” in media it seemed like no one involved in the publishing of this book cared to even make this feel different in any way.

It was empty, predictable, and bad.

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars or lower will not appear on my social media. Thank you.

The 3rd book of the Antonia Scott "Red Queen" series, White King brings the story full circle and wraps up loose ends from book 2, "Black Wolf". Antonia's protector and partner, Jon was kidnapped at the end of Black Wolf, and White King begins with Antonia meeting Mr. White, who she believes to be behind not only Jon's disappearance but also the murder of her husband, along with a multitude of other evil events. Mr. White assigns Antonia 3 cases to solve in a short period of time, or Jon will die. I love this series and have impatiently looked forward to the English translations of the sequels since reading Red Queen. These thrillers are intelligent, humorous (dry, sarcastic wit, my favorite), and present the readers with unique characters and situations. I alternated between the audiobook and the kindle version; usually I prefer to read for myself, but I found myself preferring the audiobook this time around as it gave me the correct pronunciations of all the Spanish street names, etc. The story goes in directions I never expected, providing several stunning twists and pulse-pounding action.
Reading the prior two books first (and in order) is, in my opinion, best for this series, as each book builds on the previous.

White King is book three in the Antonio Scott trilogy and best read as part of the series. Jon Gutierre, Antonio’s personal protector and friend, has been missing and Red Queen project is under attack. Jon reappears with a bomb in his head and back that will be activated unless Antonio solves three cold cases. Antonio must use her brilliant brain to crack the cases, stop a madman, and finally learn the truth about what happened to her husband. Intelligent, action packed, and full of suspense, the story captures the reader and drags you along on a wild ride of a thrilling adventure. Wonderful and complex characters drive the story for another great book in the series. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I loved reading Black Wolf by Juan Gómez-Jurad.
White King was a thrilling and exciting suspense novel.
The action was literally non-stop.
The writing style is engaging, making it easy to immerse oneself in the story.
The character development is excellent, giving me a deep understanding of their motives and perspectives.
An excellent thriller, well written and equally entertaining. There are many ‘twists and turns’, action-packed and keeps the reader ‘on the edge’ throughout. It is exciting, absorbing and at times full of tension– a real page turner.

March 12: posted on TikTok
No spoilers. A hard-hitting, gritty, tense crime thriller with depth and heart.
An extraordinary, vulnerable woman whose mental abilities help her to solve otherwise unsolvable crimes and a huge gay police detective face horrific crimes and chilling threats.

As soon as I discovered The White King, I got the first two books in the Antonia Scott trilogy. This series is even better than I anticipated. The White King continues storylines from the previous two books, pits Antonia and Jon against a feadly enemy, and provides a stunning finish.

I strongly recommend reading these three books in order. The relationship dynamics are among the treasures of this series.

Juan Gómez-Jurado delivers complex, wonderfully vivid characters, high suspense, fantastic pacing, and an extraordinary plot. White King is intense, moving, brutal, and tender. The translation is fantastic, smooth and natural. This novel kept me enthralled to the end. These are the best thrillers I've read in years. After I finished The White King audiobook, I decided to read it on the page. The language enthralled me, and I wanted to mark my favorite passages.

Highly recommended for seasoned readers of thrillers and crime fiction who are comfortable with detaled crime descriptions. Thank you, St Martin's Press, for the e-ARC for consideration. These opinions are solely my own. I'll add the links.

"No one can escape from committing even the most dreadful act for love. Love is the most powerful force that exists"

White King, the third and final novel in Juan Gomez-Jurado's Antonia Scott series, is a non-stop thrill ride! From the very beginning which picks up with Jon's kidnapping at the end of Black Wolf, Antonia and Jon are fighting against the clock to save Jon's life. The tension was unreal at times, and the twists had me gasping out loud.

I enjoyed this novel's insight into the Red Queens' training methods, and while it helped me understand some of Antonia's struggles, it also made me question who was friend or foe. I also thought the overall theme of what people will do when someone they love is in danger made this installment of the trilogy emotionally fraught. The development of Jon's and Antonia's realization of their bond through the course of the novel was just one of many examples of this, and I was brought to tears several times with the characters' memories and experiences.

While this is the finale of the series, the author left it open for the future if he were to want to write a spin-off.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press-Minotaur Books for the digital copy of White King by Juan Gomez-Jurado. The opinions in this review are my own.

Fantastic ending to this trilogy! Gomez-Jurado managed to wrap up all the different plotlines while also offering a satisfying story and ending. Tautly paced, with Antonia and Jon's great partnership, this is a trilogy not to be missed!

"Antonia Scott has an unusually gifted forensic mind, whose ability to reconstruct crimes and solve baffling murders is legendary. She’s the lynchpin of a top-secret project, Red Queen, created to work across borders and behind the scenes to solve the most devious and dangerous crimes, those that are beyond the skills of the regular police forces. But the Red Queen project is under attack on all fronts. Across Europe, its agents are murdering each other and cases from the past, long believed resolved, are rearing their deadly heads again. At the center of it is the mysterious Mr. White, who has been weaving a web around Antonia for a very long time. He is as smart and capable as her but, unlike her, he's a psychotic killer who has isolated Antonia Scott. Jon Gutierrez, Antonia’s protector and the only person she trusts, has been kidnapped. Antonia’s husband has been killed and her remaining family is in hiding. With Jon’s life at stake, Mr. White gives her a seemingly innocuous solve three crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice. The only way to keep Jon alive is to play Mr. White’s game, but can even Antonia win a game when she can only see part of the board?"

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

WHITE KING by Juan Gómez-Jurado (see Red Queen and Black Wolf) is the final novel in the best-selling Antonia Scott trilogy, best read in order. Diminutive, cerebral Scott and warm-hearted, "bear" of a man Gutiérrez are wonderful foils and increasingly have come to care for and understand each other. This latest story is also filled with high stakes adventures as other Red Queens and their protectors have been killed or sabotaged. Evil Mr. White sends Antonia on a wild chase to solve or prevent murders – the price if she is not successful? Jon Gutiérrez's life. Throughout, the writing by Gómez-Jurado is superb as shown by the following few examples. After being released from a kidnapping, Gutiérrez feels "extreme nausea, a dull persistent pain in his back ... with legs as rickety as a piece of IKEA furniture." Or about Antonia: "She's a very poor liar; on a scale of 0 to president, Antonio doesn't even make it onto the scoreboard." Or imaginatively: "... another free tour of the most interesting parts of her psyche - in an open topped double decker bus it goes around the confusion traffic circle, the monument to rage, and betrayal square. The bus is filled with the people in her life all looking about and pointing, taking selfies." Gómez-Jurado is so descriptive, allowing his readers to vividly picture scenes: "His eyes are on the Gurney carrying away his boss's dead body. The rain comes down harder and the plastic wheels throw up tiny droplets as they fall into cracks in the sidewalk." And he is cynically observant: "There are huge quantities of idiots in the world who think they're intelligent, capable of managing the national soccer team, performing open heart surgery, or solving the immigration problem. They come out with irrefutable answers on each of these topics in only a few minutes. Truly intelligent people have doubts about everything and everyone, but above all about themselves." Start at the beginning and savor this entire trilogy. Highly recommended.

Interested readers should also note that Amazon has created a Red Queen series, based on the first book.

Love can make us do terrible things

There are some crimes (and criminals) which prove too difficult for regular law enforcement agencies to pursue. Out of the need for investigators who can solve these seemingly unsolvable crimes was born the Red Queen project. Each participating country has their own designated Red Queen, and in Spain that person is Antonia Scott. Like most others in her position she has a brilliant mind for observation and deduction, and like them she has received additional training to expand those capabilities to an incredible degree. She has been successful in solving incredibly complex cases and is among the best (if not the best) of the Red Queens....but it has taken its toll on her mental well-being and on her life. Her husband Marcos, one of the few people with whom Antonia had been able to form a lasting and loving bond, was attacked by someone looking to send her a message and has long been in a coma with little to no chance of recovery. Her last two cases seemed to have a connection to Mr. White, the mysterious man behind her husband's attack, and a woman she knows only as Sandra who has a personal vendetta against Antonia. As the story opens Antonia's partner and closest friend Inspector Jon Gutiérrez has been snatched off the street and she must use her formidable skills to find and rescue him. In the wake of broad attacks against all of the other Red Queens and their partners she also is sending off to safety what remains of her family, her son and her Grandma Scott, so that they too won't be used as pawns against her. Mr. White is demanding that she solve three crimes for him in order to save Gutiérrez's life within specific (and very short) timeframes, and each one raises as many questions as it does find answers...will she be able to unravel Mr. White's motivations as well as the crimes towards which he is pointing her? And what is she willing to do in order to save those she loves? The losses and answers that await her are ones that even she never could have expected.
White King is the third in the story arc of Antonia Scott as the Red Queen to be translated into English, and it is every bit as enthralling as its two predecessors. It can be read as a standalone, but I would highly recommend reading the previous two books first if you want to have full comprehension of who Antonia is, how she came to be what she is, and the scope of her unusual relationships with her family, Gutiérrez and her handle Mentor. She is prickly, highly competent, and damaged in so many ways from the ordeals to which she has been subjected. She is unlikely to follow rules (especially but not limited to the rules of driving), and after Marcos' attack has spent a dedicated 3 minutes per day contemplating suicide. The workings of her mind are fascinating to follow, and she utilizes her many skill sets as she dedicates herself to saving her partner's life and ending those of Mr. White and Sandra. Picture a slightly less feral Lisbeth Sander who has been sanctioned and honed by a far from ethical shadowy government cabal. The labyrinthine plot unfolds relentlessly, the characters are all fully realized and the action never stops. White King and its two preceding volumes will appeal to those who admire the investigative skills of Sherlock Holmes and the vibe of Marvel's Black Widow, as well as to readers of Steig Larsson, Henning Mankell and Francine Matthews. I am a huge fan of the whole series and my only regret with each book is that it ends too soon, leaving me wanting more. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me access to this devastatingly good read.

White King is the third entry in a trilogy (so far) about Antonia Scott, her partner Jon Guitterez and their boss, "Mentor." Antonia is part of the Red Queen program, an international group of geniuses serving the government in matters of high crime and espionage. We know from the beginning that she believes a man dubbed, "Mr. White" was responsible for attacking and putting her husband into a coma. Now, along with another enemy, first name Sandra, White is back in the picture. They have kidnapped Jon and done harm to him before returning the very shaken man to assist Antonia in solving several crimes in short set periods of time, as assigned by the White King. This fast paced, sophisticated set of novels have all been fantastic reads with many twists and surprises. This is so true of White King that I can tell you no more. In a series of violent, graphic scenes flashbacks, taking steps to protect Antonia's and Jon's families and so forth. Gomez-Jurado again writes an exceptional novel. At the conclusion, it seemed the books might go on, but this was originally published in Spanish in 2020 and is just now being published in English in the USA in 2025. So, I fear the series is over. I hope I'm wrong but I highly recommend it. This series MUST be read in order.

The third and last in an intriguing Spanish series that won't mean as much to new readers as it will to those who have been following the journey of Antonia and Jon. This sees the two of them in a desperate effort to to solve a mystery in order to save Jon's life, to avoid the evil Mr. White exploding the bombs which have been wired to Jon's spine. Antonia's ability to see the big picture and her challenges in dealing with people made her a good protagonist and I'm sorry to see her go. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me!

This book is translated, and some things were lost or changed in translation. I was still able to understand and follow the story of the book.
I enjoyed the storyline; there was enough backstory, and I followed along well.
The Red Queen project is at risk; the only person who can save it is the Red Queen herself. Obviously, the White King is pulling the strings, and she's a little slow to draw and figure this out. The changes in POV were slightly confusing, but I enjoyed how everything came together in the end. Some of the twists were predictable, but how they were revealed and used was interesting.

No! Tell me it’s not true — this cannot be over. This can’t be the last outing for Antonia Scott and Inspector Jon Gutierrez. The entire 3 book series has been exceptional in action and well constructed plots and I hate that the saga of the Red Queen is coming to an end.

I have loved the characters of Antonia and Jon as their relationship deepens through their attempts to solve the most heinous crimes and find some sort of justice. Not only are they unique in personality, they are also highly skilled in their jobs and focused on completing their missions. Now they face their adversary, Mr. White, who brings them full circle into his devious plans. He’s a nasty piece of work and another nemesis makes an appearance as well. It was hard to guess where this was going with all the twists and turns. I liked the writing style and the bits of humor that the author included to make me really care about Antonia and Jon. There’s just the barest bit at the end that could allow for further stories about these two. If only.

I suggest you read these from the beginning in order. And better if you can do it one after the other without suffering through the waiting for the translations from Spanish. Also catch the first book’s adaptation on streaming channels. I enjoyed it as well.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publisher. The book is narrated by the incomparable Scott Brick whose voice consistently elevates the novels he performs with his incredible range and talent. This is definitely one I highly recommend on audio for a completely absorbing experience.

This is the third in the Antonia Scott series of thrillers. Antonia has an unusual mind. She has a spooky ability to put clues together to solve crimes. She also has a nemesis in Mr. White who is determined to beat her and prove his superiority.

The book starts with Antonia's partner Jon being kidnapped and then found with bombs wired into his spine. Antonia and Jon have to solve three murders with very short timeframes or Mr. White will detonate the bombs.

As they are rushing to solve the crimes - one a 4-year-old cold case and one not committed until they are on the scene - Antonia is putting clues together that lead her to the big picture; the picture that started for her when her home was broken into, her husband was fatally shot, and she was also shot.

The key to this twisty thriller is Antonia who doesn't know how to relate to people and relies on Jon to humanize her. Fans of the twisty will enjoy this one. I don't recommend starting with it though. Start with RED QUEEN and continue to BLACK WOLF before winding things up with this one.

White King is the third and concluding novel in the Red Queen series featuring Antonia Scott and Det. Jon Gutiérrez and picks up where the second novel (Black Wolf) ended.

Upfront, this is a difficult review to write because the ease of divulging spoilers is difficult to avoid, even while just providing an informative review. However, readers who have followed this series will be pleasantly surprised by the conclusion of the third novel and spoilers will not be revealed.

At the end of Black Wolf, Gutierrez has been abducted right before the eyes of Scott and in White King, his safe retrieval depends upon her unique abilities. Knowing from the start that this would be one of her most difficult tasks to accomplish due to facing opponents just as skilled as her, if not more so. With her attempt to avoid reliance upon the red and blue pills to calm the well-known jittering cerebral monkeys in her brain provided to her by Mentor, Scott’s troubles are only beginning.

Throughout the novel, adversaries of the Red Queen program issue tasks to be completed at their whim, with failure not being an option. If such tasks are not completed, very dire consequences will result. These tasks seem humanly impossible to complete, and while attempting to perform these tasks it seems the Red Queen opponents are so formidable as to anticipate every move by those involved in the Red Queen project – seemingly even before some actions are even thought of.

The novel then follows as those in the Red Queen project attempt to complete the demanded events in multiple races against time, leaving behind twists, turns, and devastation that none may survive, even the formidable Antonia Scott.

Gomez-Jurado has crafted an enjoyable thriller series with wonderfully developed characters, both good and evil, which should compel readers to continue through the three novels. Also, like Lee Child and his Jack Reacher character and Gregg Hurwitz and his Evan Smoak character, Gomez-Jurado allows the reader to peer into the mind of Scott, sharing how she arrives at her conclusions and in ways not to seem superficial or to simply move the plot forward.

The Red Queen novels are both complex and entertaining and highly recommended to those who enjoy finely crafted thrillers.

Currently, Amazon Prime is streaming a dramatization of the novels, with a second season on the horizon

Netgalley provided an ARC of White King upon the promise of a fair review with the novel set to be published in March 2025. This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com

5/5 stars: This is the third entry in Gomez-Jurado's Mystery Thriller Police Procedural Antonia Scott series which features a woman with an unusually gifted forensic mind who works for a top-secret project will have to beat a psychotic killer at their own game if she's going to save her partner. With plenty of plot twists, Gomez-Jurado has written a fast-faced police procedural thriller and masterfully crafted a mystery that's deftly balanced and will leave you on the edge of your seat. The investigation is intriguing and the reveals are masterful. I totally didn't see where this was going and love how it all resolved. Written in multiple POVs, Gomez-Jurado's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Antonia and Jon haven't had it easy but they two work together perfectly and I really loved how their story's resolved. The concept of the Red Queen project, which is a secretive organization that works in the shadows to direct criminal investigations of a highly sensitive nature is fascinating. With tact and sensitivity, Gomez-Jurado touches on some sensitive topics; so take care and CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Red Queen.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

White King by Juan Gomez-Jurado is the final book translated into English in the Antonia Scott Trilogy and you will not be disappointed!It took me just a minute to get back into the rhythm of the writing style but the thriller will hold you and pick up the plot lines of the other two books.You should read the books in order to get the whole story.In this story Mr. White is killing Red Queen agents around the world and Antonia must solve cold cases to save Jon’s life.This is a book you will want to finish quickly!Thank You NetGalley and St.Martins Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this ARC!