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!

If you’re reading a series that combines the hyper intelligent sleuthing of Sherlock Holmes with the sarcastic police procedural of the John Corey series, but it also includes mysterious killers and political intrigue… then you’re probably reading the latest thriller from Juan Gomez-Jurado.

White King is the third installment in the Anita Scott series that features a highly trained forensic investigator with the secretive Red Queen program. After the devastating events of the previous two books, Anita must face off with the man who has been tormenting her for years. With Mr. White finally exposing himself, the stakes could not be higher. When her protector and friend, Inspector Jon Guiterrez is kidnapped, Anita sends what’s left of her family into hiding. To get Jon back, she will do anything… including playing Mr. White’s psychotic games that will pit her against everything she’s previously held dear.

There is no shortage of great series in the thrillerverse, but few come along and capture my attention and interest like this one has. I won’t say it’s my favorite series of all time, but it’s my favorite new series since the English language translations came out three years ago.

Gomez-Jurado has the sharp wit and sarcastic leanings that only a long time journalist can bring to the page. The investigative nature of the plotlines are detailed enough to feel authentic, but do not get bogged down in the details like you'd more often see in a Hollywood blockbuster, creating a perfect balance of realism and suspended disbelief.

These three books have brought in so many of the qualities I love in a wider range of subgenres and manages to expertly stitch them together to weave a masterfully entertaining story that is high intensity at times as well as deeply introspective at others. I cannot recommend this series enough.

A very enjoyable, fast paced thriller with the always intriguing, and often frustrating Antonia Scott and her brave and loyal protector Jon. I love the chemistry created on the page between these two protagonists and was happy with the resolution of the storyline from the trilogy.

The. Long. Wait. Is. Over. There are very few books I have looked forward to as much as White King. I'm happy to report it doesn't disappoint. Juan Gómez-Jurado masterfully concludes the Red Queen trilogy with this exceptionally entertaining read. Antonia Scott remains one of the best characters the genre has ever produced and her showdown with Mr. White is riveting. Will the challenges created by Mr. White prove to be a bridge too far? You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough as you seek the answer to that question. The chemistry between Antonia and Jon Gutierrez remains as important as ever throughout this instant classic. I must confess that, in the wake of the phenomenal Reina Roja television series, I pictured Vicky Luengo and Hovik Keuchkerian as I read White King. That made this incredible book even more enjoyable. I can't wait to see what Gómez-Jurado gifts us next. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, & NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

White King, the final book in the trilogy, wrapped everything up perfectly, including plot points that I didn't realize were important from the earlier books. Jon and Antonia are back, and the stakes could not be higher. This book had a great mix of mystery, adventure, and character development. I give The White King 5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to review White King by Juan Gomez Jurado

White King is the 3rd book in the Red Queen series about featuring crime solving savant Antoinia Scott whose personal struggles are just as complex as the jobs that take her all over Europe. Things are coming to a head in both her personal and professional lives; her husband has died, her partner has been kidnapped, and her agency is under attack. The mysterious Mr. White is somehow orchestrating the murders of Red Queen agents around the world. Antonia is forced to play by Mr White’s rules in order to save her partner’s life while trying to solve a series of cold cases. This book is another page-turning race against the clock in order to save lives and possibly the entire Red Queen organization.
#TheWhiteKing #NetGalley

Awesome finish to the Red Queen trilogy. Wraps up the mysteries from the first 2 books and adds new cases.

So much fun! Antonia and Jon's final showdown with Mr. White. Juan Gomez-Jurado's series has only gotten better. This one is a clever page-turner, with its characteristic omniscient narrator, whose slight distance from the proceedings generates so much humor.

The third (and last?) book in a thrilling series. Stylistically a little different from what you might read from American authors but an enjoyable ride. Would love to read more works from the author.

This is the amazing finish to a 3 part series that is one of the best series I have ever read. It is a masterpiece of intellectual, almost magical abilities of a nonconformist protagonist who thinks for three minutes of everyday about her suicide. See, Antonia Scott, is very smart, extremely smart which she puts to the test solving unbelievable crimes. But, she is not without her emotional instabilities and in this book faces the most evil demon one could come across.

This is a game of cat and mouse, an unrelenting thriller scape, that will leave you holding your breath. Will Antonia win in the end? And the ending….

This whole series if highly recommended!

Antonia Scott is an exceptional agent for Spain’s Red Queen project. She is astoundingly intelligent, methodical, skillfully trained with extraordinary abilities. Alongside her partner/protector, Jon Gutierrez, the two must solve three crimes all before the explosive device is detonated in Jon’s spine. Time is against them and the stakes are literally a matter of life and death. This suspenseful final installment is perfect for fans of the Jason Bourne series by Robert Ludlum.

This is the third in the Red Queen series, the Red Queen is a program that sought out certain people then trained them into becoming a super detective with advanced abilities to analyze crime scenes and determine who did the crime. Antonia is the Red Queen in the Spain area, she becomes aware of a series of murders of other Red Queens in other areas of Europe, she is soon contacted by the man behind them, Mr White, someone who has been tracking Antonia for many years. He gives her a seemingly impossible task, to find out who really murdered someone, and she only has 3 hours to do so. No sooner has she done that, then he gives another similar task, and when she comes close to solving that, one more, which ends up being at her own house. There is a lot of pursuing leads, and she uses her Mentor to help her, though Mr White, is a ruthless man, and he infiltrates their base of operations, and well you best read to find out. Antonia of course gets very upset and well I can't say much without spoiling it, let me just say what she did was very amazing. I would highly recommend this and the other in the series. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Exciting conclusion to this part of the Antonia Scott story. It picked up exactly at the end of the last and kept the tension on all the way through. Would definitely not be a pick up and read if you have not read both the first books. I also think if it’s been a while since you read the first books, a refresher might be needed. The whole trilogy is dense with characters and mythology that took me a bit to resync to but once I did, I was captivated.

“White King” is the translation of Juan Gómez-Jurado’s 2020 internationally best selling “Rey Blanco,” the final part of the “Red Queen/Reina Roja” trilogy. This is the final in a series featuring Antonia Scott (Spanish mom/ British dad), an incredibly talented forensic criminologist who needed to be coaxed out of a self-imposed retirement in the first book by Inspector Jon Gutiérrez, who is her bodyguard/companion/“shield bearer.” She can easily be described as a less Goth Lisbeth Salander, although it’s mainly Antonia’s mind, not any computer skills, that she can weaponize.

I would definitely recommend that you read the first two installments before diving into “White King.” The multinational agency that Antonia and Jon work for has no name, but it operates alongside law enforcement (with incredible resources) to solve unusual cases. Each participating nation has a chosen “Red Queen” (like the “off with your head” Red Queen of “Alice in Wonderland” - the monarch who insists you have to run in order to stay in place). Antonia, Spain’s Red Queen, was given unique training and then she guides the investigations with her special skills. Her mind works at ultra speed and she had taken red and blue pills (ala The Matrix) to often keep from crashing. In the last book, she had decided to wean herself from the pills and resolve the unfinished business that complicated her life — the near murder of her husband, Marcos, that put him in a coma and also estranged her from their son Jorge.

As the story begins, Antonia finally decides to end her husband’s life support and is grieving (in her own detached way) when Jon is kidnapped. Other Red Queens and international project members are under attack; a bomb in Germany kills five. The Dutch shield bearer killed his Queen. The French Queen and her shield bearer have disappeared.

During all the books, Antonia has sensed an immensely evil, but unprovable, mastermind shadowing her. He finally reveals himself as Mr. White, who will save Jon if she can “solve three crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice.” Jon is released, but has a bomb implanted in his neck. Solutions to the crimes involve tight deadlines (like solving a supposedly closed case and finding the real murderer in six hours).

There's a good reason that Juan Gómez-Jurado has 10 million international readers. This series is one of most loved thriller trilogies in the world and unfortunately it took too long to have it translated into English. The author has already completed another trilogy (part of the Red Queen universe), that I desperately want translated as soon as possible. The action is non-stop. This is truly a world class thriller. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES The Other Woman has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): MAYBE I question if hydrangea and wisteria bloom at the same time in Spain (in the US, wisteria is early spring and hydrangeas are late summer.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy!