Description

The highly anticipated sequel to Juan Gomez-Jurado’s number 1 international bestseller, Red Queen, now an original series streaming on Amazon Prime.

Antonia Scott is the lynchpin of the Red Queen project, created to work behind the scenes to solve the most dark, devious and dangerous crimes.

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 – and is on the run. An unusual shipping container arrives to Spain from St Petersburg, holding the corpses of nine women.

Now Antonia, with the help of her protector, Jon Gutierrez, must track down the missing Lola. But they aren’t the only ones – a dangerous hitman, known as the Black Wolf, is also on her trail. And Antonia Scott, still plagued by her personal demons, must outwit, out-manoeuvre, and, ultimately, face this terrible, mysterious killer.

Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza Garcia, Black Wolf follows on from Red Queen and features Antonia Scott, the most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander.

Praise for Juan Gomez-Jurado:

‘Best thriller books of 2023 . . . What impresses is the brainy brio of Gomez-Jurado’s storytelling’ – Sunday Times

‘An electrifying serial-killer thriller . . . tops even The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as a thinking reader’s thriller, and Antonia Scott is like a more sympathetic Lisbeth Salander’ A.J. Finn, bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

Publisher Review

Aided by some punchy translation and flashes of bathetic humour, Black Wolf is larky fun and knows it. * The Times * What impresses is the brainy brio of Gomez-Jurado’s storytelling, as well as his striking depiction of Madrid as two cities, an elegant baroque facade concealing a gothic underworld * The Sunday Times * Rivalling Scandi noir classic Girl With a Dragon Tattoo, this is an edgy thriller series, with intelligent satisfactions to match the action. * Sydney Morning Herald * This is a fast paced and unpredictable thriller that builds to a tough and bloody climax. * Canberra Weekly * Red Queen is one of the most extravagantly entertaining novels I’ve ever read. Sprinting from spectacular surprise to even-more-spectacular surprise; whirling from one crisply textured character to the next . . . it’s an electrifying serial-killer thriller, a fiendishly clever puzzle mystery, and a sensitive portrait of a fascinating young woman. Red Queen tops even The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as a thinking reader’s thriller, and Antonia Scott is like a more sympathetic Lisbeth Salander. I loved every word — A. J. Finn, bestselling author of The Woman in the Window Often compared with Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Antonia Scott looks destined to leave every bit as lasting an impression * Daily Mail * Fizzes with energy and lively scene-setting . . . There are obvious echoes of Lisbeth Salander, but the crackling interplay between Scott and Inspector Gutierrez, a gay Basque policeman, adds an extra layer of originality, as does Nick Caistor’s sparkling translation * Financial Times * Black Wolf, like its predecessor, is a fresh breath of air. It is clever and witty without trying too hard. Its wry, self-deprecating tone, combined with a seemingly effortless, no-nonsense writing style, sets it apart from others in the genre. * Crime Fiction Lover * A labyrinth of a mystery, crisply plotted and paced, way ahead of the pack — Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Kaiser’s Web Fast-paced, memorable characters and a cinematic story that draws you in hook, line and sinker. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next in the series — John Marrs, author of The One What Gomez-Jurado excels at, as conveyed in Nick Caistor’s brisk translation, is pacing of the breakneck variety. Short chapters, funny asides, lethally potent descriptions: they all contribute to a frenetic page-turning momentum . . . you’ll have great fun reading it * The New York Times * Suspenseful and terrifying . . . A bit of Clarice Starling and a lot of Lisbeth Salander make Antonia a thoroughly compelling character, who will return in two more translations to complete Gomez-Jurado’s trilogy — Jane Murphy, Booklist starred review Exciting . . . a nice balance among character, action, and setting . . . The next two, Loba Negra (Black Wolf) and Rey Blanco (White King), must be translated into English, because thriller fans will be waiting. Fast-moving and quirky fiction from Madrid * Kirkus Reviews * This has all the velocity and thrills of Stieg Larson’s Millennium series but none of the eyeroll-inducing misogyny . . . it’s all-engrossing — First Clue (starred review) Fresh and appealing to those that enjoy interesting characters and stories that constantly move forward and tales that end in unexpected ways. * Mystery and Suspense * Readers are going to fall for Antonia Scott. This character is, without a doubt, the best thing that has happened to the international thriller in the last ten years * ABC * The most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander * The Times South Africa *