Description

‘Aided by some punchy translation and flashes of bathetic humour, Black Wolf is larky fun and knows it.’ – The Times

The highly anticipated sequel to Juan Gomez-Jurado’s number 1 international bestseller, Red Queen, now an original series streaming on Amazon Prime. Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza Garcia.

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 from St Petersburg in Spain with 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.

Praise for Red Queen:

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

‘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

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 * 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 A Spanish spin on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo . . . stylish and stylized . . . A female Sherlock Holmes * The Times * 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 * 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 Fans of Scandinavian crime thrillers might want to broaden their horizons with the first book in a Spanish trilogy featuring a mismatched duo . . . Already an international hit, Gomez-Jurado’s smart page-turner has been made into a Prime Video series that will debut later in 2023 * The Washington Post * 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 Nail-biting . . . tantalizing . . . Lizbeth Salander fans will find much to like * Publishers Weekly * 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 * Red Queen is a smart, addictive thriller, beautiful in both its complexity and devotion to characterization. Between the stunning plot twists, bold structural choices and surprising moments of wry humour, you won’t be able to put this one down — Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of Find Me 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 * Red Queen is terrific – a complex story that unfolds at breakneck speed, a compelling plot filled with twist after twist, a story told with rich, fluid language, and a fascinating, well-realized unlikely pair of characters, especially the brilliant Antonia Scott — David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of Murder as a Fine Art The most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander * The Times South Africa *