Description

‘As agile as a matador, Gomez-Jurado skilfully balances exhilarating thrills with the melancholy that is the price of Antonia’s gifts’ – The Times

“I hope you haven’t forgotten me. Shall we play?”

Antonia Scott has an unusually gifted forensic mind. She’s the lynchpin of a top-secret project, Red Queen, created to work across borders to solve the most devious and dangerous crimes, those that are beyond the skills of the regular police.

But the Red Queen project is under attack on all fronts. Across Europe, its agents are murdering each other, and long-resolved cases from the past are rearing their deadly heads again. At the centre of it all is the mysterious and dangerous Mr White.

Jon Gutierrez, Antonia’s protector and the only person she trusts, has been kidnapped. With Jon’s life at stake, Mr White gives Antonia a seemingly innocuous challenge: 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 Antonia win when she can only see part of the board?

The thrilling conclusion to Juan Gomez-Jurado’s internationally bestselling Antonia Scott trilogy. Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza Garcia.

Praise for Juan Gomez-Jurado:

‘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

‘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

Publisher Review

Best thriller books of 2023 . . . 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 on Red Queen 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 stylised . . . 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 on Red Queen 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 on Red Queen 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 on Red Queen A labyrinth of mystery, crisply plotted and paced, way ahead of the pack. — Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Kaiser’s Web Nail-biting . . . tantalizing . . . Lizbeth Salander fans will find much to like. — Publishers Weekly on Red Queen Engaging and heartbreaking, witty and wry and immersive . . . Juan Gomez-Jurado has written an instant classic — Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life on Red Queen The most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander * The Times South Africa *