The highly anticipated sequel to Juan Gómez-Jurado's number 1 international bestseller, Red Queen, featuring Antonia Scott, the most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander. 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 Gómez-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

"What impresses is the brainy brio of Gómez-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

"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 Gutiérrez, a gay Basque policeman, adds an extra layer of originality, as does Nick Caistor’s sparkling translation" - Financial Times

"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, Gómez-Jurado’s smart page-turner has been made into a Prime Video series that will debut later in 2023" - The Washington Post

"What Gómez-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

"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

"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