Name: Red Queen
Author: Juan Gómez-Jurado

Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado (translated from Spanish by Nick Caistor) features a unique criminal sleuth investigating unconscionable crimes. Read my review.

Red Queen by Juan Gómez-Jurado (translated from Spanish by Nick Caistor), Book Review

Publication: Pan Macmillan, November 2023. Translator: Nick Caster (from Spanish)

Genre: Thriller, Crime-Detective, Mystery, Translation

Red Queen Publisher Synopsis

Antonia Scott Series, Book 1

You’ve never met anyone like her …

Antonia Scott is special. Very special. She is not a policewoman or a lawyer. She has never wielded a weapon or carried a badge, and yet, she has solved dozens of crimes.

But it’s been awhile since Antonia left her attic in Madrid. The things she has lost are much more important to her than the things awaiting her outside.

She also doesn’t receive visitors. That’s why she really, really doesn’t like it when she hears unknown footsteps coming up the stairs.

Whoever it is, Antonia is sure that they are coming to look for her.

And she likes that even less.

Juan Gómez-Jurado’s internationally bestselling thriller series has sold more than 1.5 million copies to date in Spain alone.

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My Review

I have a real soft spot for atypical sleuths. This, and Red Queen‘s lead Antonia Scott being billed as
the most compelling and original detective since Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander — one of my favourite thriller series ever — made this title a must-add to my TBR pile on its release in 2023.

So, did this first novel in the series translated into English live up to that hype?

Firstly, Red Queen‘s pacing is interesting. On one hand, Juan Gómez-Jurado’s novel’s construction — short chapters along with judicious viewpoint and information disclosure — combined with ‘time-running out’ story elements accelerate the pacing. On the other hand, darkly comedic and quirky pop culture asides (which I enjoyed) are peppered throughout the narrative, such as

“Jon is so astonished he almost spills the beer. Almost, because only a cataclysm could cause someone from Bilbao to spill beer.”

and,

“It’s a putrid den, one cockroach away from being shut down after an inspection by Health and Safety. Kitchen Nightmares would refuse to record here, thinks Jon. But then their order arrives, and so much for prejudices. Inspector Gutiérrez is served a bottle of beer and a pepper steak—big enough to have its own zip code—that reconcile him to mankind.”

and these decelerate things somewhat. As do crucial reflective sequences that develop the characters’ backstories for the reader. So, while not a page-turner in every respect, I found this novel highly readable.

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Secondly, while the publisher synopsis for Red Queen centres on the enigmatic Antonia Scott, her reluctant partner in this novel, Inspector Jon Gutiérrez, is integral also. Jon brings his own burdens and backstory to the table and, to an extent, his qualities compliment Antonia’s and propel the storyline.

“Inspector Gutiérrez has never been a fan of the maxim In for a penny, in for a pound. The first time he let himself be swept away by circumstances was four days ago, and that was only because he had no choice. The creed Jon Gutiérrez is a devotee of—with candles, genuflections, and prayers—is Our Lady of Nobody Messes with My Partner.”

Red Queen‘s English translation by Nick Caister (from the original Spanish) is not what I would consider ‘smooth as silk’, but I suspect replicating the intended effect of quirky asides woven throughout Juan Gómez-Jurado’s original text would have proved challenging.

While I am keen to now read the second and third titles in this Antonia Scott series, Black Wolf and White King, at some point, I will offer a few warnings for prospective readers. The violence and crime scenes depicted are brutal. And, while Red Queen‘s conclusion provides some resolution, the deeper question of criminal motivation is left as a cliffhanger to be explored in future titles.