The movie version of Juan Gomez-Jurado’s RED QUEEN is scheduled to be released on Amazon Prime on February 29, 2024 (7 episodes).
Here is a link to the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYIXNAAOdFU
The book RED QUEEN (2023 in the U.S.) is the first of a trilogy, with the second in the trilogy, BLACK WOLF, coming out in March, 2024. It is reviewed by me in the latest issue of Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. I’ve given both novels a rating of A. They both appear on my Best of the Year lists. The concluding novel in the trilogy, WHITE KING, will be published in the U.S. in 2025.
Here is my review of the RED QUEEN:
RED QUEEN
by Juan Gomez-Jurado
Minotaur, $27.99, March
Red Queen # 1 of 3
Rating: A
The setting is modern day Spain. There are two main characters in RED QUEEN, the first novel of a trilogy. One is Antonia Scott, who is the daughter of a Spanish mother and a British diplomat. She is a forensic and crime scene specialist par excellence, but became a recluse a couple of years ago when her beloved husband was seriously injured, remaining in a coma to this day. She works for a secretive organization that handles what might become highly sensitive cases if they don’t keep lids on them. Her only contact with the outside world is by phone with her wise English grandmother. Her “handler,” known only by the name Mentor, has been trying to get Antonia out of her shell and back in the game, but has been unsuccessful.
The second main character is Jon Gutierrez, the overweight (but strong), gay policeman from Bilbao who has a soft streak that has gotten him in recent trouble when he tried to help a prostitute get out from under the thumb of her abusive pimp by planting drugs on the pimp. It all blew up in his face and he is now facing possible jail time and certain dismissal from the police force.
Mentor approaches Gutierrez with an offer: get Antonia to attend a puzzling crime scene and he’ll make Gutierrez’s troubles go away. (Mentor has the ear of influential people.) Initially it seems like he will fail in his mission but the fates intervene and Antonia agrees to take a look – just a look – nothing else. But, of course, the crime scene piques her interest as her super IQ goes into overdrive and it’s off to the races for her.
The case involves a teen-aged boy from a wealthy family whose body was found without a drop of blood left in it. But the murder is just the start. A high-ranking executive and daughter of one of the richest men in Spain is kidnapped, a crime which is tied to the previous murder.
I’ve seen Antonia Scott compared to Lincoln Rhyme, Clarice Starling and Lisbeth Salander, but I don’t buy that comparison, unless it is only highlighting Antonia’s brain power. She has her own unique personality that is quite different from that trio. I have to admit that I haven’t warmed up to Antonia yet. She is very standoffish, even to the reader. Perhaps that will change with book 2 or 3 of the trilogy. By contrast, Jon Gutierrez is quite likeable and surprisingly adds quite a bit to the investigation, while at the same time protecting Antonia.
This book sold over 2 million copies in Spain which has a population of 47 million people. That means 4% of the Spain’s people bought this book. By contrast, if that were the U.S., with its 332 million population, RED QUEEN would have sold 13 million copies here. I think Minotaur would be happy to see those sales numbers. They might even be satisfied with a slightly lower number.
I can see why it was so popular in Spain. It is a rollicking good tale, peopled with memorable characters and devilishly clever crimes. It is being made into a TV streaming series that should appear in late 2023. Its sequels, BLACK WOLF (Winter ‘24) and WHITE KING (Winter ‘25) will, I’m sure, be worth the wait. Don’t be put off by the references of its being in a trilogy. RED QUEEN can be read as a standalone and holds up very well as a single book.
Spanish crime fiction has certainly tweaked my interest, especially after I read last year’s EVEN THE DARKEST NIGHT by Javier Cercas – one of my favorites of the year. Keep ‘em coming.