White King

Juan Gómez-Jurado author Nicholas Caistor translator

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Pan Macmillan

Publishing:4th Sep '25

£9.99

This title is due to be published on 4th September, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

White King cover

"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 Gutiérrez, 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 Gómez- Jurado’s internationally bestselling Antonia Scott trilogy. Translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza Garcia.

Praise for Juan Gómez-Jurado:

'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


'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

'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

Best thriller books of 2023 . . . 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 * 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 Tattooas 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 *
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. * New York Times *
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
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 an Prime Video series that will debut later in 2023 * Washington Post *
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
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 Gómez-Jurado’s trilogy, -- Jane Murphy * Booklist starred review *
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 *
Nail-biting . . . tantalizing . . . Lizbeth Salander fans will find much to like. * Publishers Weekly *
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
This terrific novel has all the page-turning elements of the very best thrillers, but what makes it truly remarkable is the writing itself. Engaging and heartbreaking, witty and wry and immersive . . . Juan Gómez-Jurado has written an instant classic -- Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life
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 *

ISBN: 9781529093841

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

432 pages