This is a thriller that moves along at pace with the leads Antonia, the smartest person on earth, and Jon who is quite large but not fat! The front cover of the book likens it to The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo by Lars Steig but I would say it is more Bourne. Neuro-divergent police are not all alike and Antonia has been trained in a programme to make use of her mind, needs experimental drugs to help keep it under control, and is overdosing on them to help her through the case.

Set in Spain, a woman is pulled out of water and it isn't known who she is. On the trail of finding out we come across eight women who have died in a container which was never opened, and Veronin who is a useless man used by the gang he works for. What the drugs gang didn't take into account was his wife Lola, and so when she goes on the run there are a lot of people after her.

Structurally, the book is similar to Lee Child's writing. Short chapters and short sentences all of which move the pace along. We don't linger at any point. What I did like was the relationship between Antonia and Jon, his care for her and desire to help her when it is quite difficult to do so, are gentle, and his pet name for her is Angel.

This was a very satisfying, speedy read, so much so that I will have to go back and get the first book in the series - Red Queen. ( )

Exciting and fast paced, this suspenseful crime thriller is the second in a series featuring the enigmatic, brilliant Antonia Scott and her squire, Inspector Jon Gutierrez.

The duo works behind the scenes in Spain as part of the secret Red Queen project. They are assigned to the most difficult cases and try to stay within the boundaries of the law. After a harrowing pervious job, they are again sent into a delicate situation involving the mafioso. Yuri Veronin, a man known for his money laundering expertise, is found brutally murdered in Costa del Sol and his pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, is on the run after an attempt is also made on her life. The Russian cohort is hot on her trail and even call in the notorious contract killer, the Black Wolf. Antonia and Jon are meant to find Lola first. It seems that there is a lot of double crossing and profit skimming going on and no one is to be trusted.

I really rated the first two books in this series and can't wait for the third installment. I like the short chapters and the writing style. I both listened to the audiobook and read along with the e-book so I could fully appreciate the nuances and also helped with the fact that I am not fluent in Spanish. I love the characters of Antonia and Jon and they make quite an unusual pair. Appreciate so much that there is no romance and enjoy each of their personalities and quirks. The story line is great and there are some surprises along the way. Definitely some dark humor as well.

The audio was a superb production and I absolutely love the narrator, Scott Brick. He has the most wonderful voice and gave life and individuality to all of the characters he voiced in this novel.

I am recommending this series to everyone who likes a good crime thriller and am thankful for receiving the ARC audiobook and e-book from the publishers. Looking forward to the next, White King.

Also -- there is an adaptation of the first book in this series, Red Queen, on Prime right now and I sure hope to see this one there as well. ( )

Nuestra inspectora junto con su ayudante jon parten a Marbella para averiguar sobre la muerte de un miembro de la mafia rusa, y tambien el intento de asesinar a su esposa. comienza una carrera para encontrarla antes que los mafiosos. ( )

The second Antonia Scott adventure sees Antonia and Jon looking for the missing wife of a murdered mafia figure who was found dead in his villa. The story is told from the viewpoint of Lola Moreno too who is trying to escape from assassins and who is both diabetic and pregnant.

Antonia is still obsessing about events in her last case. She's the only one who believes in the mysterious Mr. White who was the master villain who orchestrated her last case. Mentor, who assigns her cases, wants her to move on. But moving on isn't what Antonia does. She is still visiting her brain dead husband and feeling guilty that she survived when he has not. As the product of a secret experiment designed to produce genius investigators, Antonia is often lost in her own head.

Jon Gutierrez is the Basque Police Inspector who has been assigned to be Antonia's keeper. Much of the story is told from his point of view. He's an interesting character who among other things is gay and lonely and not fat and who is a man loyal to Antonia and to the law.

The story has a fast-paced plot as Antonia and Jon try to track down Lola. They aren't the only ones who want her. She is also being searched for by Orlov and his men since she disappeared with huge amounts of the mafia don's money. And there is a mysterious assassin, whose viewpoint we also see, who wants to find her too.

The writing style, with the many shifts of viewpoint, keeps the reader busy trying to weave together all the various threads of the story. I enjoyed it and the cliffhanger ending makes me really want to get my hands on Jon and Antonia's next adventure. ( )

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