Red Queen is the first book in a trilogy following a international crime-solving operative named Antonia Scott, who was already the acknowledged smartest woman in the world before the Powers That Be got their hands on her and put her in a personalized “Red Room” (from Black Widow, not from the dark web–don’t make it nasty). Antonia Scott has an eidetic memory and a super powerful analytic brain, but no sense of smell. That comes in handy when working with the dead but not when you want to enjoy a meal. Sadly, a human brain isn’t meant to handle as much stimuli as Antonia can take in and it’s led to some…mental issues, from time to time. 

Did I mention she sleeps in the hospital room with her husband, who’s been in a coma for a few years now? Yeah. She does that. 

Antonia’s been out of the crime-solving game since her husband was shot, but that changes when a case finally makes her brain work enough to catch her attention. With the case comes a new partner, disgraced (but not for terrible stuff) cop Jon Gutierrez, who’s not really in a place to refuse gainful employment even if it comes from opaque, off-the-books intergovernmental agencies that work more like the IMF than MI-6. 

The reviews and blurbs talk about breakneck pace, frenetic momentum, and short chapters. This is all true and these are all traits I love in my thrillers. Short chapters help to keep the momentum going and to keep the pace moving. Multiple POVs are used so we’re constantly twisting through the story, getting eyes all over the plot. The pace is fast, because the clock is ticking down and lives are on the line. The frenetic nature of the story is all down to the characters involved and what they bring to it, to the labyrinthine plot, to the twists and turns of the story, and to the genuine thrills and action. 

It’s a fabulous story and I can’t wait to go back for Black Wolf. 

I was provided a copy of the physical ARC of this title last year through the SMP Influencers Program. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed are mine and mine alone. Thank you.