MARCH MAYHEM 2025: NEW BOOKS by JOANNA JENKINS, JUAN GOMEZ-JURADO and LAURA McCLUSKEY
My March 2025 reading got off to a strong start with three very different crime novels set in Spain, rural Australia and a remote island off the coast of Scotland.
Juan Gómez-Jurado’s Red Queen trilogy about Spanish detective extraordinaire Antonia Scott, who mixes great mental skills with several bad flaws, has been one of the thriller highlights of the past few years. Now we have the final book in the trilogy.
White King, (Macmillan, 11 March 2024), starts off where the last book, Black Wolf, ended, with Antonia Scott watching as her friend and protector Jon Gutiérrez is kidnapped in front of her eyes. As Antonia desperately tries to use her exceptional mind to find Jon, other devastating events are occurring. Someone is killing off the members of the Red Queen project across Europe. At the centre of the plot to destroy the Red Queen project, and its ability to disrupt serious crime, is the mysterious Mr. White who is just as smart and capable as Antonia, but, far deadlier.
White King is a wild ride of a story. The pace is frenetic as the book ricochets between surprising revelations and a succession of well choreographed and very violent set-pieces. The plot zig zags its way to a blood filled climax as Mr. White sets Antonia one demanding task after another to complete in order to save Jon’s life.
The constantly shifting plot keeps attention at a high level and Gómez-Jurado’s ability to recast what happened in the previous books is impressive. The introduction of a new thread will also keep readers of the earlier books enthralled. Antonia continues to develop as a character, and the sights and people of Madrid provide a good background as the story zips past them.
In all, White King is a very enjoyable read. It is not as credible as the first two books in the series, but it is certainly entertaining. Highly recommended for fans of the trilogy.
White King is released in Australia and the United States on 11 March 2025, and in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2025.
Joanna Jenkins made an impressive entry in the Australian crime writing realm with her 2023 debut, How To Kill A Client. She has now followed it up with a slightly stronger second novel, The Bluff (Allen & Unwin, 4 March 2025).
After the events in How To Kill A Client, Ruth Dawson has decided to take a break from big city law to fill in for a few month’s at a friend’s small-town legal practice in sleepy Myddle in rural northern New South Wales. It starts out peacefully enough, but the disappearance of a seventeen year girl and the murder of popular farmer soon has Ruth earning her money. What are the links between the two events and why is the local police presence unwilling to investigate the missing girl?
The Bluff is a confidently written novel that uses flashbacks and multiple viewpoints to tell the story of the events leading up to the murder. Ruth is the principal narrator, but the presence of other views helps to build the mystery and keep the story ticking over at a nice pace. Once the flashbacks catch up to the opening chapter, the tension increases and the unravelling of who did what is well orchestrated and exciting. Ruth’s involvement in solving the various mysteries is well handled and logical, and her regular messages to her adult son overseas provide a good regular summary of events.
Adding substance to the plot are key themes around racism, environmental damage, misogyny and youth crime. As well, Joanna’s portrayal of small town feelings and prejudices is well handled and adds some depth. There is a touch of caricature about some of the characters, but Joanna does flesh them out quite well.
Overall, I thought that The Bluff was a good sophomore effort by Joanna and it marks her out as an author of real promise.
The Bluff is released in Australia on 4 March 2025.
Australian author Laura McCluskey’s debut thriller The Wolf Tree, (Harper Collins, 28 February 2025), brings to mind the classic 1970s horror movie The Wicker Man, but with a few twists.
When the body of an eighteen year old man is found at the foot of a lighthouse on a small remote island off the coast of Scotland, mainlanders DI Georgina Lennox and DI Richard Stewart are sent to investigate. It seems like a routine case of suicide but there are some discrepancies. As George and Richie question the island’s inhabitants, they discover a village filled with superstition and shrouded in secrets. Trapped by a raging storm, their suspicions begin to mount, and the insular community becomes increasingly antagonistic towards the two detectives and their questions.
The Wolf Tree is a very atmospheric thriller that slowly builds a good sense of tension. The isolated island and its creepy inhabitants are well limned, and Laura provides an interesting backstory for the community. The two detectives are convincing and interesting, although Georgina (George) Lennox is not particularly likeable.
The first half of the book, or so, goes around in circles as the detectives question the various members of the community. Their lack of progress is mirrored by the pace of the plot, but gradually things begin to come together and the final chapters deliver some unexpected twists, and a neat conclusion.
The relationships are well described, especially the increasingly fractured one between George and Stewart, and Laura creates an interesting world on the island as she explores themes of isolation, religious control and generational conflict.
Structurally the novel could have been better, but the writing is very good and engaging. Overall, I thought that it was a strong debut.
The Wolf Tree is released in Australia on 28 February 2025 and in the United Kingdom on 27 February 2025.
So, some solid reading to start your March off with.