New Year’s Eve 1999—Seven women gather in a hotel room and stare in shock at a man’s head on the bed. Each woman has been involved with this man and hurt at one point in their life. And each woman denies killing him. To protect each other, they must figure out who in their group killed the man and stay one step ahead of the police. Is it the wife, the pregnant teenager, the ex-girlfriend, the journalist, the colleague, the friend, or the woman who raised him?

Speak of the Devil is a fast-paced, often confusing book. I don’t get confused while reading; I did with this. This book didn’t lag, even with all the jumping from past to present and back again. The author kept the flow going despite the plotline going back and forth in time.

Speak of the Devil takes place in the Northumbria region of Scotland. The author did a great job of painting a picture of the towns portrayed from 1964 through 1999. I also liked that she weaved the local accents into the storyline. She did it so that it didn’t take away from the book. Instead, those accents added to it.

The main storyline in Speak of the Devil revolves around Jamie and the women he has bullied, abused, and treated like poo. I will warn you all that there are numerous POVs, eight in total, and each of these POVs travels back and forth in time. I am not a big fan of multiple POVs, but the author made it work in this book. But, I did have to take notes about the different relationships, which took away from my reading pleasure.

I didn’t like Jamie, but at the same time, I did feel bad for him. He was raised by a woman who couldn’t stand him. Those scenes, towards the end of the book, hurt my heart. He might have turned out differently if he had shown a little love and compassion. Each of the seven relationships showed a different side of Jamie. But, a common theme was running through them: He had an insane desire for control and wasn’t afraid to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. He did get what he deserved in the end.

The female characters, for the most part, were well-written. They weren’t as fleshed out as they should have been. I also felt some were written as cliche (Sarah comes to mind instantly). But overall, I enjoyed reading their stories and liked that the present-day storyline had a girl power theme running through it.

The mystery angle of the book was well written. I thought the killer was someone else and was very surprised when the author made the reveal. It was not who I thought it was, and it did surprise me. Looking back, the author was very clever with her red herrings and secondary storylines pointing at one person.

The book’s thriller angle didn’t jump out and scream at me as much as I wanted it to. It was understated and took some time to build. But, once it got going, it was full force.

There was some great LGBT representation going on in the book. Three of the women were lesbians (with two being in a relationship with each other). There was quite a bit of transphobia displayed in the book. I was beyond mad for this woman for 90% of the book, and I couldn’t understand why her job was acting the way it did. Then I remembered—-it was 1999. Understand people and jobs that didn’t discriminate were few and far between.

The end of Speak of the Devil didn’t gel with me. After the murderer was revealed, the author said nothing about what was done to the killer or what happened to the woman in jail for the murder. The only storyline that the author wrapped up well was the one with Nova. The others were left open with no ending other than Jamie’s death. It irritated me. I wouldn’t say I like it when books do that. I wanted at least an epilogue to explain what happens after.

I recommend Speak of the Devil to anyone over 16. There is language, violence, and very mild sexual situations.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Rose Wilding for allowing me to read and review Speak of the Devil. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

This book was everything I hoped it would be! I love a good revenge story, especially when the characters are done really well. Each woman was their own unique character and they were written so well that I really felt for the them in what all Jamie had done to them. I had a lot of strong emotions while reading this book and that's all due to the fantastic story telling of the author (it's hard to believe this is her debut novel)! I loved Kaysha, wanted to shake some sense into Josie, felt bad for Sadia, wanted to scream at Maureen for how she treated Jamie when he was a little boy, and was thoroughly impressed with Nova and her deduction skills.

Now, on what could have made this book better. There were A LOT of people to keep track of. I didn't start remembering who was who until at least half of the book and that was because I made a cheat sheet of the characters. Seven women could have been paired down to five and it would have still been as successful. I also had a hard time with how some of the native dialogue was written. Maybe that's just because I'm American, but I fumbled over a lot of what some of the small characters were saying. But, if you can get past both of those things, you'll find a really enjoyable read with lots and lots of layers that reveal one amazing story.

I'm giving this one 4/5 stars!

When I received the link for this #arc there was an author’s note attachment. I printed it out but didn’t read it until I was midway through this book. After reading it, I felt a stronger connection to the seven women linked to Jamie’s character and a major sense of empathy for the author as this book was inspired by her personal experience. This book grabbed me immediately from the storyline, to the characters, to the setting, and to the bonds between the women. Jamie is an absolutely despicable character and had me cringing throughout the flashbacks. I was pleasantly surprised when Jamie’s perpetrator was revealed in the end!

Generally, I am not bothered by a lot of characters. But maybe this would have been better with fewer characters to learn about. I feel like the time spent developing those characters impeded the progress of an actual story. I did not find this interesting or thrilling. Additionally, I feel like it took a rather superficial approach to a serious topic.

I am immensely grateful to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

The bit of this book really sucked me in, finding the body and meeting Nova. However, it lost me for a while after that, it was a super slow-burn thriller. The multiple POVs and alternating timelines showing when each woman met Jamie and how he ruined their lives really made it feel like the story wasn't moving forward and it took up a good chunk of this book. But, after we got through of that the story started to pick up for me. I was both surprised and not when the killer was revealed, not surprised because any of the women he wronged had good reason to want to kill him, but until the motive for this woman was revealed she would have been at the bottom of my list.

This book begins with seven women sitting around a severed head. If that doesn't catch your interest, I don't know what will.

Despite the gory beginning, overall this book was not gory.

Jamie Spellman is the man behind the head. He wasn't a good man.

As the book goes on, we get to know each of the seven women, their connection to Jamie and how he treated them. They all had reason to murder him. But who did it?

This one is a bit of a slow burn, but it starts to pick up as you go along. We do find out who the killer is and it wasn't a surprise.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur and MacMillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, what a twisty tale. I never would have guessed who actually killed Jamie. The opening scene introduces you to all the women who this man has harmed in some way or another. The setting is busy but you get to know each woman better as they each get chapters from their POV.
And the more you learn about Jamie the more you detest this horrible man.

Seven women are gathered in a seedy motel room where a man's severed head sits in the middle of the room. Each woman has her own motive for wanting him dead, but each swears they didn't do it.

The woman who brought them all together knows they need to protect each other. So they must try to figure out who is responsible while also trying to stay ahead of the police.

Thank you so much to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

This was a very interesting mystery and was like piecing a puzzle. Very taut.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book had a similar premise to The Change which I read last fall. A group of jilted women all having a clear motive for the murder of a horrible narcissistic monster of a man. I enjoyed the diversity in this book and found myself more invested in certain women's POV's than others. I listened to this on audio and did have a hard time keeping all the characters and backstories straight so maybe try to have a physical handy until you are comfortable. If you're a fan of revenge stories, unreliable narrators, and can handle some pretty significant trigger warnings then I think you'll enjoy this book. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my ALC and Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my eARC.

The story begins on New Year’s Eve, in 1999 with seven women in a hotel room sitting in a semicircle with a severed head in their midst. The head belongs to Jamie Spellman a man who is no stranger to any of them. Each of these women has been wronged by him in some way and they have been plotting to get their revenge but decapitating him wasn’t quite what they had planned. None of them is aware of who amongst them is responsible for the same but each of them harbors suspicions of who it might be. However, they are not interested in outing the culprit and focus on covering up the crime and protecting one another.
As the narrative progresses we get to know more about each of these women, how their stories intersect with the deceased, the events that led to their being in the hotel room with Jamie’s decapitated head, and what transpires in the two weeks following that fateful night as the women try to maintain their innocence. Complicating matters further is the fact that the investigator in charge of the case has a history with one of the women in question.
Narrated from multiple perspectives (in the third-person), Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding is a well-crafted, immersive read. The narrative moves fast and at no point did I lose interest in the narrative. I enjoyed trying to figure out who the culprit could be (It’s not too hard, but I thoroughly enjoyed the build-up to the end!). What makes this story interesting is that Jamie was truly a despicable character and not only at no point do you feel sorry for what happened to him, you also can’t fault these women for wanting him dead. The novel does venture into dark territory, touching upon themes of rape, police negligence in investigating crimes against women, gaslighting, manipulation, abuse, gender politics and transphobia among others. Not all the characters are explored in equal depth but I did like the diverse cast of characters and how skillfully the author weaves their distinct backstories into the narrative. The ending was a tad abrupt but overall, I enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I paired my reading with audio narration by Colleen Prendergast which certainly elevated my experience with this novel. The narrator does an impressive job of voicing the characters, setting the mood and bringing the story to life. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC. I would not hesitate to recommend the novel, the audiobook or pairing both for an intense immersion reading experience.
Expected Date of Publication: June 13, 2023

Seven women in a room with a dead male body. I didn’t realize it was just his head sitting in the table. Each chapter was told by a different person and it was a bit tedious. I thought it was going to be a good mystery police type drama but it fell rather short for me.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I thought that this was really good! I enjoyed getting to know each of the seven women at the core of this book and it was quite clear that each of them had the motive to kill Jamie. Jamie was not a good man. In fact, he was pretty terrible, and the things that he did to each of these women left me feeling a lot of sympathy for them. I loved that the book kept me guessing until the very end.

The story opens with the discovery of the decapitated head of Jamie by a group of seven women with ties to the victim on New Year’s Eve 1999. We learn about Jamie’s connection to each of the women and the history that they share throughout the book. We do also see the police detective’s perspective as we work our way through the story. It was quite a few characters to juggle but each of them had such unique personalities that I had no trouble keeping things straight. It was obvious that all of the women had the motive but I wasn’t sure who the murderer was until it was revealed in the story.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Colleen Prendergast did a fantastic job with the story. I thought that she had a very pleasant voice and I had no problem listening to this book for hours at a stretch. I thought that the dialog between the characters flowed nicely and I liked that she was able to add just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I thought her narration added to my enjoyment of this book.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a well-done mystery that was nearly impossible to set aside. I thought that this was a great debut novel and look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio.

I’m definitely in the minority with my 2 star rating but this story fell flat for me and I could not connect with any of the characters. DNF at 36%. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my review.

This book was certainly a wild ride! Seven different women who are unknowingly connected to each other meet and find the severed head of a man that they all knew, but in very different ways. I'll say one thing, I knew pretty early on that this dude completely deserved it.

The chapters are each from a different character's perspective, which with seven women I have to admit this was difficult for me. They are all so very different, but by the time I could easily figure out who was who off the top of my head by name alone, it was already getting pretty late in the read.

With that said, I did immensely enjoy this. The different stories were really interesting, and, overall, I thought this was a unique read. Also, I really loved how this book wraps up!

Out June 13, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I was drawn to this book by the US bird cover. Beautiful and sinister at the same time. That is how we women often are ourselves. Jamie Spellman was an evil man. Some, maybe even you, would say he deserved to die. Did he deserve to lose his head in the process? Seven women in a sort of Jamie Spellman done wrong support group could have done it and rally around each other to protect the killer. That is the premise of the book, but there are also a whole lot of spouses, lovers, parents, and coworkers who could have done it, too. How far would anyone go for revenge or to protect the one they love? Which side are the police on?

This was a slow burn of a thriller for me. Each chapter was a back and forth from a different character perspective. If you have trouble keeping track of multiple characters and backstories, then this might not be the book for you. I found myself kind of wishing each had done him in for the wrong he did to them. Some wrongs seemed worse, more methodically planned out. Some wrongs seemed in the moment. And some were just plain mean. In the end Jamie Spellman needed to die as some people are just plain evil and unredeemable. The birds do have a minor but darkly impressionable role in the story, so I appreciated the cover tie-in. Nature or nurture, one could certainly argue... but evil is undebatable.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I was very back and forth with this book but did end up enjoying it.

Cons: There were a few parts I didn’t understand, such as Jamie’s motivation for outing Ana. Then, Ana is just kind of dropped. Also, the ending felt very fast.

Pros: Many POV’s and most of them were very interesting.
•Very diverse cast of characters
•Great representation for LGBTQIA+
•Nova was the highlight of the book for me. Her dilemma in trying to figure out the right thing to do was genuinely fitting for this character. It felt like I knew her.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5 STARS

This is a contemporary thriller.

Synopsis:
Seven woman meet in a hotel room with the severed head of a man they are all connected with. One of them killed him. Who did it?

I really enjoyed this book. It is told from the POV of all seven women/victims. Even though there are a lot of different stories going on, they are woven together really well. The chapters are short and keep you wanting to find out what happens. The characters and plot are very revenge feminist driven. The writing makes you despise the male MC and champion for the women. I liked the twists and turns and the idea that each woman had motive and was a suspect.
If you like domestic thrillers, this is a fast read.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the ARC! 🖤

It's an unusual, fast paced and gripping thriller. There's different POVs, 7 women who could have killed a man, an unusual way to discover a murder.
I think that this is a strong debut and I liked the storytelling and enjoyed the plot.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Suspenseful novel about a man whose head ends up in a hotel room surrounded by women who all have ample reason to kill him. All seven of the women ended up there under false pretenses, all have no idea who committed the heinous act. The story has alternating points of view and is very fast paced.

I liked this read, it was a good mystery, but get ready to write the names of the characters down. There are many characters to sort in the book. I enjoyed reading about the lives of each of the characters. It is a bit confusing trying to sort the characters at times. It will not be for everyone, if I were you, I would give it a try.
3 stars