Wayyyy toooo manyyyy people to keep track of in one book. I felt confused and I could not keep track of everything. I ended up not finishing

Great premise. The first chapter really grabbed me. I like a good revenge story where every character is a suspect so this worked for me. There were just too many characters to keep track of. 8 POV between the 7 women and the detective. I had to take more notes than usual to keep everything straight. I think less characters would have been better and more focused so each POV could be fleshed out more. For a debut novel I think this was pretty strong and would definitely read something from Rose Wilding again

A narcissistic psychopath destroys the life of seven women while alive and after death. The author creates a twisted character in Jamie Spellman. Readers will find it difficult to put this book down with these very interesting characters. The plot is intriguing with multiple twists and turn. The women each have their hurts and strengths that will make them likeable.

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL
Rose Wilding

LEVITICUS 2:19
..”An eye for an eye”

That is the name of the game here with SPEAK OF THE DEVIL by Rose Wilding.

In SPEAK OF THE DEVIL, we have a cast of characters. One of them killed the man in question and all of them have a lot to lose if the police find out. We follow along as the characters try to stay one step ahead of the case to figure out which one of them did it.

This book starts out fast and immediately I found it hard to filter out unnecessary information. There are a lot of characters to keep straight and they’re all sneaky and hiding something.

It felt a bit tiring and what you get in return for keeping everyone straight is not worth it in the end. I gave this one three stars and although it was well constructed there was never enough tension to keep me turning pages.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies!

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL…⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seven women gather in a deserted hotel room in a circle around a man's severed head. One of them killed him, but which one? Each one had a reason and each one had a past with him. They want to protect each other, but no one will admit she was the one who did it.

The premise was good on this one, but the execution (no pun intended) left much to be desired. I liked the ending, but it was a struggle to get there. Maybe too many characters to keep straight? I think the story would have been better served with a smaller circle of women.

Available June 13, 2023.

Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding

This book starts with 7 angry women in a room with 1 dead man. Over the book we learn about each woman’s stories and how they have all had their lives damaged by the same evil man.

This story was so addicting. I really enjoyed the setup and how felt like certain secrets and stories were so well placed along the story line. It was a bit slow as I find most domestic drama/thrillers to be, but the audio was easy to get invested in! The characters were all so unique and interesting, there isn’t one story that I enjoyed more than the others.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @minotaur_books for my copies! The book is out on June 13th.

#speakofthedevil #rosewilding #macmillanaudio #stmartinspress #minotaurbooks #netgalley #audiobooks #listentobooks #bookreview #lgbtqrepresentation #bookthoughts #bookrecommendations #read #booksbooksbooks #bookthoughts #powerfulfemalecharacters

This was an enjoyable read. There were so many characters that I did have a hard time keeping them all straight, but that’s pretty much my only complaint. I loved that the women didn’t know who committed the murder, even though each one of them had plenty of good reasons to want Jamie dead. I don’t think there was any way the reader could guess the guilty party before the reveal and I kind of liked that personally. This is a solid, original debut! If you enjoy revenge stories, pick this one up when it comes out next week.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the gifted ARC and ALC!

*3.5 stars rounded up.

On December 31, 1999, seven women are summoned to an emergency meeting in the top floor suite of a cheap hotel in Newcastle. There, they are in for the shock of their lives: the decapitated head of the man they all hated. They clean up any evidence of their having been in the room and steal away, leaving the grisly head to be discovered by a hotel employee. Detective Inspector Nova Stokoe is called in to lead the murder investigation but almost immediately realizes that her on again-off again lover is somehow involved.

Rose Wilding weaves an interesting mystery around these women and their involvement with the victim, Jamie Spellman, in her character-driven debut novel. She keeps the reader guessing right to the end. Who hated Jamie THAT much? Wilding is a talented new mystery writer and I'll look forward to reading more of her work.

I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. Many thanks! My review however is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

When Jaime Spellman is found murdered, no one is particularly surprised. He had done a lot of wrong to a lot of people. But as detectives narrow their search 7 women become the prime suspects.

This is one crazy ride my friends. And I mean that in the best way. You get to know all 7 women throughout the story and damn it stays a mystery til the end as to who did it. This is very character focused (and there are a lot of them) so if plot driven storylines are your thing this one may not be for you. If you love learning everyone’s deepest darkest thoughts and feelings while trying to solve a murder then pick this one up now.

I found this to be an odd and intriguing mystery. One decapitated head and a whole lot of legitimate suspects. The victim was not someone to feel sorry for his fate as he had few redeeming qualities. I liked the story of how each character connected to the victim told from their point of view. I was intrigued from the first page and wanted to know who did it. It was paced well as it got to the ending. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A dark suspenseful tale told from numerous women’s perspectives that have all been wronged by the same man. Scene opens with the group of women around his decapitated head, who killed him? The first chapters were amazing and hooked me right in, definitely difficult at times to keep who is who straight and definitely would not do this one on audio as time frame and character speaking changes often. I didn’t figure it out and it kept my interest. Does have some lengthy descriptions at times, F2F romance with some descriptive sex scenes described that i don’t really need in a thriller, spells or the ability to cast a spell that kills, rape, abuse are through your the book, just so you are aware. Would recommend to the right audience but definitely not for everyone.

Thanks to Minotaur books and netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Read/Listen if you like:
😡 Female Rage
🔍 Who Dunnit
👯‍♀️ 7 Women as Suspects
🔪 One Man Dead

This one definitely has a lot going on as we get 8 POV between the 7 women that out deceased had been involved with as well as the detective trying to sus out who revenge killed Jamie as they all have a motive to kill.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns and learning about what he had done to scorn each of the 7 very different women and why they each have motive.

I also really enjoyed the movement of time and the 1999 setting for his murder as that made the book even more immersive.

The ending was absolutely jarring and so interesting how it all came together.

If you want a thriller with lots of movement and female rage I definitely recommend this one!

Thanks so much to Minotaur Books for my ARC!

This story opens with a severed head missing its body. There are seven women with each of their own stories pondering on which one of them has killed this head without a body. They stare at its grotesquely disfigurement knowing each of them carries their own secret connection to, what was once, a human man named Jamie Spellman.

Jamie was the gorgeous type. The type of guy that young and older women craved and lusted after. The funny thing though, the women who have gathered around Jamie’s head, have met him at different stages of Jamie’s life wondering if he deserved to be where he is at this point? One of the women didn’t feel he deserved to be dead, while the other six figured he’d got exactly what was coming to him. What could Jamie have done that was so bad that someone beheaded him? Well, readers, of course you have to read the story to find out what secrets these women have to tell. And, after you’ve done so, the stories of their past will become ensnared in a web of lies, deceit, lust and even murder.

When you’re dealing with a multitude of characters, it can become so messy and convoluted that you forget what is going on. Often, I had to really think about each of the women when it was time for her to tell her connection to the dearly departed, Jamie Spellman. If you put the book down and try to pick it back up, I found it was better to end on one of the women’s stories instead of leaving a chapter undone because that confused me more. I found myself having to go back and see which character was speaking. I have to say, this grated on my nerves because it was entirely too many women to keep up with. But, having said that, once the years past and the present collided and the story began to make sense to me, it got interesting, especially the ending. I had my doubts and suspicions on who killed Jamie, and I’m happy to say I did manage to figure it out. However, having said that, it didn’t take anything away from the story. I had two suspects in mind the entire time and I was on the money.

I really can’t believe I finished this book. It was a strangely intriguing premise but I totally did not care about the characters, who became more unbelievable with every chapter. Strong sexual assault trigger warning. Not recommended.

Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding is a recommended murder mystery.

Seven dissimilar women gather together at midnight on New Year’s Eve, 1999. In the middle of the room sits a man's head, no body in sight. The head belongs to Jamie Spellman and each of the women in that room had a reason to kill him. He had alternately lied to, seduced, manipulated, threatened, and betrayed each of them. They all say they didn't do it, but someone did and they need to find out who it was.

Chapters cycle between the voices of each of the seven women, slowly revealing their secrets and creating an incriminating picture of Jamie. To be sure, there are a whole lot of points-of-view to negotiate before you learn to care about any of these people and differentiate between them. This was a struggle for me because I wasn't caring about them as quickly as I normally would.

Also, to be fair, the opening does grab your attention and makes you want to know more. The chapters are short and things move along quickly so individuals do end up sorting themselves out.

Basically, Speak of the Devil is a tale about various women who encountered a hideous man and the reasons each of them might want him to be gone. It is an entertaining novel and a good vacation read if you can sort out all the characters while reading. It will create a diversion during any flights, however, if you misplace it in the airport you won't care.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book.

I really went back and forth with my rating for this one. I really enjoyed the story for the most part. I found some parts of this novel so infuriating (not in a bad way but just how some of the characters are treated...and it made me mad because it's how things really happen). I enjoyed the story. I thought the ending was pretty good. I didn't love how everything was organized though. I found myself constantly going back to the beginning of chapters to remind myself who's POV I was reading from and what year it was. I got a lot of the characters confused too, so this book did take me a little longer to read because I had to keep double checking which character's chapter I was reading and reminding myself of what this character had already gone through in the story. I did think this was a pretty effective thriller though.

One decapitated head and 7 suspects! This seemed right in my wheelhouse of genres I love to read.
Jaime Spellmam is an awful man, and someone or multiple someone's decided it was time to end his reign of torture on women. It's up to the seven women gathered around his head to determine just who that is.

Unfortunately, the novel as a whole, didn't work for me. I think the biggest detractor was I didn't feel the suspense or tension normally felt while reading a thriller. My expectations were not met. There were things I liked and things that were flat. The plot/premise of the book is what grabbed me. I thought I'd be going into a fast-paced, twisty thriller. It wasn't. It was very much a slow burn. Much more a character driven story than plot. And well done diverse representation of characters. I think we get 8 pov's.. the author did well telling the story through them but for me I didn't connect to any characters because we didn't stay with them long enough. It was a strange combination of great character development but lack of emotion. You are getting all these suspects with a connection to the deceased and some with each other. But the connection is never shown within the story, the reader is told about it. Felt all a bit choppy. And the ending was just an ending.. no real twists or thrills. Overall I say 3 stars.. writing was good, plot interesting.. just didn't grab me to where I couldn't put the book down. Being a debut novel I do think the author has a lot of promise. There is a foundation of really good writing.. just a few tweaks and it could have been gold.
If you decide to read, which if you like those slow burns I do recommend, grab a pen and paper to keep track of who's who. It helped me keep it all straight.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

The book never really grabbed me from the start. A bunch of truly unlikeable characters, but with an interesting premise, I thought it would be good. Poor execution of the plot and story line.

“Speak of the Devil” by Rose Wilding ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Thriller. Location: Northeast England. Time: December 31, 1999- January 13, 2000.

Midnight at The Towneley Arms Hotel, 7 women gathered around the gruesome head of Jamie Spellman. The head sits on a bible opened to Leviticus 2:19 (an eye for an eye). Each had a motive to kill him; each swears they did not. To protect each other, they must lead the police astray. A circle of women, all harmed by the same man:
* the isolated young wife living in the woods with her daughter,
* the widow and former lover who refuses to believe the past,
* the pregnant, betrayed teenager,
* the reluctant mother figure who wonders about nature vs nurture,
* the betrayed friend forced to choose sides,
* the former lover drinking and harming herself to keep her secrets, and
* the journalist, with her own trauma, who called them all together.

Friends or enemies, lovers or ex lovers, pregnancies or loss, accidents or murders, silent or vocal, invisible or believed? Detective Inspector Nova Stokoe must sort it all out. But complicated connections make her question what she knows and believes.

Author Wilding has written a book about exploited and manipulated women, and what happens when they refuse to be victims anymore. The book is set in a part of England known for its regional accent and vocabulary, so she uses local slang and word spellings to keep the prose authentic to the area.

Wilding slowly reveals the backstories of the women, ramping up the tension as you read their reasons for wanting Jamie dead. There are known and unknown connections between them, so make a list of characters. Seriously- make a list of characters or you may get lost!

The murderer wasn’t a complete surprise, but the end of the book felt a bit unfinished, and it’s a solid 3 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️ Thank you Minotaur Books, Rose Wilding, and NetGalley for this early ecopy. Publishes 6/27/2023.

There is something undeniable about the thrill of discovering an impressive new author with their debut novel, knowing that you are about to start an extended journey with this individual that could potentially span years. Readers will have that feeling when they pick up Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding—a truly unforgettable work of fiction that feels more like the work of a seasoned veteran than a first-time writer venturing into the crime fiction genre.


Aficionados of crime fiction can hardly ask for a more gripping opening to a novel than that which is offered in Speak of the Devil. In a demolished apartment building on the top floor penthouse suite, seven women stand in a circle around the severed head of a man, with no body in sight. The life trajectories of each of these women was derailed in some tragic way by the evil machinations of Jamie Spellman (the dead man) and readers are quickly told that one of the women present killed him. But which one?

Rose Wilding’s strength lies in her ability to bring each of these women to life—giving them each point-of-view chapters—as they outline their various connections to Mr. Spellman. It makes for a miasma of time shifts that keep readers on their toes, but never loses them in the fog of temporal variance. There’s also an eighth woman—the detective investigating the crime—who is the impetus for several of the women telling their story. No doubt, it is a lot of characters to keep track of, but readers who invest fully will be justly rewarded by the conclusion.

At a time when the community is demanding diversity in their crime fiction, Rose Wilding has this covered—also proving that writers can craft characters beyond their own lived experiences as long as they do the research necessary to present them in non-stereotypical ways, free of unwarranted judgement and scorn. The seven women in Jamie Spellman’s sphere are racially diverse, they represent varied sexualities (lesbian, straight, bi), most are cis-gender, but there is trans representation, their ages vary widely, as do their backgrounds, and lastly they reflect different personality types—at least one of which is capable of murder.

Now Speak of the Devil could have suffered if these women all had similar conflicts with Jamie Spellman, however Wilding seems to have an inherent understanding of this, so the backstory for each woman is unique. We have relatives, coworkers, friends, and lovers—each of whom has a legitimate reason to want Jamie Spellman dead. The reader’s experience of figuring out which one did the deed is a bit like: “she should kill him,” “oh, she did it,” “how can she let him live,” to the eventual, “I’d like to kill him myself.”

Speak of the Devil is a gritty read—which should have been signaled by the dripping severed head on the table in the opening chapter. The list of trigger warnings that could accompany this novel include major topics like domestic violence, rape, humiliation, and self-harm, as well as less egregious ways of inflicting damage that under Rose Wilding’s writing skill and ability to craft tension hit equally as hard as the criminal mistreatments do. This is not a novel for the faint of heart, but again, those that can stick with it will find they are glad that they did.

Rose Wilding’s Speak of the Devil is easily one of the strongest debuts of the season and it will leave crime fiction readers anxious to see what she has to offer next.