A group of women who have been abused by the same man meet to talk about what to do about it. At their New Year's Eve meeting, said man's head is resting, without the body attached, on the table. Who did the thing?

Ok, so the man in question did terrible terrible things and there was a pattern and like I'm not going to lie, for this reader, it just got to be too much. I could have done with like half as many stories of abuse and gaslighting. Like we get it, his murder was VERY justified. Otherwise, though, it was a good multi-perspective murder mystery/thriller and readers of that thriller/murder mystery style genre will enjoy this.

I'm so disappointed to say that this one just did not work for me. I love the cover, and I thought the synopsis sounded great, but based on the synopsis, I was expecting a high-stakes whodunit with a group of women trying to figure out who among them is a murderer. Unfortunately, that's not what I got here.

The beginning is strong. We've got a group of women in a room with a severed head, and each woman has a motive to kill this man. The rest of the book, however, is just so slow, with alternating chapters explaining the terrible thing this man did to each of the women. It was an ambitious idea attempting to take on so many unique characters, but I found there to just be too many, and I spent most of the book confused about who is who. And then ending was kind of just "boop...here's the killer."

Although this didn't work for me, I have seen some great reviews, so maybe if you go in without the expectation I had, you may enjoy it more.

DNF @ 40%

This one was hard to get into and keep up with. With too many characters, it seems choppy, and hard to keep them all straight. I also believe this was translated from another language? I don't feel like the writing flows when this happens... I had to dnf.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for early reading access in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Minotaur for the free book.
What a book! This is a character driven mystery about seven women all linked by one man who's murdered. (Not a spoiler) This book intricately explored these women's lives and all of their possible motives for committing these murders. I was so impressed with how the author was able to create such distinct characters and scenarios. They were all so complex. I had so many feelings about them and what Jamie put them through - I enjoy when I am able to become so emotionally invested into the lives of characters. It's a sign that the book is making me care and think deeply. I had absolutely no problem keeping all of the women straight, and I liked the format of this. I think it helped keep me guessing and surprised by the ending.

Thank you to the marketing department at Minotaur Books for early access! Speak of the Devil is a solid 3.5 stars for me. You have 7-ish? women and 1 horrible man at the center of the plot, but most of the story is centered around why this guy was so horrible. It felt like a collection of the women's stories rather than a plotted thriller.

It felt similar to The Collective and The Change which are female centered and more empowered novels than your usual thrillers. We open with 7 women standing around the decapitated head of one Jamie Spellman, all looking at each other knowing they all had a motive to kill him. I found the women's motives engrossing most of the time but I could see how other readers might find it repetitive. This book is LGBTQ friendly and features female relationships (of all kinds!)

Seven women overlooking a man’s head in a hotel room? I’m intrigued.

I’ve been on such a thriller kick I was excited to jump into this one to see where this ride went. I was extremely intrigued by the synopsis, but only the beginning of the novel packed the same punch. The story was pretty slow and steady with a lot of layers to uncover. While I was okay with how it ended, getting to the end was a bit of a drag.

Had there been less characters, I think it would’ve had a quicker pace. It felt a bit choppy and was difficult to remember how the ladies were connected as they got to know one another. Each woman is given her time to shine giving the readers the opportunity to learn how she knows Jamie (the head in the hotel room), but again, with the amount of back stories readers learn, it was kind of difficult to keep track.

It was dark and sort of repetitive so it’s not on the top of my thriller list of recommendations. If I hadn’t of read so many thrillers before it, I may have felt differently.

Content warnings: rape, murder, gaslighting, suicide, child abuse, death, toxic relationships, stalking

Big thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur books for the ARC.

3.5 stars. Seven women stand in a seedy hotel room, gathered in a circle around the severed head of a man named Jamie. Each of them knew Jamie, and each of them had a reason to kill him. So who did it, and why?

If that isn't a strong hook, I don't know what is, and it drew me in immediately. With a narrative that switches perspectives among the seven women and the police detective investigating the murder, Speak of the Devil has an ambitious structure, and it really worked for me. The mystery plays out slowly, giving Rose Wilding lots of time to develop her characters, making this novel just as much a character study as it is a mystery. The women are diverse and complex, and it didn't take me long to get into the flow of the story and differentiate between them.

Wilding delves into a lot of dark, difficult subjects in Speak of the Devil, including infidelity, rape, suicide, homophobia and transphobia, police discrimination, narcissistic manipulation and gaslighting, and physical and emotional abuse. It's heavy, and it's a lot -- but somehow it all works, and adds depth and texture that you don't always find in contemporary mysteries.

I do like my bad guys with some shades of gray, and I found Jamie to be lacking in that department. He's straight-up just an asshole, and I would have liked a bit more nuance to his character to help me understand him more. The ending is also a bit too abrupt, it felt like there was more to be said. Overall, though, this is a solid mystery and a compelling feminist revenge story with more depth to it than I expected. If you like stories about women taking their power back, Speak of the Devil will be right up your alley. Thank you to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance reading opportunity.

This is an interesting book and a little difficult to write a review for. There are equally elements that I did like and those that I did not, so my opinion on it is right down the middle.

To start with the good: I love the premise. The idea of seven women rallying against one man who did them wrong, and the reader not knowing who murdered him was so fun! The number seven holds a much greater importance in this novel than you might think. I think it was more a "strength in numbers" concept, you'll see what I mean if you read it!

The author's note mentions the struggles of women the world over to tell their stories and be believed and how furious she is, all the time, at the injustices suffered by women everyday. That theme was ever present in this book, from beginning to end, and I loved it! It put much more meaning into this story that otherwise might not have shone through.

What I didn't like: I get frustrated when a book with any dark content at all is marketed as a thriller. This book, in my opinion, is not suspenseful or a thriller. There is a mild mystery concerning who murdered Jamie, but the majority of this book is telling the stories of the different women. It is extremely character driven, and while I liked the symbolism of the number seven, it became tedious to read one horrible story after another and at times felt a little unrealistic. Surely this man was horrible, but could one man really do all of those things? But maybe that is the point: that some people really do behave atrociously and get away with it. Either way, from a reading standpoint, it wasn't my favorite.

Overall, I fully appreciate everything the author is trying to do with this book. The themes and the message she is trying to convey came across loud and clear! From a literary standpoint, I enjoyed the book but didn't love it, but I do find this to be a promising new author and I will be looking for Ms. Wilding's work in the future!

I received a free digital copy of Speak of the Devil from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Rose Wilding for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book sounded very intriguing to me and I was so excited when SMP approved my request- I enjoyed most of this book, but found myself skimming over quite a few things because it did drag a bit at times...the way these poor women were treated made me so angry and I wanted to jump in this book and do whatever I could to help them or support them but I was so glad to see them all come together and take back their power together! While this wasn't my favorite book, I'm so glad Rose Wilding wrote it and will recommend it to all my bookish friends.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Review copy from St Martin's via NetGalley, with appreciation for the chance to also listen on audiobook from MacMillan audio (I personally preferred the physical copy so I could engage with the plot as listening to a challenging, but good book, didn't work as well for me).

Speak of the Devil reminds us that we still need books and stories, and attention to, how women are treated and hurt by acts of physical and emotional violence and experiences with trauma. (also content note of course for readers to consider) I personally love a complex, dark story of revenge, we need these stories that can in a way empower (though not condone murder) stories about women's lives and needs; it's a call to action that says there is a whisper network among women, we find connections with each other, and anger is a very real feeling.

I liked that the story was about the women's lives and coming together, more than just a revenge story.

Reader note, this one can take a little focus to get into, the stories come together, the characters' stories matter, and the end if worth the time. This did work better for me as a physical book.

Starts with a bang / a group of women come together to witness a gruesome site - the head of a man they are all connected to. Which one of them did fit. Enters a female detective Nova who must sort thru too many motives - did her ex and once again lover do it? I did not guess who did it - loved the various characters and their interaction

You looking for a murder mystery with multiple POVs and will make you mad? You need to read this book. Just please be careful and check for trigger warnings, this book handles some pretty dark topics.

Now when I say make you mad, you will be so angry at how these women were treated in this book. They were ignored, abused, taken advantage of, manipulated, and gaslit so badly that I wanted to smash things. Wilding was not joking when she said she wrote this book out of her fury with the patriarchy.

And I loved that their connection to each other was slowly revealed, even though it was not in the best of circumstances. It was great to see these women take their power back and they had each other for support, because they all truly knew what the others had been through.

In the beginning of this book I was really overwhelmed with how many characters there were. But once you settle into the story, you become familiar with their stories and their voices so it becomes easier to manage.

I really didn’t know who had committed the crime until we got to the end! And even then there wasn’t much to lead you to the murderer. They all had a valid reason for wanting Jamie gone, and you felt absolutely no sympathy for him. He truly deserved what he got.

Seven for a secret never to be told

As 1999 rolls into 2000, seven women gather on the top floor of a hotel only to find the head of the man who wronged them. Each woman had a reason to kill him, but no one will own up. The narrative follows each of these women, revealing her story-and her motive-before Speak of the Devil's dramatic ending.

Seven suspects and the cop investigating are a lot of POVs to juggle; it usually works, but ultimately results in uneven development. Some characters are fully realized, but others are a little flat. The ending is a bit chaotic and doesn't really hold up for me. (view spoiler) The novel is set in 2000, mostly, but there isn't really a reason why this couldn't take place now.

I liked the trajectory of the plot. Rather than twists and turns, there were slow revelations as each woman's story is laid out. The ending, the killer's story, did feel rushed and wasn't super satisfying. But overall, it was a fun quick read with interesting characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

No rating - DNF @ 18%

The premise is quite interesting and was what really drew me in when I was invited by the publisher to read this novel. Unfortunately, the execution to date is hard to follow with multiple characters that even at an early stage I’m having trouble differentiating and understanding their relation to the deceased.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.</I>

This was an interesting crime mystery and the idea felt original, but some parts of the story were drawn out for way too long. Some of the details felt irrelevant. For all of the drawn-out parts, I feel like the ending was very abrupt. I wish they would have skimped in some areas and added to others.

Overall, a solid 3 star.

I really enjoyed Speak of the Devil by Rosie Wilding! The premise was interesting to me, and I actually ended up really liking all of the different POVs (although at first the number of them does seem daunting!) Actually, all of the different characters and their unique qualities was probably my favorite thing about the book! That being said, I do think that in a few cases the character’s backstories could’ve been more detailed or thought through. It also feels like the book ends rather suddenly. That being said, this was an enjoyable read for me overall! I look forward to reading Wilding’s next book!

This book surprised me! I was expecting something - perhaps a paint-by-numbers sort of thriller, and it wasn't that at all. Inside the pages, I found a nuanced and fascinating examination of the patriarchy (and all the ways it has benefited men for millenia), LGBT issues, the role of police in society, abuse, rape and psychological terrorizing / gaslighting. It's A LOT, and Rose Wilding handles it admirably.

Let's set the stage. Seven women stand in shock in a seedy hotel room; a man's severed head sits in the centre of the floor. Each of the women - the wife, the teenager, the ex, the journalist, the colleague, the friend, and the woman who raised him - has a very good reason to have done it, yet each swears she did not. In order to protect each other, they must figure out who is responsible, all while staying one step ahead of the police.

Whew, quite the opener. And I will say right off the bat, until it was revealed, I had no earthly clue who had done the severing of the head. I thought I'd guess right away, as I have an annoying habit of doing so, but Wilding planted enough red herrings and used enough misdirection that I was actually surprised by the culprit. And let's face it, basically *everyone* has a reason to want to kick the sh*t into Jamie Spellman. I can't think when I've discovered a more odious main character in recent memory!

Along with the mystery, Wilding delves deep into the lives of the women who have been brutalized and affected by Spellman in various ways. They're all suffering from having met him or let him into their orbit. Even Nova, the MC police officer, is affected by his actions through the people she knows, including her lover Kaysha. You see, Jamie Spellman is a bit like a character from a horror movie. From rape, to theft of ideas and blackmail, to sexual harassment and cheating, he runs the gamut on what he'll do to women - all of it heinous and worthy of revenge. So, which of the women is responsible for chopping off his head and depositing it in a hotel room?

You'll have to read and find out, of course.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for the honest review!

The reviews made me nervous to dive in but I was pleasantly surprised! I believe this is a translated work which, taking that into account, allows room for grace. I enjoyed this story quite a bit! It wasn't gross or gory which is a plus in my book. It starts off with a bang and ends with a twist.

This was an interesting premise for a book in that you find a murdered man with 7 women as the suspects and the story is told from their perspective. It had a good well placed plot and was overall and engaging read .
Thanks for the review copy to the publisher and Netgalley

This book took me for a RIDE. I liked it from the very beginning and became instantly invested in all the different POVs and how they’re connected to Jamie, the man who just got his head chopped off.

I honestly didn’t know who killed Jamie until pretty close to the reveal. I couldn’t even make any guesses because there was so much going on and I didn’t know what I should focus on.

I loved that there were all these different POVs of women that had been wronged by the same man. It was juicy and intriguing to figure out how their stories connected and the negative impact that Jamie had on so many lives.

The writing was a bit different for me, so I moved through it more slowly than I usually do with thrillers. But I got used to it after a bit and allowed myself to slow down and just enjoy the story.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!