I absolutely love this book!! What a brilliant and creative debut from Rose Wilding. She gives us intriguing characters with multi-layered lies and deceptions, and the murder of a man who was despised by everyone. I was a bit reluctant to begin reading because the idea of seven women sitting in a circle staring at a man’s head which was resting on a bible, seemed a bit creepy. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down until the surprising and shocking ending. All the women had personal reasons for hating him, and the detective assigned to the case had to work extra hard as she took their statements and attempted to tie them all together. She wondered who had the most to gain from his death or whose life had he destroyed by his heinous behavior. To really understand each woman, Ms. Wilding goes back in time to when each of them first interacted with the deceased so we get a better understanding of his deviousness. Their common bond was this horrible man and even though many years had gone by, none of them could forget how he made them feel. It certainly took a lot of careful planning by the ringleader of the group to gather the victims together so they could share their stories, one agonizing detail at a time. By the time the truth was out, there was only one thing they could do, but who would do the dirty deed, or would they all become accomplices in the “crime of the century?”

A group of women are connected by their hatred for one man. On New Years Eve, 1999, they gather in a hotel for an emergency meeting. In the center of the hotel room, sits Jamie's head. The man they all have a reason to hate has been beheaded, and nobody knows which one of them is the one who swung the axe.

Told in the alternating POVs of all the women who had their own motives for murder, plus the detective trying to put the pieces together, this is a very character driven novel. Because there are so many POVs to keep track of, it took me a second to get each character straight, but as more of the story unravels it becomes easier to keep each character separate.

I liked all the characters, which actually came as a surprise to me because usually when I read books with multiple POVs, there usually one that seems to drag for me, but that didn't happen at all for me here.

The only gripe I had is that the ending felt very abrupt. After finding out everything that Jamie did to each of the women, the killer is revealed right after and the story is wrapped up, I want to say within about ten pages. I didn't feel like their were any breadcrumbs or any sort of build up to the reveal. The abrupt ending was a little bit disappointing.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It reminded me a little of Rachel Kapelke-Dale's writing, so if you enjoyed The Ballerinas or The Ingenue, or if you're looking for a fast paced, character driven thriller, I would give this one a try.

Okay wow.

There is just so much to this book it was so hard to put down. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into at the start but WOW.

The characters!!! So many characters. So many backgrounds. So many narratives. SO. MANY. POSSIBILITIES. This is one book I do not see being predictable to many if anyone. There are multiple POVS, but the stories are so intriguing you fly through the chapters. It’s almost amazing that I did not find any of the suspects unlikable.

There’s a cult, a crime detective, a detestable murder victim, many many suspects, and a lot of eye opening twists. Every single motive of every suspect seems like a valid reason to murder Jamie. Is that okay to say?

The story is also not linear so you do go back and forth between storylines and characters so it can be a little difficult to follow if you’re not paying attention to dates. In the end it’ll all make sense it’s a great twist!

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a thriller blow me away. I highly recommend!

Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding was a gruesome somewhat tragic story of seven women. Damaged women. There is a murder and someone, possibly one of them has committed it.
The author wrote this well and I could feel everything. I chose to listen to this and it was narrated by Colleen Prendergast. She was perfect and really delivered the story well.
This was gritty, sad and kind of dark so I’m warning you in advance. It’s a high 4 stars for me. Would I read another by this author? Yes!
Thanks St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

Speak of the Devil was a pretty interesting book told from multiple POV’s, which I personally enjoy, but it can get a bit confusing keeping track of all the names. The book starts with the severed head which is always an excellent hook 🤣. But from there it gets more into a character study, the connection between the women as well as the victim and the detective leading the investigation. So if you’re expecting a gory read, this isn’t it. This was a bit on the slow burn side but I think the pace worked perfectly here. I enjoyed unravelling this mystery full of unreliable narrators, each having a reason for the vic to lose his head. So overall I liked the concept, the execution and a diverse cast of characters. 3.5⭐️

Dear Speak of the Devil,
You swept me up in your intrigue and mystery. Each of the women that was hurt by Jamie Spellman was so good at keeping her own secrets. The fact that they met with each other to contemplate revenge on the man who had torn apart each of their lives was so interesting to me. I loved getting to peek into each of their lives and discover how Jamie wrecked havoc on them, repeating his abusive, manipulative and controlling ways with each of them. I was in for every one of your twists and turns. The fact that you started with a content warning was also a pleasant surprise. It was good, with the difficult matter of abusive relationships at your core to let the reader know what they are in for.

Are you a fan of unreliable narrators! Try 7 of them! This suspense was a wild ride that keeps you guessing until the end! Premise: a man is dead and there are PLENTY of motives and suspects, the question is who/ why. How it all unfolds is the well crafted with elements of Agatha Christie alongside the more modern Gillian Flynn.

I did thing there was some narrative gaps/ some things that were a little unclear with all of the shifting narrators. I wasn’t sure what the significance of setting this in 1999/2000 and didn’t see much subtext that gave this any meaning for the setting. I also found some of the ties between the characters/ the characters to Jamie were a little loose and could have been better developed. I also thought the ending was a bit flat/ abrupt.

All in all, the story concept is fascinating and it was an enjoyable read!


TW: sexual assault, gender discrimination, suicide, infertility

This was a terrific read that I could not put down. Great characters and an author whoose next book I cannot wait for. Truly outstanding on every level. Ending was a surprise which is refreshing.

This book had me booked from the beginning.  It starts with seven women surrounded by a severed head but no body. They all know the victim and each of them has a motive for killing the man. Nova is the detective in charge of finding the killer. 

This was kind of a slow build but I still really enjoyed it.  The story is told in multiple perspectives and timelines giving a glimpse into the lives of each of the women and what their motive may have been. It does have some tough themes like SA, gaslighting and suicide but it will keep you guessing until the end. Overall I enjoyed it and look forward to more books by Rose Wilding.

Thank you to St. Martins press and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this The opening scene is brutal. One of the darkest, most disturbing scenes I can remember reading in a long time. And read a lot of thrillers. If things like the shower scene in psycho bother you, this is not your book. It all worked beautifully for me Rose Wilding grabbed me by the throat with the strength of her writing. Her words held me gently hostage in the jaws of a very dark story. There are seven women to be introduced. Seven back stories to learn and gasp over. To cry over and to shout hooray for. And there's the severed head of the man tying them together. If you like Samantha Downing, give Rose Wilding a try. I m already anticipating her next book.

This was absolutely fantastic!
I loved all the characters, the story and the mystery was very well done.
I highly enjoyed the flash backs to reveal bits and pieces of each characters background and connections to the current timeline.
Very well done!
Much love to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio!

Speak of the Devil is a gory murder mystery. A man is murdered, and a group of women try to hide the murderer. It took a bit of time to understand all the characters; too many were involved. The novel held suspense until the end.

I had really high hopes for this one but it was a bit of a let down. There were too many characters and it bounced back and forth and had a hard time following. I also didn’t relate to any of the characters and when I got about a third way in I had a hard time following.

⭐️⭐️ Jamie certainly was a snake. No wonder seven women are sitting around his severed head wondering which one of them did it. They all had good reasons to. I had high hopes for this story, but it didn’t come through for me. What could this man have done to have seven women want him dead. Your going to need to take notes to keep all the characters straight. This is never fun. You will probably refer back to the them often. The ending is very rushed and abrupt. I did not like that at all. #bestestbookclubever

3 whodunnit stars

This one starts with a gruesome unveiling of a man’s severed head. Jamie (well, just his head) is surrounded by seven diverse women who knew him, but who killed him?

The book dives into each of the women and their backstory with Jamie. He really was a terrible person, but did he deserve to be killed? The women include his wife, a friend whom he betrayed, a journalist, and the woman who raised him.

As the police try to find the murderer, my suspicions kept changing. The outcome made sense only when I heard the whole backstory. There were a lot of characters to keep track of in this one. The conclusion seemed a bit abrupt to me.

👺 DARK - DISTURBING - TWISTED - HAUNTING 👹 “Speak of the Devil” by Rose Wilding will send you on a thrilling downward spiral like no other!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Jamie Spellman is an awful human being. Never wanted by his mother, he treats women as the scum of the earth. He comes off as handsome and charming at the beginning … and then he sinks his claws in and the sinister acts follow ☠️

7 women all meet in a seedy hotel room after discovering Jamie’s severed head has been served on a platter for them … LITERALLY! All of these women have good reason to seek vengeance of him … but no one will own up to it! Jamie has either wronged, hurt, scarred, tricked or manipulated all of these women. He is literally the devil from their nightmares 👿. As the police investigate the murder, the women are desperate to keep their secrets hidden while trying to find out who actually did it!

Thank you kindly to @minotaur_books @macmillanusa @rose_wldng @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This brilliant debut novel releases on June 13, 2023!

3 stars
First, thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the eARC of Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding. I think of REVENGE when I think of the Devil in this story. I will admit, I took notes on each character (there are many) just to keep everyone straight in my mind. Fast, short chapters with backstories and different POV's were the highlight of this book. The overall book was Meh and I would not recommend. Ending was abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying.

oof, this one was a doozy.

A man was murdered on New Year's Eve in 1999, and there were seven different women who all wanted him dead but didn't have the guts to chop his head off, which is how he was discovered.

Skeevy Jamie has played a role in many people's lives, whether through strengthened relationships or as a perpetrating r*pist. His origin story didn't start off well, and due to some sociopathic tendencies or perhaps even just mommy issues, he sought to destroy the lives of so many, and thanks to the archaic justice system, his acts of violence weren't handled properly, and he got away with one too many crimes.

Speak of the Devil is a "Good For Her" tale of how women fight back and take the justice they deserve since we seem to live in a world where that's so difficult to receive in the usual route.

I am really thankful to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Rose Wilding for granting me both advanced audiobook and physical copies of this book before it's set to publish on June 13, 2023.

Seven women gathered in a rundown hotel room staring in horror at the severed head of a man they all had reason to hate and want to see dead. They all swear they didn’t kill him. But someone did! It has to be one of them. Someone is lying! What a way to open a book! The premise of the book was very intriguing, but it didn’t really live up to its description. I found it to be too slow moving to really grab and hold my interest. Based on the many positive reviews there are many people who enjoyed it, but it just didn’t work for me.

This appealed to me based on the premise of seven women/one guy.

But I found it confusing to keep track of each woman. It really detracted from the story.

And I was hoping for MORE.

It’s not necessarily a bad book. It’s just harder to get into when it focuses on the sex lives versus more of what Jamie did.