The opening of this book was jarring and left me with many questions, and I couldn't stop reading until I got my answers. While I did find some of the dialogue (especially in dialect) a little tiring to read, I was intrigued by the characters (all distinct, all compelling) and the scenario they've found themselves in. A book that will keep you guessing.

Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding grabs you from the start with a severed head and 7 women in an old hotel room on NYE. Each chapter tells one of the women’s story and the story unfolds. In comes DCI Nova Stokoe to investigate. She of course has her own issues. The author kept me reading. The characters were flawed but very real. I would recommend. Thanks NetGalley for letting me review this book.

Speak of the Devil definitely has a bit of the Murder on the Orient Express feel to it, with an investigator, Nova, trying to figure out who killed Jamie Spellman. Jamie was a gaslighting psychopath, and seven women he’s harmed have come together-and find his severed head waiting for them. As the story goes along the reader sees the damage Jamie has wrought, to an aunt, a coworker, lovers, a wife. What he’s done to these women is sickening and horrifying, so naturally the reader feels less and less compelled to see Nova discover which of the women actually killed him. Who was involved with his death may surprise the reader, but even the story is interesting, it doesn’t have the compelling appeal of one of Christie’s best. The focus of the story is definitely more on how Jamie destroyed each of these women’s lives than on figuring out who killed him. In doing so the story jumps back and forth in time - useful for backstory of his various relationships, but detracts from a focus on evidence and investigation in the current time. This was a good story, one that’s a sober reminder of how demoralizing gaslighting is, but limited in the mystery element.

It's been quite a while since I've hated a character as much as I hated Jamie. If one of these women hadn't taken him out of this world, I would have gladly done so myself. Luckily, I already have an alibi for the day it happened. This is a story about seven women wronged by Jamie, who all have opportunity and motive to want him gone, sitting around an abandoned hotel room, staring at his severed head. Who dunnit? Well, we get a look at each of these women, their ties to aforementioned Jamie and to each other, and watch as their worlds crumble and become undone. This is must-read stuff from page one right through to the end!

2.5/5 This book starts with an interesting premise: 7 women could have decapitated a man, but whodunnit? While each of the women's stories were engaging and made you believe that she could have been the killer, I struggled with getting through this for the mere fact that there were so many POVs. I don't mind alternating POVs at all, but my brain can handle 3-4 max before I feel like I need to start taking notes to keep track of everyone. It would have been extremely helpful to have a list of characters at the beginning of the book, their age, and a one sentence description. But alas, no. Overall, interesting idea for a book, but could have been told in a less confusing way.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. A man was murdered. Seven individuals are together knowing that one of the seven was the murderer. This book was good but was drawn-out in a few places.

Murder! But which of the seven women did the deed? I found there were too many suspects to keep their stories straight. Reading was a bit bogged down at time. Kept at it just to find out who did it. Perhaps with less quirky characters it would have been easier to digest.

Be ready - this novel will have you guessing until the end. The plot centers on seven women who find themselves in a hotel room at midnight on New Year’s Eve, in the presence of a severed head. Jamie, the deceased, had ties with each woman, in the room but did one of them commit the murder?

As the story unfolds, each woman will be found to have her own motive. Some of their stories are devastating; Jamie did each of them wrong and paid the ultimate price.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Seven women receive a text message to meet at their usual location, at a specific time, and that this is an emergency. In their meeting room, they uncover a severed head; the head of someone they all have motive to kill. With this opener, how could I not request this book? Impossible to overlook such an amazing concept.

With chapters bouncing between each of the seven women, and the lead detective, the reader is deeply entrenched in the “whys” each of these women have for committing murder. At times a difficult read (cw: sexual assault, gaslighting, suicide), Wilding takes us through a journey of trust and betrayal, revenge and absolution. Speak of the Devil is the ideal popcorn read; it’s very easy to see this as a miniseries or even as a movie. It’s entertaining and does not require the reader to solve any mystery or analyze any deeper meaning.

Wilding does a great job of establishing toxic relationships bringing together very real horror to this fiction story. Speak of the Devil is one of those books where you wind up hoping the detective does not find out who the murderer is. It is absolutely correct to say that Wilding writes about (rightfully) angry women and their revenge, as well as their anguish.

I did enjoy this book and think a wide readership will appreciate it as well.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Publishing: June 13, 2023
Series: N/A
Pages: 336

This is a first time read by Rose Wilding, new author to this reader. “Speak of the Devil” is one of those stories that leaves your mind wondering who committed the murder. The story starts off with a murder, and a group of women amid a decapitated head belonging to the devil himself…Jamie. There were some parts of the book where I had a hard time adapting to the story…i.e., keeping the women characters straight in my head. I think it could have been written a bit better for me in those areas of the book. Unfortunately, this did not keep my attention as much and I wanted and at times, I found myself skimming through c the story to build up my interest and wanting to know who did it. I wished by the description that it would have provided enough of a spark for me to really put mysel

A brilliant whodunnit that leaves the reader baffled most of the way through.

There were things I can’t get behind in this book that I feel need mention before I go on to why I ended up liking it so much.

The portrayal of female characters in mystery thrillers irks the living sh** out of me. I’m sorry but the crazy woman, the daft woman, the pretty no brained woman… so on and so forth. I’m over it. Cunning does not have to come with psychosis.

This book kept me turning the page even if just for unlikable characters (which there were only 2 for me). I needed to know what the ending would be. I would definitely recommend this to my book club this summer for a read.

The premise hooked me: a hotel room with 7 women surrounding a decapitated head. How do they hide the murder of this man that wronged them all? I found the first half of the book slow going. The second half got a little more interesting but I still wasn’t enthralled. Too many characters and backstories to keep track of. The ending wasn’t a surprise and felt too quick. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A horrible man is killed and there are plenty of suspects, as he has hurt a lot of women. We get to hear the story through the women sharing what he did to them. It’s intense and a really good read!

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

New to me author and won’t be my last book by them! Such a great book! I loved it and the cover is so good too! I highly recommend it!

This book is kind of like Ocean’s 8 — if instead of a Met Gala heist it was a murder.

We open on a gory scene — a group of women surrounding a decapitated head. The more we learn about who the head belongs to and his relation to each of the women in the room, it’s apparent justice has been served. The question is — who is the one that delivered it? This haphazardly formed band of wronged women doesn’t even know which one of them is a murderer.

I felt thrown right into this one but once I started to learn more about each of the players I was utterly hooked. There were so many pieces that slotted together brilliantly in the end.

The devil in this book, Jamie, is revealed in the first scene as a decapitated head, in a room of women who all had a reason to want him dead. The stories of each of the women and their interactions with Jamie are given in turn throughout the book.

I’ll admit I had a hard time keeping all of the women characters straight, but that’s just me. I always find it a challenge to keep track of too many characters. This was an interesting murder mystery and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review it.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Seven woman sitting in a room with a severed head of Jamie Spellman and all had reasons to kill him. The question is which one finally did it and why?

It was very interesting to see how he had wronged all seven of these woman and what a master manipulator he was. I liked that you had seven different points of view and at first I had to keep notes to keep all the woman straight. Then you see how they all connect and are trying to be free of this monster.

It was hard to read about him being accused of rape and yet no one would listen or believe the victim.

This book made me angry, sad, and wished for vigilante justice for all these women. The way everything was described by the author was so gripping and in such vivid detail that you could feel each one of these women and the torment they went through and wished you could ease their pain and suffering.

When I was blessed with the eARC I was excited. The description was right up my alley. However, for me it missed the mark. I am not sure why, but I just couldn’t get into it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the eACR for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised when I was offered a copy of this book from Minotaur Books via Netgalley because I review dark thrillers quite frequently, which was perfect timing because I was running out of books to read! This isn’t one I had heard of before, but I love a good murder mystery.

I don’t know if the stakes weren’t high enough or what, but I had trouble connecting with this one. I skimmed the first half because the interest just wasn’t there. There also were so many characters, and it was too much to keep up with for someone who wasn’t invested in the plot in the first place. Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I actually read it normally rather than skimming it, but the interest just wasn’t there. I just couldn’t bring myself to care enough. The book never grabbed me from the first chapter. It was just, ok.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.