Great story, loved all the female characters and their points of view. Hated the male character, don't think the author could have made him a more horrible human so that made the story enjoyable. Definitely recommend! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I loved this book. This was an incredible, unique, and enthralling debut thriller with a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. The plot reminded me so much of Bad Sisters on Apple TV+ – a group of women band together against a man who's seemingly normal on the surface, but has done deeply evil things to each of them, thus giving each of the women a motive to have wanted to kill him.

The "hook" of the decapitated head in a hotel room on New Years' Eve is fun and definitely captivating from the start. After reading this in the blurb, I expected this to be more of a locked-room mystery, where the whole book takes place in the hotel room and the women take turns giving their backstory and alibis. It's not like that at all - the book immediately moves on into the investigation and weeks after New Years' Eve, but you do go back in time and hear why each woman is involved in the story.

I loved the diverse cast of characters and the intersectionality of their identities; Wilding does an excellent job of showing that it's not the same fight for all women – it's different, but they're all related.

My only critiques of the book (actually similar to my critiques of Bad Sisters) are that Jamie is so evil that he almost seems unrealistic, that he would be able to f*ck up so many womens' lives in such unique ways without being found out – and then, knowing what an evil man he is, it's a little disappointing to not get the all-out level of comeuppance that I felt like he deserved. That being said, I still loved the format, characters, and plot of this thriller and was totally engrossed in finding out what happened.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley!

DNF at 25%

I love character studies, which is the basis of this book, but I need to like and care about the characters. Or I need to find them interesting and unique. Unfortunately, this story wasn’t giving me any of those things.

Part of the problem is that we have eight POV characters, which is too many to keep track of, even in the hands of the most skilled writer. This problem was exacerbated by the fact that none of the characters stood out, but instead they all blended into one another. I constantly lost track of who they were and what their roles were in the story.

Ultimately, I didn’t care enough to put in the effort. Reading for pleasure should be, well, pleasurable. When it’s not, I move on.

But these issues are specific to me, and you might love the story.

Side note: I listened to the audio. Colleen Prendergast does an excellent job with narration.

Vicious and horrible and glorious. This story is not about the man, but is the stories about the women the man has wronged. A perfectly paced whodunit asking the questions we all want to ignore. Why do we teach our girls to be scared and think we are warning them, then ignore them once scary things happen?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
So this one was a surprise. I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this audiobook but I really did. I finished it in a day. Great writing. Great job from the narrator.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audio book in exchange for an honest review. This is narrated by Colleen Prendergast who did a fantastic job.

On New Years Eve, seven women stand around a severed head of a man they are all connected to. Every single one had a reason to kill the man and no one is owning up to it. As the murder investigation begins, the story reverts to reveal the connections between each woman and the victim. Who killed him and why?

I will admit that I struggled with this one. I believe that it started off with a bang; I mean 7 women in a hotel room with the head of the man they all hate! But I found that the execution was a bit choppy. There are 7 stories connected to this man and as they all unfold, it was hard to keep it all straight and I was not engaged enough in the story to want to do so. Also, there was a lot of background that was missing. I felt the characters were a bit flat which more development would have helped.

This is an ok read for me.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I was really pulled into this story from the first two chapters and then it kind of fell apart. I kept forgetting which character was who and mixing things up. It felt like something was lost in translation.

4 stars

This book is another one that wasn’t quite what I expected but was, nevertheless, enjoyable. I expected more of the emphasis to be on the thrill or mystery of the murder itself, but instead, the focus was on the complex backstories of a diverse cast of women and how their lives had been impacted by the horrific actions of the dead man. The ending wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it was still a nice twist. I liked the whole book and appreciated the topics the writer explored throughout the narrative. It was definitely a good one.

I listened to this audiobook in a single day, it was so interesting and full or twists. There are a lot of characters, and some of the names sound familiar, so it can be difficult to remember who's who especially if you listen to it on audiobook. I didn't see the ending coming, so that was a good, suspenseful buildup and surprise. This thriller deals with serious topics and can be eye-opening if read with caution. This debut was very impressive, and I'm already looking forward to the next book by this new voice in literature!

While most people are ringing in the year 2000, seven women stand around the severed head of a man who has harmed them in different ways. Each of these women has a motive for wanting him dead, so they must decide if they will cover for each other when the police start asking questions or start spilling long buried secrets that could harm not only them but each other.

Riveting and Character-driven, but Sad at times, this thriller deals with more than just murder.

I thought this was a very interesting premise for a book. Sadly, I thought there were too many problems with the execution, and I did not really enjoy it. There were 8 POV characters, which was too many for what the book was trying to accomplish. Not all characters were developed equally, and the majority of them were not likable- but not in the way that keeps me intrigued in the story. The timeline jumped around quite a bit, though it was largely easy to follow as it was listed at the beginning of each chapter. The reveal of the person responsible for the murder was not as satisfying as it could have been. The ending was VERY abrupt and left many important questions unanswered. Regrettably, I would not recommend this book.

All the same, thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of Speak of the Devil, which publishes June 13.

Title: A Devilishly Delightful Mystery

I recently had the pleasure of listening to an advanced copy of "Speak of the Devil" by Rose Wilding, courtesy of Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, for which I am deeply grateful. This captivating mystery gripped me from the very beginning and held my attention throughout its suspenseful twists and turns.

The story is a real page-turner (or in this case, an engrossing listen) that keeps you guessing about who the culprit is until the very end. Wilding masterfully weaves a tale of tension and intrigue, creating a mystery that you can't help but want to unravel. As the plot unfolds, the reader is drawn into the dark and sinister secrets that lurk beneath the surface of the seemingly idyllic town.

One of the strongest aspects of "Speak of the Devil" is its cast of well-developed characters. Nora, the protagonist, is especially compelling. Her growing disillusionment with her job as a detective is portrayed with such authenticity and depth that the reader can't help but empathize with her struggles. As the investigation progresses, Nora's determination to uncover the truth, despite the personal and professional challenges she faces, becomes a driving force in the story.

Wilding's writing is engaging and fluid, making it easy to become absorbed in the narrative. The pacing is just right, keeping the reader's interest piqued without rushing through important details. The vivid descriptions and atmosphere of the story transport you into the world that Wilding has crafted, making you feel like you are right there, alongside Nora, working to solve the mystery.

In conclusion, "Speak of the Devil" by Rose Wilding is a superbly written and expertly crafted mystery that will keep you hooked until the very last page. With its intriguing plot, well-developed characters, and engaging writing style, this book is a must-read for fans of the genre. I highly recommend giving it a listen, and I eagerly await more from this talented author. Thank you again to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with the opportunity to enjoy this fantastic novel.

I tried desperately to like this book. Initially I expected this book would have women in a room with a severed head. That does happen and then everyone does their separate ways. You get backstories on everyone. I’m not sure why it was important to tell me over and over that some is transgender. I really don’t care, nor do I care that someone is lesbian. Make the story flow and make it interesting. Ultimately this book fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, and the author for this audio arc to review. This is 100% my own thoughts and opinions.

Audio review: 3.5 stars.
Well this story starts out interesting right from the beginning with a severed head.
Yep that got my attention.
After that the story goes off into 7 different women’s POV’s with flashbacks too. I had my notes app ready to go so I could make little notes about each character. I don’t mind doing this and have done this often with books that have a lot of main characters. I just got quick little things to help me remember. Nothing that takes to long. I like having something to really think about sometimes and sometimes I want something easy.
This one is one you have to think a little. It’s an interesting mystery that gets better as it goes.

The one thing that bugged me a bit is having one narrator for the entire book. I think I might of enjoyed it a little more if there had been a different reader for each POV. I have no idea how much that would have cost so maybe that is a little to much to ask. However I still enjoyed it as the narrator does have a great voice and did a very good job overall.

Below is the description from the blurb.

Seven women, inextricably linked by one man, must figure out which of them killed him in order to protect one another in this electrifying debut thriller.

New Year’s Eve, 1999.

Seven women are gathered in a hotel room at midnight; a man's head sits in the center of the floor. They all had a motive to kill Jamie Spellman. They all swear they didn't. But in order to protect one another, they have to find out who did.

The ex, who drowns her darkest secret in a hip flask as the woman she loves drifts further away.
The wife, living out her fairytale marriage in a house tucked into woods so thick no one can hear a scream.
The widow, praying to a past she no longer knows whether she can trust.
The teenager, whose wide-eyed crush has trapped her in an unrecognizable future.
The mother figure, battling nature versus nurture under the weight of her own guilt.
The friend, forced to choose sides over and over, until she learns the price of choosing wrong.
And the journalist, who brought them all together―but underestimated how far one of them would go to keep believing the story they’d been told.

Against the ticking clock of a murder investigation, each woman’s secret is brought to light as the connections between them converge to reveal a killer. Marking the debut of an extraordinary new talent, Speak of the Devil explores the roles into which women are cast in the lives of terrible men…and the fallout when they refuse to play pretend for one moment longer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
7 women all receive the same text to meet at the “ usual spot” but when they arrive what the find is quite unusual. A head in the middle of the room waiting for them , not just any head Jamie spellmans head.
Each and every one of the women have a reason to kill him , but who was it ?

Speak of the devil walks you through all the women’s lives and all the reasons why they could be the one who wanted to see Jamie headless.
Detective Nova Stokoe comes into the picture to solve the headless man’s case , but does she have more to do with the women and the deceased than she should ?

I enjoyed speak of the devil , I think character development was great some better than other, but lots of detail none the less. Jamie is easy to hate and I found myself cheering for the women on more than one occasion. I do however feel like the ending was a little rushed I felt like I just wanted to have a little more closure for the woman

This was such a unique storyline - one dead man. 7 women who have been wronged by him. Which one of them killed him? As the murder investigation unfolds so do the reason each of them could've wanted him dead.
I did struggle with this on audio a bit - there were so many different points of view and so many different timelines and with one narrator I felt like I was getting lost at times about who was even talking. There was also just so much backstory that you miss out on the small details if you aren't fully paying attention. This was a case where I think I would've preferred reading the physical book.
While the overall story was intriguing, especially with 7 specific suspects, it just felt like too much at times. Though the impact that Jamie (the dead guy) could hurt so many different women in so many different ways across his lifetime wasn't lost on me.

“She loved watching people get what they deserved.”

Women wronged by Jamie Spellman exact their revenge.

One man hurt many women time and time again. Some survived his mental and sexual abuse over and over again as he manipulated them…until one day, they didn’t.

Now Jamie Spellman is dead. There’s no limit to reasons and motives because let’s face it, he was a bad man. The other question is…which one of the women actually decided to go ahead and “take care of” Jamie? I wouldn’t have faulted a single one of them for taking on the vigilante role.

Jamie is awful. Jamie is a rapist. Jamie is abusive. Jamie is gone.

Please check the trigger warnings on this on, sexual abuse, rape, manipulation, cheating, drugs, suicide, infertility etc.

This book was good and the scene with Keisha and her encounter with not only Jamie but the police will stick with me for a long time.

Too many characters muddled the plot. While I appreciated the idea of strong female characters, I never felt as though I was able to connect with them. This one was a miss for me, though I would be interested in checking out future texts from Wilding.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen!

“It’s not all men,” but Jamie is the worst of all men.

The author warns that Speak of the Devil will get dark at times, to accurately portray the atrocities women are forced to face daily. And dark, indeed, but it was beautifully done. Jamie is what we all wish we could due to the fact of injustice.

I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook, and while it does take a moment to grasp all of the working characters and their backstories, once you settle in, it is quite a sultry journey. I could listen to this narrator’s voice all day.

Okay wow. I would like to disclose that I switched back and forth between audiobook and reading along with e book. I very much enjoyed the narrator!

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 Macmillan Audio for the ARC audiobook.

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.