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!

Book Review 🦅-
Lately I’ve loving romance and contemporary books but went back to my thriller/mystery roots for this one.

Swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

What I liked ❤️:
•I really enjoyed how every women’s story was revealed through the story. Honestly they all had a valid reason to kill him 😆
•I liked the crime procedural also taking place while we are trying to figure out what went down that night.
•Although I did predict the killer closer to the end, the how of it all was still a twist.

Things I didn’t like as much 🖤:
•the pacing was slow at times. I combined digital and the audio and listening to it helped for those sections.

Overall, I liked it. It was mind blowing but still kept me interested!

Thank you @netgalley , @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio !

Speak of the Devil comes out June 13th!

Speak of the Devil opens with seven women in a hotel room, staring at the decapitated head of Jamie, a man who has wronged each of them in a different way. Who killed him? Was it justified?

The story is told in multiple perspectives and over multiple timelines. We flashback to the awful things Jamie has done to these women over time, some extending 20 years into the past. Jamie is just plain awful and seems like an arrogant psychopath. The book could come with trigger warnings for everything from rape to murder, and the things Jamie has done to the women are just disgusting.

The women are all complex and damaged characters. It was very hard for me to keep them straight initially, and some of them still faded into the background throughout the story. One woman is dating the cop in charge of the investigation, and her POV is also part of the story.

I’d call this a slow burn mystery more than a thriller. Nothing too startling or eerie happens through the bulk of the story, mor of just a sickened feeling reading about what this awful man did.

If you enjoy stories of revenge, this one could definitely be for you! I was surprised by the ending and look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP/ Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a whodunit around the murder of a man who has connections to 7 different women. They all have good reason to have "offed" him; however, no one is coming clean on who it was and why.

The story unfolds in the voice of each woman, over the span of when they knew him.

I wanted to enjoy this story more but it was a little slow. As I got about 2/3 of the way through, it started to peak my interest more and I finished rather quickly.

I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a twisty story that involves lives that intersect.

This book was better than I thought it would be after reading some of the reviews. It is a really dark book with plenty of subjects discussed; we have a murder (beheading) rape, transphobia, spousal abuse, gaslighting, suicide and marital affairs. This isn’t light reading, to say the least. It has a lot of strong female characters and if feminist revenge is your thing this is the book for you. I love a good book about a bunch of women who have had enough and aren’t gonna take it anymore.

Some reviewers have mentioned that there are a lot of characters to keep track of and it is hard to keep them all straight. I had this problem at first but once I got into the swing of things it became easier. The individual voices eventually become clearly defined as it is told from each character’s point of view and they get their own chapters so the reader gets to know them and learns of their backstory because the timeline goes back and forth as well.

As the story weaves on, we eventually learn that the women are all connected in some way through the male character these women all have in common. His name is Jamie and he is a douche canoe. I did figure out the ending before it was revealed but not much before so I still got my aha moment. This was a pretty strong debut and I look forward to reading what this author comes up with next.

I received a complimentary electronic ARC of this British historical novel (1980s, 1990s) from Netgalley, author Rose Wilding, and publisher St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Speak of the Devil of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Rose Wilding to friends and family. She keeps you reading way into the night whether you want to or not...

And I did almost quit this book a couple of times. This is perhaps my most reluctant 5*. It is more horror than general fiction and was at times much more graphic than I was prepared for, but it's a story that must be told and a mystery that is very complex to solve. Definitely 5*. The seven women who surround this mystery are personable and well-defined, sympathetic almost to a fault. I only hope there is no devil in the real world to match that of Jamie.

This book does an amazing job looking beyond abuse - to the victims. The scrutiny of victims - but not the rapist. His ruined life valued above justice for the victims. Needed commentary. Lack of support, lack of community support and belief. A charming man who repeatedly abuses women yet no one believes the women.
These characters each have a story about Jamie Spellman. None of them end well. Until his murder. Then they are free - but who killed Jaime?
I loved this group of women - the support their provided each other, recovery, safe spaces to heal and reveal their trauma.

Seven women who might have killed a man. They all had a reason to want him dead but all claim innocence. The police must find the culprit before they get away.

I didn't get pulled into this one like I thought I would. I think it could've done a better job spelling out who each character was early on - maybe like a character list at the beginning. The writing was also not my favorite here.