'A clever and utterly absorbing thriller which marks the arrival of an author to watch' i News
'A powerful feminist thriller . . . twisted in the best way' Clémence Michallon, author of The Quiet Tenant
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 didn't. In order to protect each other, they must figure out who did.
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.
A beautifully written debut thriller about love, loyalty, and manipulation, Speak of the Devil explores the roles in which women are cast in the lives of terrible men . . . and the fallout when they refuse to stay silent for one moment longer.
MORE PRAISE FOR SPEAK OF THE DEVIL:
'A devilishly immersive read - Rose Wilding is a wonderful new talent' Kamila Shamsie, author of Home Fire
'Get ready to cheer these women on' Prima
'I loved it' Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
Genre: Mystery
'A powerful feminist thriller . . . twisted in the best way' Clémence Michallon, author of The Quiet Tenant
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 didn't. In order to protect each other, they must figure out who did.
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.
A beautifully written debut thriller about love, loyalty, and manipulation, Speak of the Devil explores the roles in which women are cast in the lives of terrible men . . . and the fallout when they refuse to stay silent for one moment longer.
MORE PRAISE FOR SPEAK OF THE DEVIL:
'A devilishly immersive read - Rose Wilding is a wonderful new talent' Kamila Shamsie, author of Home Fire
'Get ready to cheer these women on' Prima
'I loved it' Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"Harrowing and haunting, Rose Wilding's assured debut is full of nuanced, complex, beautifully flawed characters, whose stories are powerful and moving throughout. Speak of the Devil is completely compelling, smart and sharp and it kept me reading through the night." - Sara Nisha Adams
"A story with a fiercely feminist heart that begins with a murder, and then unfurls slowly to tell a story of seven women scorned. Unique, and with lots of moments that stopped me in my tracks." - Katie Bishop
"This novel is the epitome of gripping. An epic revenge tale set in one of my favourite cities. I couldn't put it down." - Louise Hare
"Speak of the Devil is a smart and totally compelling tale of revenge - with brilliantly complex characters. It hooked me from the opening page and kept me guessing right up to the end." - Emily Koch
"With beautiful, gripping writing and depth, Speak of the Devil is a mesmerising, moving story that is impossible to look away from. Superb!" - Gytha Lodge
"Absolutely, barnstormingly brilliant. Beyond gripping, with wonderful characters you know and care about, feel rage for and with. Perfectly paced and plotted, I loved every dark, clever, powerful page." - Cressida McLaughlin
"Rose Wilding has written a powerful, feminist thriller about a group of women who not only bond over their ties to the same toxic man, but find power in that shared experience. Crafted with unflinching empathy, Speak of the Devil is twisted in the best way." - Clémence Michallon
"One of the most assured and compelling debuts I've read in a long while. Rose Wilding's evocation of the Newcastle setting and pitch-perfect ear for dialogue make every one of her characters live and breathe. I love the way she can unpick their lives before our eyes, exposing every secret. It's such a clever, multi-layered story." - Kate Rhodes
"A dark and distressing story handled with a lightness of touch - it's a very accomplished debut. It centres the survivors of abuse in the story, rather than the perpetrator, showing the awful ripple effects of violence and misogyny but also providing a level of hope, especially given that the story starts with the villain's head on a platter. I loved it." - Harriet Tyce
"Speak of the Devil is a hugely assured debut novel; dark, compelling with a channelled, righteous anger. A fantastic thriller, and Rose Wilding is a genuine find who writes with an authentic, original Northern, working class queer voice. I'm really excited to see what she does next." - Martyn Waites
"In Speak of the Devil, Rose Wilding takes an axe to toxic masculinity. The male perpetrator may lose his head but Wilding keeps hers, manoeuvring her vivid characters around like a virtuoso puppeteer and skilfully ensuring that the readers' sympathies stay firmly with those who really deserve it. It's a powerful, accomplished and important debut from a writer who has not only found her own voice but given one to others who have previously been silenced." - Trevor Wood
"A story with a fiercely feminist heart that begins with a murder, and then unfurls slowly to tell a story of seven women scorned. Unique, and with lots of moments that stopped me in my tracks." - Katie Bishop
"This novel is the epitome of gripping. An epic revenge tale set in one of my favourite cities. I couldn't put it down." - Louise Hare
"Speak of the Devil is a smart and totally compelling tale of revenge - with brilliantly complex characters. It hooked me from the opening page and kept me guessing right up to the end." - Emily Koch
"With beautiful, gripping writing and depth, Speak of the Devil is a mesmerising, moving story that is impossible to look away from. Superb!" - Gytha Lodge
"Absolutely, barnstormingly brilliant. Beyond gripping, with wonderful characters you know and care about, feel rage for and with. Perfectly paced and plotted, I loved every dark, clever, powerful page." - Cressida McLaughlin
"Rose Wilding has written a powerful, feminist thriller about a group of women who not only bond over their ties to the same toxic man, but find power in that shared experience. Crafted with unflinching empathy, Speak of the Devil is twisted in the best way." - Clémence Michallon
"One of the most assured and compelling debuts I've read in a long while. Rose Wilding's evocation of the Newcastle setting and pitch-perfect ear for dialogue make every one of her characters live and breathe. I love the way she can unpick their lives before our eyes, exposing every secret. It's such a clever, multi-layered story." - Kate Rhodes
"A dark and distressing story handled with a lightness of touch - it's a very accomplished debut. It centres the survivors of abuse in the story, rather than the perpetrator, showing the awful ripple effects of violence and misogyny but also providing a level of hope, especially given that the story starts with the villain's head on a platter. I loved it." - Harriet Tyce
"Speak of the Devil is a hugely assured debut novel; dark, compelling with a channelled, righteous anger. A fantastic thriller, and Rose Wilding is a genuine find who writes with an authentic, original Northern, working class queer voice. I'm really excited to see what she does next." - Martyn Waites
"In Speak of the Devil, Rose Wilding takes an axe to toxic masculinity. The male perpetrator may lose his head but Wilding keeps hers, manoeuvring her vivid characters around like a virtuoso puppeteer and skilfully ensuring that the readers' sympathies stay firmly with those who really deserve it. It's a powerful, accomplished and important debut from a writer who has not only found her own voice but given one to others who have previously been silenced." - Trevor Wood
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Used availability for Rose Wilding's Speak of the Devil