Speak of the Devil Book

RELEASE DATE - 22 JUNE 2023

'A mesmerising, moving story that is impossible to look away from'
Gytha Lodge, author of Little Sister

'Crafted with unflinching empathy, Speak of the Devil is twisted in the best way'
Clémence Michallon, author of The Quiet Tenant

All of us knew him. One of us killed him...

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.

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 dark and nuanced portrait of 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.

"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, author of THE HOUSE OF BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES

"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, author of DEAD END STREET

"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, author of THE BRUTAL TIDE

"Utterly unputdownable, absorbing, dark and at times ineffably beautiful, Speak of the Devil is the masterful work of a born writer. Rose Wilding's propulsive and assured debut is the sort of rare gem that, once you turn the final page, makes you think 'this. this is why I read'. With unforgettable, complex characters and a sympathetic, painterly eye for detail that makes them and the landscapes they inhabit leap from the page, Wilding conjures their stories to life in all their knotty, vibrant glory. The result is not to be missed."
Lauren Brown, author of HANDS: AN ANXIOUS MIND UNPICKED

"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, author of THE GIRLS OF SUMMER