Speak the Devil's Name

by Brandon Kelley

396 pages, Paperback

Published July 4, 2025

Reviews

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was enticed into reading this author by friends on social media. Speak the Devil's Name is the first book from Brandon Kelley I have ever read and it gives me taste for more. I really liked the way we get to follow events going on in different places at the same time and then have it all come together in the end. The main portion of the story is all about Nick Mandias. He is on a mission in Afghanistan when all of a sudden stuff happens that will lead to the involvment of people there as well as in China and the USA. We also get a side story with a Chinese officer that plans on leaving his country. The book is filled with suspense and twist that makes you turn around trying to keep up. There is also a good amount of action and we get an insight in the plight of the Uigurs in China. The book is well written and I recommend it to all fans of good thrillers.

[Mark Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speak The Devil's Name by Brandon Kelley, is one of the hardest hitting, gritty, and emotionally charged thrillers that I have read in a while. Deep story line, strong plot, exceptional character development and explosive action sequences make this book very hard to put down. While being a military thriller that is top notch, the underlying message of brotherhood, redemption, and human rights are so well written and incorporated into the story that it hits you like a ton of lead. I am eagerly awaiting the follow up to this outstanding novel. Thank you Brandon, for your service and for sending me the copy of your book.

From the authors website:

When a top-secret Joint Special Operations Command reconnaissance mission goes sideways deep in Afghanistan's unforgiving Hindu Kush, Nick Mandias is suddenly thrust into a deadly game of survival against a formidable foe he did not expect as a rogue CIA paramilitary officer, fueled by a desperate need for redemption, launches an unsanctioned covert operation behind enemy lines that exposes an unthinkable horror.

Half a world away, in the sweltering shadows of Southeast Asia, a young CIA case officer is pulled into the most critical assignment of his career. As he comes face-to-face with the US Government’s deepest penetration of the People’s Republic of China, he must navigate a dangerous web of loyalty, sacrifice, and high-stakes espionage.