What do you think?
Rate this book
A Pact With The Devil
'Compelling and vivid.' Fiona Forsyth
'Historical fiction of the highest order.' R.N. Morris
1491, Cracow, Kingdom of Poland. The 44th year in the reign of Casimir Jagiellon.
Nicolaus Copernicus and his brother Andreas embark on their studies at the University of Cracow. Nicolaus is a bashful young man and a keen scholar; Andreas, a wastrel with a passion for carnal pursuits.
The university is embroiled in scandal when doctor Faustus, an alchemist and royal apothecary, is found hanging over a crucible of boiling tar with a pentagon carved into his chest.
Rumours of demonic agency are rife. The Collegium porter, Bartlomiej, is arrested on suspicion of murder and consorting with the Devil.
Nicolaus is convinced of Bartlomiej’s innocence. He rejects superstition and vows to find the real killer. But even his rational mind is put to the test when his friend Jurgis, a fellow student and a practised astrologer, is murdered and his body desecrated in the same ritualistic way as doctor Faustus’s.
A fire is started at Jurgis’s lodgings and spreads across the city. Panic sets in. Gypsies are blamed, and they are hounded out of town by an angry mob. An exorcist arrives from Rome to free Cracow from demonic possession.
But soon Nicolaus uncovers a man-made conspiracy – a pact that could shake the foundations of the whole kingdom.
Anna Legat writes in a wide range of genres. She is best known for her DI Gillian Marsh detective series and The Shires, her cosy murder mysteries. Anna is also the author of the historical thriller, Buried in the Past. She lives near Bath.
Praise for Anna
'The Queen's Avenger is an atmospheric, thrilling novel, one that is well-structured and extremely cleverly written. I sincerely hope there will be sequels. Any lover of Elizabethan thrillers will enjoy this novel, which is vivid, strong and faithful to known history.' The Historical Novel Society
‘[Her] characters pull at our heartstrings and are incredibly vivid, their stories moving.’ Carol McGrath, author of the She-Wolves trilogy
‘The pleasure for the reader, as ever, lies in the believable and engaging characterisation, an expertly handled plot and a wry observational prose style.’ Tim Stretton, author of Catfish Alley
'Historical fiction of the highest order.' R.N. Morris
1491, Cracow, Kingdom of Poland. The 44th year in the reign of Casimir Jagiellon.
Nicolaus Copernicus and his brother Andreas embark on their studies at the University of Cracow. Nicolaus is a bashful young man and a keen scholar; Andreas, a wastrel with a passion for carnal pursuits.
The university is embroiled in scandal when doctor Faustus, an alchemist and royal apothecary, is found hanging over a crucible of boiling tar with a pentagon carved into his chest.
Rumours of demonic agency are rife. The Collegium porter, Bartlomiej, is arrested on suspicion of murder and consorting with the Devil.
Nicolaus is convinced of Bartlomiej’s innocence. He rejects superstition and vows to find the real killer. But even his rational mind is put to the test when his friend Jurgis, a fellow student and a practised astrologer, is murdered and his body desecrated in the same ritualistic way as doctor Faustus’s.
A fire is started at Jurgis’s lodgings and spreads across the city. Panic sets in. Gypsies are blamed, and they are hounded out of town by an angry mob. An exorcist arrives from Rome to free Cracow from demonic possession.
But soon Nicolaus uncovers a man-made conspiracy – a pact that could shake the foundations of the whole kingdom.
Anna Legat writes in a wide range of genres. She is best known for her DI Gillian Marsh detective series and The Shires, her cosy murder mysteries. Anna is also the author of the historical thriller, Buried in the Past. She lives near Bath.
Praise for Anna
'The Queen's Avenger is an atmospheric, thrilling novel, one that is well-structured and extremely cleverly written. I sincerely hope there will be sequels. Any lover of Elizabethan thrillers will enjoy this novel, which is vivid, strong and faithful to known history.' The Historical Novel Society
‘[Her] characters pull at our heartstrings and are incredibly vivid, their stories moving.’ Carol McGrath, author of the She-Wolves trilogy
‘The pleasure for the reader, as ever, lies in the believable and engaging characterisation, an expertly handled plot and a wry observational prose style.’ Tim Stretton, author of Catfish Alley
Kindle Edition
Published March 13, 2025
2 people want to read
About the author
Anna Legat
25 books77 followersAnna Legat is a Wiltshire-based author, best known for her DI Gillian Marsh murder mystery series. A globe-trotter and Jack-of-all-trades, Anna has been an attorney, legal adviser, a silver-service waitress, a school teacher and a librarian. She read law at the University of South Africa and Warsaw University, then gained teaching qualifications in New Zealand. She has lived in far-flung places all over the world where she delighted in people-watching and collecting precious life experiences for her stories. Anna writes, reads, lives and breathes books and can no longer tell the difference between fact and fiction.
To find out more: https://annalegatblog.wordpress.com/
To find out more: https://annalegatblog.wordpress.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 28, 2025
Loved this book - it's so unusual to read something set in the 15th century in eastern rather than western Europe. I was fascinated by the names of all the territories, principalities and kingdoms, few of which remain today, in a time when the map of the world looked very different. Ms Legat talks about this at the back of the book, which has inspired me to find out more.
The story centres around Nicolaus Copernicus, studying in Cracow (Krakow) in Poland, when the death of a certain doctor of much reknown causes angst around the neighbourhood; had he really sold his soul to the devil, or are diabolical plots of a human kind to blame for his and subsequent murders?
The plot is intriguing and well thought out, and Nicolaus leaves no stone unturned in his attempts to get to the bottom of what is happening. More than this, what delighted me so much about the book was the sense of place and time, the descriptions of the towns and the townsfolk, the customs, the social mores, the beliefs, and the banter between Nicolaus, his wayward brother Andreas and their friends. The characters sprang from the pages, fully formed.
Highly recommended!
The story centres around Nicolaus Copernicus, studying in Cracow (Krakow) in Poland, when the death of a certain doctor of much reknown causes angst around the neighbourhood; had he really sold his soul to the devil, or are diabolical plots of a human kind to blame for his and subsequent murders?
The plot is intriguing and well thought out, and Nicolaus leaves no stone unturned in his attempts to get to the bottom of what is happening. More than this, what delighted me so much about the book was the sense of place and time, the descriptions of the towns and the townsfolk, the customs, the social mores, the beliefs, and the banter between Nicolaus, his wayward brother Andreas and their friends. The characters sprang from the pages, fully formed.
Highly recommended!
May 28, 2025
1491, Cracow, Kingdom of Poland. University students Nicolaus Copernicus and his brother Andreas find themselves enmeshed in a devilish mystery when alchemist Doctor Faustus is found hanging over a crucible of boiling tar with a pentagon carved into his chest. A man is arrested on suspicion of murder and consorting with the Devil, but Nicolaus thinks the killer is of the human kind and sets out to uncover the truth. But then another man is murdered…
This is an interesting and unusual book, and the second one I’ve read by this author. The author’s descriptions of people and places are fascinating, and she paints a vivid picture of the Cracow and its inhabitants at that time. The book did get off to a slightly slow start but from the scene where they discover the body of Faustus, things pick up pace and we are thrust into a tale of mystery, deceit and murder. Having said that, the author’s tendency to include some truly odd dialogue tags lets the book down a little. Though truth be told, only very picky readers like me are likely to object to such things.
An exciting and entertaining read.
This is an interesting and unusual book, and the second one I’ve read by this author. The author’s descriptions of people and places are fascinating, and she paints a vivid picture of the Cracow and its inhabitants at that time. The book did get off to a slightly slow start but from the scene where they discover the body of Faustus, things pick up pace and we are thrust into a tale of mystery, deceit and murder. Having said that, the author’s tendency to include some truly odd dialogue tags lets the book down a little. Though truth be told, only very picky readers like me are likely to object to such things.
An exciting and entertaining read.
March 17, 2025
A historical novel allied to a murder mystery
You can read this as a historical novel, complete with a helpful crib sheet at the beginning to explain some of the lesser-known historical characters, (or lesser known to me, anyway), or you can read it a realpolitik novel as royal rivals conspire and manoeuvre for supremacy, or you can read it a murder mystery, which is definitely my preferred flavour – though I did find myself looking up some of the historical figures in the book after finishing it, so the cross-over worked well.
The book galloped along at a nice pace, mysteries are laid on, and a young, devout, and slightly hapless Copernicus (complete with lusty brother) finds himself swept along by events, trying to impose some logic on what many other characters perceive as being Diabolical occurrences.
Definitely recommended.
You can read this as a historical novel, complete with a helpful crib sheet at the beginning to explain some of the lesser-known historical characters, (or lesser known to me, anyway), or you can read it a realpolitik novel as royal rivals conspire and manoeuvre for supremacy, or you can read it a murder mystery, which is definitely my preferred flavour – though I did find myself looking up some of the historical figures in the book after finishing it, so the cross-over worked well.
The book galloped along at a nice pace, mysteries are laid on, and a young, devout, and slightly hapless Copernicus (complete with lusty brother) finds himself swept along by events, trying to impose some logic on what many other characters perceive as being Diabolical occurrences.
Definitely recommended.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews