The Devil's Slave
from the author of Sunday Times bestseller The Stolen Crown (Sept 2025)
Published on 17. September 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
432 pages
978-1-4736-6251-3 (ISBN)
Description
'So vividly evoked that you are there, living the story'
Alison Weir
***
Frances Gorges was accused of witchcraft - and she survived. But if her torturers at the court of King James discover she is pregnant with the child of Tom Wintour, her lover executed for his part in the Gunpowder Plot, it will mean certain death.
Then Frances is offered an escape: marriage. She will not be expected to sleep with her new husband, only to give up the cause for which Tom died.
But even when she is surrounded by the venomous dangers of life at court, Frances finds old loyalties hard to deny...
Compelling, sensual, suspenseful, The Devil's Slave is a novel of family, power and heartbreaking dilemmas. It is also a surprising, thrilling love story.
***
'A lively, entertaining novel'
The Sunday Times
'Powerfully accomplished and vividly detailed... I swallowed this book in two great gulps'
Sarah Gristwood, author of Game of Queens
'Rich evocation of 17th Century life
The Times
'Empathetic and knowledgeable'
Daily Mail
Alison Weir
***
Frances Gorges was accused of witchcraft - and she survived. But if her torturers at the court of King James discover she is pregnant with the child of Tom Wintour, her lover executed for his part in the Gunpowder Plot, it will mean certain death.
Then Frances is offered an escape: marriage. She will not be expected to sleep with her new husband, only to give up the cause for which Tom died.
But even when she is surrounded by the venomous dangers of life at court, Frances finds old loyalties hard to deny...
Compelling, sensual, suspenseful, The Devil's Slave is a novel of family, power and heartbreaking dilemmas. It is also a surprising, thrilling love story.
***
'A lively, entertaining novel'
The Sunday Times
'Powerfully accomplished and vividly detailed... I swallowed this book in two great gulps'
Sarah Gristwood, author of Game of Queens
'Rich evocation of 17th Century life
The Times
'Empathetic and knowledgeable'
Daily Mail
Reviews / Votes
Borman's expertise as a historian of the period is much in evidence throughout a lively, entertaining novel * The Sunday Times * Tracy Borman keeps the suspense ramped up in this beautifully written novel, a Jacobean tragedy in which her delightful heroine in threatened on all sides. Never have I seen the sheer nastiness and corruption of the Jacobean court so well portrayed or an age so vividly evoked that you are there, living the story. Borman has combined her formidable knowledge of the period with her effortless skill in writing fiction and stunning creativity. A highly accomplished and chilling tale. Can't wait for the sequel! -- Alison Weir Powerfully accomplished and vividly detailed, THE DEVIL'S SLAVE returns to the world Borman so convincingly created in THE KING'S WITCH. Her heroine Frances, under suspicion for her skills as a herbalist, has to pick a precarious path through the intricacies of a Jacobean court seething with conspiracy and corruption. I swallowed this book in two great gulps - and wait impatiently for the third of the trilogy. -- Sarah Gristwood A beautifully crafted and pacey narrative that's jam packed full of intricate detail, THE DEVIL'S SLAVE is sure to get your pulse racing. Once again Tracy Borman has effortlessly blended the intrigues of the seventeenth century court with the ability to tell a gripping story that will leave the reader yearning for more. Essential reading that's spellbindingly magical. -- Nicola Tallis Borman's background as a historian...is evident in the rich evocation of 17th-century life * The Times * Tracy Borman dramatises the fault lines between religious conviction and the convoluted vendettas of Jacobean England with an empathetic and knowledgeable hand * Daily Mail *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Hodder & Stoughton
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
304 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4736-6251-3 (9781473662513)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Tracy Borman
The Devil's Slave
from the author of Sunday Times bestseller The Stolen Crown (Sept 2025)
E-Book
06/2019
1st Edition
Hodder & Stoughton
€3.49
Available for download
Person
Tracy Borman OBE is Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces and Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust. She studied and taught history at the University of Hull.
Tracy is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books including Crown & Sceptre, Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England, Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen and Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction. Tracy is also a regular broadcaster and public speaker, giving talks on her books across the UK and abroad.
Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyBorman
Tracy is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books including Crown & Sceptre, Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England, Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen and Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction. Tracy is also a regular broadcaster and public speaker, giving talks on her books across the UK and abroad.
Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyBorman