Amy B. (BaileysBooks) reviewed on 6/26/2014 + 491 more book reviews

This is the chronological Book 9 (and the original Book 3) of the Richard Sharpe series.

I enjoyed this book a lot, even though it did follow the standard Sharpe protocol: Sharpe and/or the British Army is in dire straits. Sharpe is selected for a suicide mission that must succeed at all costs. The only woman involved in the plot is impossibly beautiful and betrothed to the enemy, but she falls in love with Sharpe anyway. The endings to the books are never really a surprise (thank you very much, always-a-spoiler-title) so the suspense is not in "Will they succeed?" but "How will they succeed?" Add in more than a few shots from a Baker rifle, some powder kegs, bags full of gold, and some obstinate senior officers and you have yourself a pretty good story.

I am willing to forgive Cornwell for the seemingly formulaic approach to the Richard Sharpe books because they really are only so many ways to tell these stories. I don't mind so much that Sharpe finds himself as the constant hero in all of these military adventures, but the transiently-fall-in-love-with-the-only-woman-who-also-happens-to-be-beautiful plot point is the one repetitive aspect that does make me roll my eyes a little.

All petty complaints aside, these are still really fun books written by an author who knows his business and does it well. I've made it halfway through the series now and I'm looking forward to seeing where Sharpe's adventures will take him next.

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