Amy B. (BaileysBooks) reviewed on 7/21/2014 + 491 more book reviews

This is the chronological Book 14 (and original Book 5) of the Richard Sharpe series.

Compared to other battle-heavy books in the Sharpe series, this book contained only small doses of battle sequences and high amounts of political intrigue. Sharpe found himself a new enemy in this book, and as a result he ends up plunging head-first into a complicated world of espionage and deception.

In all, this was another good book and a solid addition to the Richard Sharpe series. I commented in my last review that Sharpe and Harper, being the heroes of the story, must be excused for their seemingly bullet-proof bodies and immunity to serious injury. I will now take this opportunity to retract that statement.

Cornwell used the events in this book to show more tenderness and emotion between his characters than he has ever done before. The battle-hardened friendship between Sharpe, Harper, and Hogan has always been implied, but in this rare glimpse we get to see its depth firsthand.

There were parts of this book that I absolutely could not put down, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the revelations at the end just as much as I was disappointed by some of Sharpes choices in the beginning. After 14 books (or 5 if youre a purist), Cornwell manages to show that there is still plenty of life left in this series and Im still looking forward to seeing what comes next.

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