Richard Sharpe, the former private in His Majesty’s army who now commands a company of rifleman, finds him fighting his old enemies, the French, at the extraordinary battle of Barossa in 1811.
Sharpe has been sent by Wellington on a mission to Cadiz, now the capital of Spain, to rescue the British ambassador -- who happens to be Wellington’s brother -- from a spot of undiplomatic trouble. The city has been blockaded by the French but is supported by the British from the sea. It contains a rare mix of pro- and anti-British Spanish, diplomats, courtiers, adventurers and spies. Sharpe’s mission -- complicated, undercover and political -- turns out to be completely different from the one on which he was sent. It brings him through the besieging enemy army to triumph in the battle of Barossa where the British, deserted by their allies, defeat the overwhelmingly stronger French force.
Throughout 21 historical novels, plucky Richard Sharpe has been one of Wellington's most capable, albeit wayward, officers during the Napoleonic conflicts, and he continues in this latest. In 1811, Sharpe finds himself in besieged Cadiz, which is likely to fall to French forces unless our hero can save the English ambassador from blackmail by a beautiful prostitute. Musket balls, grapeshot, cutlasses, plotters, backstabbers, and a myriad of other dangers abound. Paul McGann, a former Dr. Who and a popular face on British television, has a youthful baritone, which he employs to deliver a serviceable rendering. One could wish that he had mustered up more vigor and personality--despite all the intrigue and adventure, he is without luster and a trifle tedious. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
About the Author
Bernard Cornwell is the author of the acclaimed and bestselling Saxon Novels, which began with The Last Kingdom; the Richard Sharpe novels; the Grail Quest series; the Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles; the Warlord Trilogy; and many other novels, including Stonehenge and Gallows Thief. He was raised in Britain but now lives with his wife on Cape Cod.
