Review by Kirkus Book Review
Second in the Peninsular War series about Capt. Richard Sharpe--a former enlisted man with battlefield commissions (he still can't afford to buy promotions) who was with Wellington at the Talavera victory in Sharpe's Eagle (p. 228). Now Sharpe is a company officer in the South Essex Regiment--and, because of dwindling British funds, Sharpe's troops must engage in a treasure hunt: they're sent to rescue a Major Kearsey who has found a fortune in Spanish gold in the Portuguese hill fortress of Casatejada. Despite overwhelming numbers against them, the British do recover Major Kearsey--a French prisoner--and he leads them to a vault in a cathedral where the gold was hidden. But now it's gone! Does languorous guerrilla leader El Catolico, who intones prayers over his victims as he cuts their throats, know where the gold is? Will Sharpe bed El Catolico's fiercely beautiful mistress Teresa, whom he has also retrieved from captivity? And, after Sharpe's Irish sergeant finds the gold under a manure pile, can Sharpe get it to Cadiz, through enemy territory and hills full of El Catolico's hostile partisans? Well, kidnap and passion ensue--and there's a climactic dustup with swordplay and explosives. Like Sharpe's Eagle: crisp, energetic fun--with four more years of adventures ahead before Waterloo. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
