Review by Booklist Review
The latest Richard Sharpe novel, the first new one in nearly 15 years, is set just after the Battle of Waterloo, which chronologically means it immediately follows Sharpe's Waterloo. The war against Napoleon might be over, but the Duke of Wellington is afraid a new enemy is looming on the horizon--la Fraternite, a group of Bonaparte loyalists apparently poised to carry out a plot to assassinate the "princes of Europe" and catapult Napoleon back to power throughout the continent. Sharpe's mission: to take a small group of skilled men, locate la Fraternite, and kill them all. But soon he's the target of a clever and highly skilled assassin. It's a lot of fun to see Sharpe in Paris, trying to find a group of murderers while evading a killer. As usual, this is historical fiction on a grand scale, a period piece thriller that will enrapture fans of the long-running series. Sharpe stays true to his down-and-dirty roots, and Cornwell steps back into Sharpe's world as though he never left it. A boisterous return of a favorite character.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Last seen in 2007's Sharpe's Fury, the indestructible Richard Sharpe has one more battle to fight in bestseller Cornwell's rousing 24th novel featuring the English rifleman. Born in the gutter to a London prostitute, Sharpe has risen in the ranks through his bravery and now, as a lieutenant colonel, leads a battalion headed for Paris after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. His benefactor, the Duke of Wellington, has a mission for him in the city--to rescue a British spy who's keen on returning the artwork the French have looted from the rest of Europe to its rightful owners. He must also track down a rumored faction of Frenchmen determined to continue resistance and contend with a cowardly English major who flogged him for no reason years before when he was an ordinary soldier. Banter between Sharpe and his Irish sidekick, Sgt. Patrick Harper, adds some welcome humor. The action builds to a high-stakes sword fight between Sharpe and a French officer that's resolved in an unexpected and satisfying way. Series fans will be pleased to see Sharpe retire from the army on a high note. (Dec.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
The plot of the latest installment in Cornwell's historical fiction series picks up immediately after the action in 1990's Sharpe's Waterloo (rather than the most recently published Sharpe novel, 2006's Sharpe's Fury). The Battle of Waterloo is barely over, Napoleon has been defeated, and the Duke of Wellington has orders for his protégé, the rifleman Richard Sharpe. Sharpe must travel to France, rescue a British spy who's been captured on the hunt for looted art, and then infiltrate Paris. Sharpe leads his undermanned and exhausted band to break into a prison and free the undercover agent. They then sneak into the big city, riven between supporters of the defeated emperor and the old king, not to mention fear of the victorious British and Prussians. Rumors of a secret tunnel and tight-knit squad of Bonaparte loyalists, bent on killing Wellington and other European leaders, turn out to be true. There is also a duel by the light of a burning mansion. Sharpe keeps looking over his shoulder for his beloved French wife Lucille and their baby, who have followed him to Paris, even as he senses that he may have fought one battle too many. VERDICT Here is another gritty and exciting episode in Cornwell's long-running historical series, seen through the eyes of a common yet extraordinary soldier.--W. Keith McCoy, Edison, NJ
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Richard Sharpe is fierce and fearless in his 22nd adventure for king and country. The British have just defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, but a whole lot of blood is yet to be shed. As Lt. Col. Richard Sharpe helps his riflemen bury British dead, he receives orders from the Duke of Wellington to capture a citadel in a French town called Ham ("as in eggs") and release its prisoners, specifically Alan Fox, who trades in artworks and is making a list of stolen paintings. "So I'm to do the impossible," he remarks, and is told "you have the devil's own luck" and "you excel at dirty business." Sharpe is a great series character who doesn't fit the officer mold. He is the gutter-born bastard son of a prostitute and a random whorehouse customer. He'd been a rank-and-file soldier with deep scars on his back from flogging until the duke noticed his intelligence and bravery and made him an officer. But wouldn't you know, now under his command is the captain who'd once had him flogged. No hard feelings, though? Think again. Sharpe threatens to flay the skin off the captain's back if he orders any more floggings of the men. They are to go to Paris so Sharpe can find and kill a group of assassins known as la Fraternité, which either exists or is medieval claptrap. Vicious fights ensue in Parisian tunnels and in the open air. Sharpe's formidable antagonist is the French Col. Lanier, a killing machine known as le Monstre, whose pleasures are "women, wine, and death to his enemies." Their forces must meet--Sharpe has a battalion--and so must the two ferocious leaders. For them and their men, "it would be such a stupid time to die. The war was won." And yet there's still time for spectacular combat scenes, with swords and volley guns and thumbs in the eyes. This is first-rate historical fiction that any fan of the genre will enjoy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
