From Library Journal
This fifth novel in the saga of British rifleman Richard Sharpe (e.g., Sharpe's Regiment, Audio Reviews, LJ 9/15/96) is set in Wellington's Salamanca Campaign of 1811-12 during the Peninsular War. After meeting a fiendish enemy who becomes his personal nemesis, Sharpe repeatedly comes perilously close to death, while playing a pivotal role in the campaign. Meanwhile, he has a torrid affair with a beautiful Spanish aristocrat who may not be what she seems. Sharpe regulars will find all this familiar and predictable, but Cornwell sustains such convincing dramatic tension that there is never a dull moment. The book is guaranteed to rivet all but the squeamish. William Gaminara's reading is less mannered than his previous efforts. Still, American listeners might prefer Frederick Davidson's readings of Blackstone Audio's versions of Cornwell's Sharpe novels.?R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, Cal.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Stephen King
Consistently exciting... these are wonderful novels.


Book Description
Colonel Leroux is killing Britain's most valuable spies, and it's up to Richard Sharpe to stop him. Thrust into the unfamiliar world of political and military intrigue, Sharpe relentlessly pursues Leroux, determined to exact his revenge with the cold steel of his sword.


From the Publisher
8 1.5-hour cassettes

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Colonel Leroux is killing Britain's most valuable spies, and it's up to Richard Sharpe to stop him. Thrust into the unfamiliar world of political and military intrigue, Sharpe must tangle with La Marquesa, a beguiling, extraordinarily beautiful woman whose embrace is as calculating as it is passionate. As she leads him through a maze of secrecy, cunning, and deception, Sharpe relentlessly pursues Leroux, determined to exact his revenge with the cold steel of his sword.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

This powerful, exciting novel, the fourth in Cornwell's fine series on the Napoleonic Wars (e.g., Sharpe's Honour, Audio Reviews, LJ 5/15/95), focuses on a key turning point: Wellington's defeat of the French in the Battle of Salamanca. Sharpe, who embodies the heroism of the common soldier, dies a dozen deaths in his struggle against Colonel Leroux, the man responsible for killing Britain's top spies. Sharpe falls into the beguiling Marquesa's web, blissfully unaware that the actions of this passionate beauty will determine victor and vanquished. The author details military strategy, pits infantry against cavalry, and shows how class considerations impact the entire conduct of the war, including medical treatment of wounded officers and low-born soldiers. A valuable epilog reveals how closely the recording captures the historic individuals and locations. The television miniseries and reader Frederick Davidson's performance will provide a large audience for this outstanding work. Highly recommended.-James Dudley, Copiague, N.Y.

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