Just Finished Reading: Sharpe’s Prey by Bernard Cornwell

England: 1807. After the death of the woman he loved and the apparent rejection of the army he thought of as home Richard Sharpe is at his wits end. Just as his options begin to run out he is spotted in a tavern and offered a job – escorting a rich, fop of an officer to Copenhagen to deliver a bribe to the Danish government. After the loss of the French fleet at Trafalgar, Napoleon needs more ships urgently if he is to fight the British at sea on anything like equal terms. Only the Danish can supply him with what he needs at short notice – but they have denied him. Britain is not about to let these ships fall into enemy hands so first they will offer a bribe and then they will send in their army to either capture the ships of burn them in their moorings. In the middle of this is Sharpe, betrayed, alone and in mortal danger – and in love. Before the week is out he needs to save the money, the ships, his woman and above all else his reputation. But first and foremost he must find the man who betrayed him and kill him if he can!

This is yet another cracking novel from Bernard Cornwell who, even after 13 novels in this series, continues to produce exciting and well constructed novels. As I have said before Sharpe is a great character, full of anger at a system that continually holds him in distain while he fights their wars and wins their battles for them. His strength of character and especially his unwavering sense of honour and duty make him fast friends at all ranks and equally implacable enemies. Gratifyingly his enemies do not stay enemies for too long. Those who get on the wrong side of Sharpe almost invariably end up dead at some point – usually on the end of his sword or with a bullet (or two) in them care of his Baker rifle. I have enjoyed his journey from India to Europe and beyond and am looking forward to the next 8-9 books in the series I have salted throughout the pile o’ books awaiting to be read. If you are in the mood for gritty period adventure and love the smell of cordite and gunpowder in the morning this series is most definitely for you. Enjoy!