Just Finished Reading: Sharpe’s Honour by Bernard Cornwell (FP: 1985) [370pp] 

Spain, July 1813. With the French armies in retreat ahead of Wellington’s forces a foolproof plan is put into effect. The fragile alliance between Britain and Spain must be broken and the Spanish king, presently the ‘guest’ of Napoleon Bonapart, must be restored to the throne – once he has agreed to eject the British from his country. At the heart of the plan is a simple act of revenge. French intelligence officer Pierre Ducos is determined to ruin Major Richard Sharpe once and for all. A letter is written charging Sharpe with ungentlemanly conduct towards La Marquessa and her husband, as expected, challenges Sharpe to a duel. To refuse would be an act of cowardice but to accept – win or lose – would strain the alliance to breaking point or beyond. It is a matter of honour on both sides, something that cannot be ignored or set aside. Trapped either way Sharpe must discover why a woman who had previously held him in some regard now wishes him ill. Trusting his instincts, he knows that there is far more to this duel than meets the eye. The only question that matters is who is behind the plot and what they hope to gain from the death or disgrace of a single Major in a vast allied army. 

From the publication date you’ll be able to tell that I’m in full catch-up mode with my Sharpe novels (only two more to go plus the latest novel when it comes out in paperback). This one see’s Sharpe “under cover” in Spain trying to get to the bottom of the plot to defeat the British without firing a shot. The plot follows a well-trodden path (and that’s not a criticism) of Sharpe being in serious trouble – essentially for being a hot-headed womaniser – and given minimal resources plus a tight timescale to get himself out of it. Essentially on his own most of the time he must find his ex-lover, find out what she was thinking in sending the offending letter, fight a few small skirmishes, make some new friends and, as usual show up just in time for a battle to finish the book off in true Cornwell style. As always with the author this is a vastly enjoyable romp. Sharpe is, well, Sharpe so inevitably lots of fun. He is honestly a brilliant creation and I’ll miss him when I finally finish the series. The love interest – La Marquessa – is very well drawn and I could definitely see what Sharpe saw in her. She was, in few words, FUN if somewhat hard work and, potentially at least, dangerous. Still fun though! The baddies, complete with a Spanish Inquisitor, are suitably two dimensional and doomed to failure. If there’s anything I’ve learnt during my reading of numerous Sharpe novels is that the quickest way to an unmarked grave is to try to kill Richard Sharpe – no matter who you are or how big you think you are. Full of interesting ‘scenery’ and actual events (most notably the explosion at a French occupied castle) with the battle at the end both clever and dramatic – although it did result in the death of at least one of my favourite characters – I enjoyed this from the first page to the last. Definitely recommended.