Major Sharpe should be fighting the French -- but his worst enemies are in England. . . Major Richard Sharpe's men were in mortal danger -- not from the French, but from the bureaucrats of Whitehall. Unless reinforcements could be brought from England, the depleted South Essex would be disbanded, their troops scattered throughout the army. Determined not to see his regiment die, Sharpe returns to England and uncovers a nest of well-bred, high-ranking traitors, any one of whom could utterly destroy his career with a word, or a stroke of the pen. Sharpe is forced into the most desperate gamble of his life -- and not even the influence of the Prince Regent may be enough to save him. . .

"Apart from the rousing battle scenes, the author is as his best in evoking a long-gone era through clever detail."--The New York Times Book Review A corrupt political enemy is determined to disband the South Essex Regiment -- and to destroy Major Richard Sharpe. Sharpe returns to England and discovers an illegal recruiting ring that sells soldiers like cattle to other divisions. The ringleaders know Sharpe is on their trail, and they try to kill him at every turn. But Sharpe is fighting for his command, and as he moves from the dark slums of London to the highest courts of political power, Sharpe will risk charges of treason and death for a final chance at revenge. "A ripping yarn."--The Washington Post "Consistently exciting . . . these are wonderful novels."--Stephen King

Richard Sharpe returns to England to save the regiment.

The first book in Bernard Cornwell's epic Sharpe series, which completely transports the reader to an unforgettable time and place in history. At Talavera in July of 1809, Captain Richard Sharpe, bold, professional, and ruthless, prepares to lead his men against the armies of Napoleon into what will be the bloodiest battle of the war. Sharpe has earned his captaincy, but there are others, such as the foppish Lieutenant Gibbons and his uncle, Colonel Henry Simmerson, who have bought their commissions despite their incompetence. After their cowardly loss of the regiment's colors, their resentment toward the upstart Sharpe turns to treachery, and Sharpe must battle his way through sword fights and bloody warfare to redeem the honor of his regiment by capturing the most valued prize in the French Army—a golden Imperial Eagle, the standard touched by the hand of Napoleon himself.

“Apart from the rousing battle scenes, the author is at his best, evoking a long-gone era through clever detail.”—The New York Times Book Review A corrupt political enemy is determined to disband the South Essex Regiment – and to destroy Major Richard Sharpe. Sharpe returns to England and discovers an illegal recruiting ring that sells soldiers like cattle to other divisions. The ringleaders know Sharpe is on their trail, and they try to kill him at every turn. But Sharpe is fighting for his command, and as he moves from the dark slums of London on the highest courts of political power, Sharpe will risk charges of treason and death for a final chance at revenge. “A ripping yarn.”—The Washington Post “Consistently exciting . . . these are wonderful novels.”—Stephen King