Sharpe's Sword [Paperback]

‘Sharpe and his creator are national treasures.' Sunday Telegraph

'Bernard Cornwell is a literary miracle. Year after year, hail, rain, snow, war and political upheavals fail to prevent him from producing the most entertaining and readable historical novels of his generation.' Daily Mail

'Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched.' Observer
‘The best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive.’ George R.R. Martin

The bitter rivalry between Sharpe and the ruthless Frenchman Colonel Leroux is brought to life against the vivid canvas of the Peninsular War.

Richard Sharpe is once again at war. But this time his enemy is just one man – the ruthless Colonel Leroux. Sharpe’s mission is to safeguard El Mirador, a spy whose network of agents is vital to British victory.

Sharpe is forced into a new world of political and military intrigue. And in unfamiliar surroundings of aristocratic Spanish society, his only guide is La Marquesa – a woman with her own secrets to conceal…

Soldier, hero, rogue – Sharpe is the man you always want on your side. Born in poverty, he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. He knows no other family than the regiment of the 95th Rifles whose green jacket he proudly wears.

Colonel Leroux answered to no man save the Emperor. With exquisite delicacy he could skin a man alive in search of the secrets he held; a parole given in 'honour' was a means to an end. From the first moment Richard Sharpe came across the Frenchman he mistrusted him – and lusted after the sword Leroux had killed so many times with. But at each encounter the Colonel escaped Sharpe with almost contemptuous ease…

Bernard Cornwell mixes intrigue and passion, the heat of war and the cold hatred of enmity, with a sure hand, bringing the Peninsular War vividly, excitingly to life. An enthralling Sharpe adventure to delight the listener.

Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC TV for seven years, mostly as producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the Current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television’s Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States