I recently re-read Sharpe’s Command, a recent book from the Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell.
If any man can do the impossible it’s Richard Sharpe . . .
And the impossible is exactly what the formidable Major Sharpe is asked to do when he’s dispatched on an undercover mission behind enemy lines, deep in the Spanish countryside.
For a remote village is about to become the centre of a battle for the future of Europe. Sitting high above the Almaraz bridge, it is the last link between two French armies, one in the north and one in the south; if they meet, the British are doomed.
Only Sharpe’s small group of men – with their cunning and courage to rely on – stand in their way. But they’re rapidly outnumbered, enemies are hiding in plain sight, and time is running out . . .
I think Bernard Cornwell taking Sharpe back to the Peninsular War (rather than forward) was a really clever idea.
The story is classic Sharpe, and brings French forces, Spanish guerrillas, and British officers who think they know best. Really enjoyed it.