First published 2012
Portugal, 1810. Napoleon sends his largest army yet to crush the Portuguese and drive the British into the sea. Captain Richard Sharpe commands the Light Company as Wellington strips the countryside bare, denying the French any sustenance. Sharpe's troubles multiply when an incompetent British officer seizes his command through family connections. Worse enemies emerge in two Portuguese brothers: Major Ferreira and his brutal sibling Ferragus, who plan to profit from French occupation. When Sharpe disrupts their scheme, Ferragus swears deadly revenge. The giant-like Portuguese criminal sets a trap to destroy Sharpe and his men as Coimbra burns around them. Sharpe must engineer a desperate escape while Ferragus pursues them toward Lisbon, where Wellington has prepared his own snare for the invaders. Under British guns, Sharpe reunites with his battered company for a final confrontation with enemies who have sworn to kill him.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, action, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Portugal, Coimbra, Lisbon
Period: 1810
432 pages · Paperback · Harper
Content warnings: violence