Sharpe’s Assassin: Richard Sharpe and the Occupation of Paris, 1815

Last seen in 2007’s Sharpe’s Fury, the indestructible Richard Sharpe has one more battle to fight in bestseller Cornwell’s rousing 24th novel featuring the English rifleman. Born in the gutter to a London prostitute, Sharpe has risen in the ranks through his bravery and now, as a lieutenant colonel, leads a battalion headed for Paris after Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. His benefactor, the Duke of Wellington, has a mission for him in the city—to rescue a British spy who’s keen on returning the artwork the French have looted from the rest of Europe to its rightful owners. He must also track down a rumored faction of Frenchmen determined to continue resistance and contend with a cowardly English major who flogged him for no reason years before when he was an ordinary soldier. Banter between Sharpe and his Irish sidekick, Sgt. Patrick Harper, adds some welcome humor. The action builds to a high-stakes sword fight between Sharpe and a French officer that’s resolved in an unexpected and satisfying way. Series fans will be pleased to see Sharpe retire from the army on a high note. (Dec.)