This book has as its background the English attack on Copenhagen in 1807. At the time, the English feared that the French, who had a no significant naval forces, were about to capture the Danish fleet. When the Danes refused to send the ships to England for safe-keeping, a decision was made to take it by force.

Like Sharpe's Triumph, this has the feel of Sharpe's character being levered into a historical story, and although Cornwell invents an interesting sub-plot of a traitor trying to fool both Danes and English, it doesn't succeed as a book as well as some of the other stories. However, it's still a good read, and one where we learn a bit more about Sharpe's childhood, as he revisits the orphanage where he was brought up.

Although a fair amount happens in the book, I don't think it was quite as action packed, in terms of battle scenes, as I'd have liked: when these do occur, the story is quite gripping, but there aren't enough to make it the helter-skelter ride of, e.g. Sharpe's Rifles.

Worth reading but not one of the better ones.

Completed : 22-May-2005 (audiobook, read by William Gaminara)