Lacking Natural Simplicity

Sharpe's Escape, by Bernard Cornwell; HarperCollins, USA, 2004. This volume of Sharpe's adventures takes place during the Bussaco campaign in Portugal in 1810, starting at Bussaco, visiting Coimbra, and ending along the Lines of Torres Vedras, near the Tagus River. While it maintains the formula (another incompetent British officer to plague Sharpe, another vicious enemy, another woman) the main characters remain engaging and the historical background fascinating. I enjoyed the homage to C.S. Forester. Overall, it was another good episode in the Sharpe saga.