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

I have read the Sharpe series twice. Cornell and What's are my two favorite authors. Thankfully they have a lot of workd.

As someone who enjoys well written historical fiction I discovered Bernard Cornwell and his Sharpe series back when the first title, “Sharpe’s Gold” was published in 1981 and read every single novel, ending with “Sharpe’s Fury” in 2006. At that point it appeared that after 21 adventures Cornwell had run out of ideas and that Sharpe was retired from service while the prolific Cornwell wrote many other books on different time periods with new characters. It came as a surprise when in 2021 Sharpe was resurrected with a new mission set right after the battle of Waterloo and Napoleon’s defeat which is the plot for “Sharpe’s Assassin”. This story centers on LtCol Sharpe being detailed to assist a civilian named Fox travel ahead of the army to Paris to help him reclaim looted artwork and restore it to the rightful owners (sort of like a solo of the ‘Monuments Men’ who performed a similar task after WWII). There is also a second assignment; rooting out a secret group known as La Fraternite’ that plans to assassinate Wellington and other high profile targets as they come to Paris. Sharpe accompanied by his old retired sidekick Sergeant Major Pat Harper and some of his men proceed to the city and tackle various threats and obstacles to complete their mission. If you’ve read past novels in this series then Cornwell’s formula will be familiar to you. There is less action in this tale because the war is essentially over which isn’t the best environment for Sharpe and Harper because it allows for more introspection. Sharpe is burned out and just wants to retire with his aristocratic French wife to their lands in Normandy and Harper who is with Sharpe out of loyalty just wants to go back home to Ireland. We know this because it is repeated with a tiresome degree of frequency. Even more fatiguing is Cornwell’s insistence on rehashing the Sharpe origin story over and over again, at least seven time or more; Sharpe was born in the gutter to a prostitute, raised in a foundling home, killed a man and joined the army to avoid the noose, was unjustly flogged for an offense he didn’t commit, raised through the ranks to an officer’s commission, etc. I can see revisiting Sharpe’s past early on in case a reader unfamiliar with the character’s legacy picks this book up on a whim but constantly bringing it up again and again is ridiculous. You’ll also grow weary of listening to Harper going on and on about good old Ireland, we get it, Erin Go Bragh! Cornwell also has developed the annoying habit of repeating the same word multiple times on the same page; “idiot”, “bugger”, and “madness” being three examples. The author also has his heroes engage in episodes of over-the-top behavior that felt inconsistent with what I remember from the past stories. Sharpe indulges in some pretty extreme acts for a guy who is ready to be done with war such as executing the commander of a French fortress prison with a guillotine or shooting a would be assassin in the back after telling the man he could go free and to run away. The major who had Sharpe flogged back in his enlisted days is back and now under Sharpe’s authority; Sharpe threatens to flog Major Morris multiple times throughout the book for a variety of reasons. It’s not just Sharpe who goes off the rails; Harper’s always been a brute but in one scene in a French restaurant Harper is mocked by a fellow Irishman at another table. Harper responds by going over and seizing the offender by the head, prying open his mouth and spitting into it! Really; what the heck was that? Overall I was kind of disappointed with “Sharpe’s Assassin” and felt that Bernard Cornwell should have quit while he was ahead. Sharpe was by far his best creation; I’ve tried reading a couple of the Starbuck Chronicles and one of his so-called Sailing Thrillers and they weren’t for me. Hopefully the author doesn’t sully Sharpe’s memory with another appearance and we can take comfort in the idea of him and Lucille living out their years peacefully in Normandy.

As ever historically very informative. You could certainly pass your Military History finals by reading the Sharp books.I always hope Wellington was as humane person as he is portrayed

I have been a Sharpes fan since the begining , being a senior us Army officer, I would always encourage my junior officers to read the books, all of which I've read at least twice. Mr cornwell has a unique gift of giving the taste smell and viseral feel of what it feels liKe to be in battle in all of his books, which I have loved. I had hoped when I thought he was done with the series several years ago that some day he would revise the series. This book did not disappoint and hope its the beginning of a whole new Sharpe series. A must read for any fan

I, unfortunately, read the next book before this one but, as with all these books, was not disappointed.I am sorry my journey with Sharpe and Harper is over but it has awakened a desire to learn more of the Napoleonic Wars.And I can (and probably will) read them again!!

Love the sharpe novels and this one too . A bit of Richard Sharpe ethos is in many of our modern soldiers. The lovable loyal Patrick Harper could be a 21st century drill instructor ..

Misters Cornwell and Sharpe seem incapable of disappointing. I can’t wait to see who Richard next commands. Thank you for yet another great read.

This was my first Sharpe book and I loved it. Very fast moving and historical stuff thrown in. I would love to read others in the series, but alas they are not on Kindle Unlimited.

I saw this band many years ago, and were a firm favourite for a while. Faithfully, I listened to everything they ever did. Their band members are slowly diminishing, and are now totally dependent upon their two lead frontmen; Sharpe and Harper, who seem to be playing most of the instruments, but occasionally we were reminded of the old days, when we heard Hagman, who left the band permanently on the last album, and who used to whistle a good tune in the background.Most of the memorable hits were played; ballads like Token Female Interests and Male Bonding Moments, and rocky numbers like Swordplay of a Guttersnipe, Withering Canister Fire and Onwards They March. There was even time for variations on two old favourites, Death to the Drummerboy and Revenge on a Bully but.... in truth they all felt like they should have retired a number of years ago - as they had, until their management persuaded them to come back out for this reunion tour.Will they be persuaded to play a final farewell gig ?, I don't know, I probably will go to see them, but it won't be the same as the good old days when they were younger, vibrant, and were the best band in town for there was no one like them about at the time.This song felt just like it could have been played by any other band in the market, the only difference was it was performed by this famous touring band, and no one can play their tunes like them. I therefore fondly remember them for who they were and the pleasure they once gave.However, I intend to give The Starbucks a listen, for I understand they have the same management and play a similar tune.

As others have said, it has been a long time since the last Sharpe book was published, and the last two before this one seemed unnecessary and not Cornwells best work. Sharpe's Assassin, in contrast, is a brilliant book and a definite return to the usual high standard we've come to expect of him.It starts the day after Waterloo, has an early battle before moving on to the shadowy world of spies (combining two excellent and well used plot points from the series) before the final climatic battle. Not only that all the surviving familiar faces are there and even some from Sharpes past too. It really does have something for every Sharpe fan.It seemed to have more humour than the other books and Cornwell has got the relationships between Sharpe his companions (yes, I am including Wellington in this) to perfection. I do have two minor criticisms, one that it seemed slightly on the shorter side and that the middle third dragged ever so slightly.However, these are only very minor points in a book that both manages to conclude the series well (if this is to be a the final book written) but also leaves the door just ajar enough for more adventures. Truly superb!

When I preordered the book it was for the special edition signed copy. However I received the general copy as this was a birthday gift for my husband who is a big Bernard Cornwall fan to say I was disappointed was an understatement.

I don't think there is a "bad" Sharpe novel, they rank between "great" and "good". This installment was "good". There wasn't as much action as some but there was a poignancy to this novel, a feeling that although Sharpe's Devil is next chronologically, Sharpe's Assassin was the end to the tales of Richard Sharpe. An enjoyable read, I devoured it over 24 hours.******* a minor spoiler (maybe)I would say that there were a few glaring inconsistencies that irked me as I read it. At the end of Sharpe's Waterloo Harry Price is made Major, yet here - a day later - he's Captain again with no explanation. And where was Lt. Simon Doggett (later Captain)? Completely absent as if he was a figment of everyone's imagination. It felt as if Cornwell hadn't actually reread Waterloo before embarking on this story.

Now Uhtred’s journey has ended Cornwell makes a welcome return to Sharpe for the first time in about 15 years. This one happens immediately after Sharpe’s Waterloo and some years before the final novel Sharpe’s Devil and nicely finishes his career with the British army with one final mission for Wellington.It will be interesting to see what BC does next, Uhtred done, Sharpe (I imagine) the same, will he start some new series now he is a septuagenarian? If you do look at the Amazon reviews Mr Cornwell any chance of going back to Starbuck and finishing his story?