I’ve been revisiting my old friend Richard Sharpe during the recent cold snap and just spent an hour online trying to find out more about Nancy Merrick who took 37 minutes to die when hanged in Madras, as mentioned by that wretched Capt. Torrance in Sharpe’s Fortress. Can you shed a bit of light as to why she was hanged? Or is it all made up?

I was introduced to your novels by my mother, who died in 1986, missing out on so many of your more recent novels. My favorites are Sharpe and Uhtred but they all read well. What I enjoy most is that they are just as enjoyable a read the 4th and 5th time around as when I 1st bought them.
Katie McDonald