US

It’s always said that the second book is the most difficult to write, and I can remember finding it very hard, which is a reason why I’ve never re-read Sharpe’s Gold either. I do remember a splendid scene with Sergeant Patrick Harper and a dungheap and that Sharpe meets the first of his wives while trying to rescue a great pile of Spanish gold. Watching the video is no help in reminding me what’s in the plot because the story on the TV programme bears absolutely no resemblance to the story in the book – weird.

The very first Sharpe book – and if you own an original hardback (of any of the first four or five books) with its dust jacket then take care of it – it’s valuable. I’ve never dared to re-read the book, but so far as I remember it tells the tale of the battle of Talavera and, of course, the plot concerns the need to capture a French ‘eagle’; the battle standard given by Napoleon to each of his fighting regiments.