G’day Mr Cornwell. I’m not usually one to write letters or emails such as this, but I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for the many, many hours of reading pleasure, your writing has given me. Your books, in particular, the Sharpe series, have accompanied me on several operational deployments with the Australian Defence Force, and although they are now somewhat dog-eared, they sit patiently on my bookshelf, ready for the next one. Whilst I certainly could NOT say that Richard Sharpe makes a good role model for my fellow soldiers, I find the spirit of adventure and determination you have created with your characters a most admirable trait. I await Sharpe’s next march eagerly. regards Dale McGrath PS-Patrick Harper’s decendants could very well be Australian however…