Dear Bernard,

As someone who has bought every book and savored every sentence you have published, I always considered myself something of an authority on your work. However, I NEVER realized until today while perusing your website in detail that Sharpe’ s Eagle was the first one in the series you wrote. Being a very linear thinker myself I assumed that the characters were developed that way, more or less. But you started in the middle and hopped merrily about in both directions! How on earth does one do that? That only deepens my appreciation of your incredible work, which I would never have believed possible until today. What always amazed me up until now was your ability to use different writing styles unique to each series, each incredible in their own right. Thus, the Sharpe books, the Arthur books, the Starbuck Chronicles, etc., each seem to be the brilliant work of different authors. I know of no other writer who has ever accomplished that. You’re simply the best in the business for many distinct reasons. Thanks, and please keep the hits coming!

John Marshall Smith