Hi Bernard. I’m a huge fan, and I’m in the midst of reading the Sharpe series (not the first time read, but the first time in chronological order). The timing of the release of Sharpe’s Fury is well timed, or I am, as I just finished Gold and am moving on to Escape. I’ve noticed a couple of anomalies, but you’ve been doing amazingly well, considering how much you jump back and forth in time.

My first question is – in Sharpe’s Rifles, a rifleman named Cooper dies while trying to rescue the mule during the ambush. Is this the same rifleman Cooper who appears in the movies, and later books? (Oh, that’s a Sharpie (trekkie equivalent) question, isn’t it? Sorry.)

My second question is regarding the Battle of Vimeiro. You refer to it several times in Eagle and Gold. I’m wondering if you will be covering that battle in the years to come? My curiosity is tweaked. Thanks, Tamara