BOOK REVIEW: ‘Sharpe’s Assassin: Richard Sharpe and the Occupation of Paris, 1815’

OPINION:

Like the many other Richard Sharpe fans, I was pleased to see that Bernard Cornwell has once again brought the Napoleonic era British soldier back to life in his latest historical novel, “Sharpe’s Assassin: Richard Sharpe and the Occupation of Paris, 1815.”

Last seen in 2006’s “Sharpe’s Fury,” the former London street urchin turned soldier — a rogue on our side, as Mr. Cornwell has described him — has risen up from the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel under the Duke of Wellington. In “Sharpe’s Assassin,” Wellington has defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, and the British and their allies are occupying Paris. Mr. Sharpe, who is told he has the devil’s own luck, is assigned to rescue a British spy and engage a group of Frenchmen who seek to assassinate Wellington. The leader of the Frenchmen is Colonel Lanier, a capable and fierce officer known as “le Monstre.” 

I reached out to Bernard Cornwell and asked him why he has returned to writing about Richard Sharpe.

“I think it was nostalgia! I’ve always been very fond of Sharpe, and even though I had finished the series and seen him safely through Waterloo, he never left my thoughts,” Bernard Cornwell said. “I used to say I’d return to him when I retired, so maybe that’s what I’ve done? I’m certainly old enough! But really, I long wanted to pick his story up again, and last year, having finished the Saxon tales of ‘The Last Kingdom,’ seemed an ideal time.”

How would you describe the novel?

“The way I describe all my novels — an adventure story! But one based on real events. History does provide a dramatic setting for a novelist, and the occupation of a defeated enemy’s capital city is plainly dramatic and dangerous, but the adventure story is, of course, fictional.”

How would you describe Richard Sharpe? 

“Grumpy! He’s not unusual in being an officer who has been promoted from the ranks; by 1815, some 15% of British officers had come from the ranks, but he is unusual in being a very talented soldier and a very effective fighter,” Mr. Cornwell explained. “A formidable man who has never quite lost the resentment of being an outsider — not born to the officer class — and who constantly believes he has something to prove. It’s as if he had been picked #199 in the NFL draft and knows he’s better than that.”

Is the post-Waterloo France that you describe in the novel historically accurate?

“As accurate as I could make it. France was tired of the war and had lost too many men to Napoleon’s ambitions, yet at the same time, they were naturally resentful of the foreign armies occupying their country. The insistence of the allies that the European treasures stolen by Napoleon and stored in the Louvre, renamed the Musee Napoleon, were restored to their rightful owners sparked a lot of resentment — and the ladders used to take down the canvasses were rented from the owner of a traveling monkey show!”

Were there, in fact, French assassins who attempted to murder the Duke of Wellington? 

“I know of two. One was an attempt by a disaffected follower of Napoleon called Cantillon, who fired a shot at the Duke — and missed. He was captured and imprisoned. Napoleon, in his will, left Cantillon 10,000 francs — though whether it was ever paid, I don’t know,” Mr. Cornwell said. “The bequest was thought to be a very poor gesture. Another attempt was made to set fire to the house Wellington was using in Paris — the cellar was stuffed with gunpowder and combustibles, but the fire was discovered and smothered before any great damage was done. The present American embassy in Paris is built on the site of that house. Both attempts took place much later than depicted in the novel, but I compressed the time for fictional purposes.”

Do you plan to write another Sharpe novel?

“I do. Probably filling in gaps during the Peninsular War.”

Is there a chance that Sean Bean will once again appear as Sharpe in another TV series? 

“I wish! But I suspect it’s very unlikely — which is regrettable. I do know Sean enjoyed playing Sharpe, but I have a suspicion that he might be getting a little long in the tooth? I’d love to see him back, he was truly the perfect Sharpe, but we all grow old!”

“Sharpe’s Assassin” is a well-written, suspenseful and fascinating historical thriller featuring a popular and compelling fictional character — Richard Sharpe.   

• Paul Davis’ “On Crime” column covers true crime, crime fiction and thrillers.

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Sharpe’s Assassin: Richard Sharpe and the Occupation of Paris, 1815
By Bernard Cornwell
Harper/HarperCollins, $27.99, Pages 336