Another reliable read from Cornwell
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Having developed an attachment to Sharpe, I was somewhat hesitant about Rider Sandman at the beginning of Cornwell's foray into 1820s Britain, but despite claims of the author's basic characterisation, I soon found myself rooting for him. This is a sympathy encouraged by Cornwell's not so subtle comments on the injustices of the age, but the world is so involving that these references only seem questionable in hindsight. The twists and turns of the criminal plot provide a refreshing take on the Sharpe model, and although the novel is not greatly thought provoking, it certainly kept me flying through page after page.
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Typically Solid Historical Entertainment
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Those familiar with Cornwell's many historical series will get more or less what they expect from this latest effort: a plot-driven story featuring a rugged, likable hero who must use his wits and skill at arms to defeat dastardly villains, all spiced with a bit of romance and plenty of period detail. Set in 1817, following the defeat of Napoleon, we meet Captain Rider Sandman, late of the 52nd Foot Regiment. His father's massive fraud and subsequent suicide have forced Sandman to sell his commission in order to maintain his mother and sister in at least semi-respectable style. Meanwhile, Sandman is forced to lodge in a shabby room above a "flash" London tavern, hoping to find some kind of respectable work while he ekes out a living as a professional cricket player.
A friend recommends him to the Home Secretary, who offers Sandman short-term prospects as a special investigator. He is to investigate an appeal from a "death row" inmate, a portrait painter convicted of the rape and murder of a Countess. He is expected to rubber-stamp the conviction by eliciting a confession from the petitioner, but those who know Cornwell's work won't be surprised when Sandman instead believes the painter's protestations of innocence and sets out to reinvestigate the murder. Soon, his poking and prodding places him in conflict with powerful and wealthy interests, and things become increasingly perilous as he races against time to find the real culprit and prove the painter's innocence.
It's a serviceable enough mystery, and Cornwell's command of the era enables him to bring Regency-era society vividly to life with. There is some nice detail on "flash" (underworld) slang, the ineptitude of the legal system, the horror of capital punishment by hanging, and even cricket (there's not nearly as much cricket in the book as some reviewers insinuate, it's really a very minor element). Like most of Cornwell's books, it's all about plot and period; the characters aren't particularly complex, and there are perhaps a coincidence or two too many to help Sandman along. Still, it's a lively, easy-to-read, historical entertainment which leaves plenty of setup for further Rider Sandman adventures.
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steady as she goes
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Formulaic and a tiny bit predictable. None-the-less cornwall knows how to write an interesting and exciting page-turner. An excellent holiday book.
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Not a bad read
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This is the first Bernard Cornwell novel I've read.
This book was set during the 1800's when the government fears an uprising amongst it's people due to their being high unemployment. So they tried to control people by giving the gallows as punishment for all crimes. I don't want to say too much about the story as I don't believe in spoiling things for others.
During the course of the book we meet some interesting characters both male and female. It's set in gentlemens clubs and taverns were we meet all kinds of people; haughty aristocrats, fashionable painters with their mistresses and professional cut-throat.
Personally I wasn't too impressed and at times I found it a little boring, I have read better books but I've also read a lot worse.
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Dependable historical yarn
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As with Starbuck and Truslow in Bernard Cornwell's American Civil War books, the hero and sidekick of this story are Sharpe and Harper by different names. However Cornwell knows how to write an engaging yarn and surrounds his heroes with a wonderfully quirky range of supporting characters. Interesting plot and a classic against-the-clock ending holds the reader's attention.
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