Gripping historical adventure, not for the faint of heart.
Series hero Richard Sharpe fights in Britain’s 1813 invasion of southern France.
Major Sharpe is a fictional rifleman who has risen from the ranks and gained the respect of his commanding generals, even when he disobeys them. A brutal and intelligent fighter, he is an expert at “slaughtering Crapauds.” Indeed, his clothes and boots come from dead French soldiers. To cross into France from Portugal, British engineers must construct a pontoon bridge across the River Nive without alerting the enemy, and Sharpe is ordered to eliminate the picquets, or sentries, on the other side—and “get to the guns and butcher the bastards.” Lord Wellington also brings in the British Navy, building up to the climactic clash that becomes known as the Battle of Saint-Pierre, said to be one of the most brutal of the war. And Sharpe is in the thick of the maelstrom, hacking away with gusto at the blue-coated columns even while one of the two British commanders orders his troops to retreat. That is Sir Nathaniel Peacock, a real historical lieutenant colonel described as a mountebank, a popinjay, and a poltroon. He is the antithesis of men who rise by merit, and his cowardice could lead to defeat by the forces of French Marshal Soult. But there is a lot to be afraid of, with thousands of men meeting their maker in mists of blood and screaming for their mothers. And Major Richard Sharpe? He is in his element, doing “the one thing he knew he was good at.” In fact, he dreads the prospect of eventual peace and a return to civilian life with his wife, Jane, having no skills that won’t land him in prison or the gallows. But he needn’t worry about peace any time soon, because Waterloo awaits. This 24th Sharpe yarn captures a down-and-dirty view of the Napoleonic Wars.
Gripping historical adventure, not for the faint of heart.Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780063219434
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
