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David McK (3425 KP) rated The Scarlet Thief (Jack Lark, #1) in Books

Jan 30, 2019  
TS
The Scarlet Thief (Jack Lark, #1)
Paul Fraser Collard | 2013
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
While I had heard (read) this described as 'the new Richard Sharpe', this is a novel that, if I'm honest, I was unsure of whether to purchase or not - those are some big boots to fill, after all, and I'd both read and later been disappointed in other books that made the same claim.

However, when I read the short prequel novella [b: Jack Lark: Rogue|23646134|Jack Lark Rogue|Paul Fraser Collard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424476493s/23646134.jpg|43253728], that was enough to convince me to start in on the series proper.

having now read this, it is very obvious where the template comes from, even down to the evil Sergeant Slater who is really Hakeswill in all but name. As the first in the series, however (even before said prequels), I am prepared to make allowances.

The novel actually starts with Jack Lark leading his troops to cross the Alma river (in the Crimea), before moving back to six months before to show the events that led up to this: events that see Lark (who is from the East End slums) deciding to impersonate his officer when said officer dies on the way to his new posting.

As for the battle of Alma itself: while it is one that I had heard of, it's not one that I am overly familiar with; not one as famous as (say) Waterloo or even the Battle of Balaclava that would later occur during the same war (the Crimean). As such, and interwoven in the latter part of the novel - I actually find the history just as interesting as the fiction.

I think I will be picking more of these up :)