Title: Soldier of Fortune
Author: Edward Marston
Published by: Allison & Busby
Publication date: January 28, 2008 
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Source: Private Collection

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Blurb/Synposis

IT IS 1704 AND EUROPE IS AT WAR
\’Take this sword as you own and wear it with more honour than the man from whom you took it\’ With Lord Churchill\’s words ringing in his ears, the courageous young Captain Daniel Rawson embarks on a dangerous mission to lead his men into battle against the French enemy. He must succeed at all costs- the future of England is at stake. But Rawson is the target of the murderous General Salignac who will stop at nothing to see his adversary dead. As Rawson and his men march across the continent, he must keep one step ahead of Salignac\’s brigands and live to fight heroically at the Battle of Blenheim. The author of the bestselling Railway detective series triumphs with this stunning first book in the Captain Rawson series.

Review

How do I even write book reviews? I read this book ages ago, so some of my recollections might be a bit… fuzzy!

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Soldier of Fortune is the first in the \’Captain Rawson\’ series.
Every book, every hero, like this is always going to be compared to Richard Sharpe – But, Captain Daniel Rawson makes good attempts to show that not all British Military Heroes are cut from the same cloth; sure, he a womanising sleuth. Rather than a black-hearted anti-hero, Rawson is also a gentleman.

There are several layers to the plot of this book. A spy mission. Captain Daniel Rawson following Duke of Marlborough into battle, the woman infatuated with him follows on his heels getting them all in trouble with a cuckolded French General and the goons that obey his orders.

Unlike the Sharpe series, which is full of heroic sensationalism, this book falls into the territory of being \’a little bit daft.\’ Don\’t get me wrong, that\’s perfectly fine and this book was a good, enjoyable read. I\’m not going to say that this book was any form of literary genius, but it was a healthy dose of fun.

Alongside large-scale battles, we have personal dramas in the form of love interests crossing the span of Europe to be by the side of their beloved, assassination attempts by cuckolded husbands, duels and espionage.

There\’s a lot here to keep the plot and pace pushing forward and for the most part, it\’s a good read.

I did find Captain Daniel Rawson a little too good at pretty much everything, but that\’s the hazard of being a heroic character, I guess? Personally, I like it when characters fail as much as they win.

It\’s predictable, the dialogue is cheesy and some of the characters are a bit flat.
But I am sure as heck going to read the rest of the series when I get the time.

Summary

Just a good fun romp with a main character that\’s a bit \’too good\’ at everything. Enjoyable enough and a fairly short read, so nothing lost but a promising, entertaining series gained.