Recruit by Paul Fraser Collard recounts the early life of roguish hero Jack Lark – dubbed ‘Sharpe meets the Talented Mr Ripley’- who will one day become The Scarlet Thief. This series is a must-read for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow. ‘An appealing and formidable hero’ – Sunday Express
Forced to leave London, young recruit Jack Lark is determined to make his way as a Redcoat. Despite the daily tirades of Sergeant Slater, a sadistic monster of a man who sees his new trainees as the scum of the earth, Jack holds on to his belief that the Army will give him a better life.
His comrades are a rough and ready bunch, and Jack falls in with Charlie Evans, a cheerful young clerk who quickly comes to regret joining up. But once you’ve taken the Queen’s Shilling, there is no way out: deserters always pay the highest price.
As Charlie schemes to escape, Jack, always a loyal friend, is forced into an impossible situation where the wrong move could leave him taking the long walk to the gallows…
From the author of THE SCARLET THIEF, THE MAHARAJAH’S GENERAL and THE DEVIL’S ASSASSIN, the second e-novella featuring teenage Jack Lark.
Forced to leave London, young recruit Jack Lark is determined to make his way as a Redcoat. Despite the daily tirades of Sergeant Slater, a sadistic monster of a man who sees his new trainees as the scum of the earth, Jack holds on to his belief that the Army will give him a better life.
His comrades are a rough and ready bunch, and Jack falls in with Charlie Evans, a cheerful young clerk who quickly comes to regret joining up. But once you’ve taken the Queen’s Shilling, there is no way out: deserters always pay the highest price.
As Charlie schemes to escape, Jack, always a loyal friend, is forced into an impossible situation where the wrong move could leave him taking the long walk to the gallows…
From the author of THE SCARLET THIEF, THE MAHARAJAH’S GENERAL and THE DEVIL’S ASSASSIN, the second e-novella featuring teenage Jack Lark.
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Reviews
Brilliant . . . I look forward to reading more of Jack Lark
Page-turning adventure, a hero with issues yet who's likable, and antagonists you will love to hate... It was hard to put down and a real pleasure to read
Savage, courageous, and clever
Jack Lark is an unforgettable new hero
Collard is a major new talent, who writes with a clear fast-paced tight prose. His imagination and attention to historical detail clearly put him among the top in his field