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The Last of the Light Brigade
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Decades after the Charge of the Light Brigade, publisher and philanthropist T. H. Roberts finds an impoverished cavalry veteran in a Liverpool workhouse. The man claims to be Jack ‘Butcher Jack’ Vahey of the 17th Lancers, a survivor whose military record says he died during the Indian Rebellion. Contradictions in his testimony draw Roberts into an investigation of Balaclava, the Crimea and the fate of soldiers discarded after their service.
The inquiry uncovers a story of Russian espionage, concealed identities and former Light Brigade survivors being hunted in old age. As Vahey’s memories move between the Crimean War, India, America and Victorian Britain, Roberts must decide which parts of the veteran’s account are confession, trauma or deliberate deception. The novel combines military history with a murder mystery centred on guilt, loyalty and the possibility of redemption.
Historical periods
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