Graham concludes the enormously popular Poldark saga with an epic adventure revolving around Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815. When Ross Poldark undertakes a government assignment to assess the strength of Bonapartist sentiment in Bourbon, France, he and his beloved wife, Demelza, are swept into a giddy Parisian social whirl, belying the ominous threat of war. Meanwhile, young Jeremy Poldark, a lieutenant in the British army, and his bride enjoy a carefree honeymoon in Brussels. As fate and fortune conspire to reunite the Poldarks on the bloodiest of battlefields, life among their familiar band of friends and relatives in Cornwall continues to amuse and intrigue. Devoted fans will not be disappointed in this fond adieu to one of historical fiction's most endearing and enduring couples. A smashing finale to a heroic series. ~--Margaret Flanagan

In this, the last novel in the popular English Poldark series, the Cornish family--home and abroad--suffer abrupt changes of fortune in the year 1815, when Napoleon returns from Elba to march on Paris. Ross Poldark, a brand-new baronet, is now on assignment in Paris to snoop out, for the Crown, varieties and degrees of sentiment in high Parisian places as to the future French leadership and direction. Demelza, his wife, is along with toddler Henry and teen-aged Bella, enjoying the balls and the unsought but satisfying male attention. But then the news comes that Bonaparte is on the march. Ross (at one point a prisoner of a sadistic anti-Bourbon villain) and Demelza (accompanying a spy and another traveller with the crown jewels) escape by various routes. Meanwhile, son Jeremy, whose coach robbery (The Miller's Dance, 1983) haunts Demelza, is in Brussels with pregnant wife Cuby; and in Cornwall daughter Clowance learns a shocking bit about reckless husband Stephen's past. By the close, there are two deaths, births, and an amusing comeuppance to an old enemy. And there's a view of the terrible battle and carnage of Waterleo. With flights and cliff-edge rescues, pretty indoor appointments, and Cornwall vistas, and with all the loose ends finally tied up, this isa must for the series' followers--although a newcomer can also easily plunge in. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In this 11th and concluding novel of the Poldark saga--a bestseller in England--Graham once again follows the fortunes of the Cornwall family. Series readers will not be surprised at the the centrality here of Ross Poldark and his wife, Demelza, who have matured from youthful emotional turbulence to become people of substance. His American war experience behind him, Ross is now a titled MP, called to England's secret service on the Continent during the Napoleonic wars. The Poldark children are also involved in the war, with tragic consequences. Old feuds and frustrated romances shadow the domestic scene, as Ross undertakes the role of patriarch, reflecting on the three decades that have elapsed since his meeting in 1783 with the incomparable Demelza. With customary grace, Graham handles a busy story, deftly conveying a stormy period in England and France while managing to provide helpful recaps of prior Poldark history. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved