I always find myself wondering, at the start of a Flashman book, what powerful women he will manage to seduce and how many euphemisms he will employ to describe the act.

A self-described coward, Flashman often experiences that moment of exhilaration when he's cheated death yet again and one or more of his comrades wasn't so lucky.

The egomaniacs that are always looking to wrap Harry Flashman up into a web of intrigue are scary, dangerous and amusingly quirky, and they almost always have flaws that make it easier for him to escape.

A special highlight this time was the chance meeting, in a prison cell where he was thrown by Russians bent on invading Afghanistan and India, between Flashman and two tribal leaders who demonstrated true courage and a sense of humor.