This sixth packet of memoirs from the notorious Georgian rogue Thomas Flashman covers the extraordinary events that culminated in a battle just south of Brussels, near a place called Waterloo.

The first six months of 1815 were a pivotal time in European history. As a result, countless books have been written by men who were there and by those who studied it afterwards. But despite this wealth of material, there are still many unanswered questions including:

• Why did the man who promised to bring Napoleon back in an iron cage, instead join his old commander?
• Why was Wellington so convinced that the French would not attack when they did?
• Why was the French emperor ill during the height of the battle, leaving its management to the hot-headed Marshal Ney?
• What possessed Ney to launch a huge and disastrous cavalry charge in the middle of the battle?
• Why did the British Head of Intelligence always walk with a limp after the conflict?

The answer to all these questions in full or in part can be summed up in one word: Flashman.

This extraordinary tale is aligned with other historical accounts of the Waterloo campaign and reveals how Flashman’s attempt to embrace the quiet diplomatic life backfires spectacularly. The memoir provides a unique insight into how Napoleon returned to power, the treachery and intrigues around his hundred-day rule and how ultimately he was robbed of victory. It includes the return of old friends and enemies from both sides of the conflict and is a fitting climax to Thomas Flashman’s Napoleonic adventures.