This is my least favorite of the series. There was little character development of the Sharpe sibling, Gabriel. While he worked through guilt for his best friend's death, you really didn't get much of a sense of his epiphany or it was not nearly as well earned as his other siblings. His trauma is just not well fleshed out. Another thing that was hard to swallow is Virginia's change of heart. It wasn't earned either. She really was angry for seven years believing Gabriel was responsible for her brother's death. It's too long nursing a grudge to become understanding or seeing what Gabriel was really feeling or the trauma he nurses.The character most well developed in this story though we don't see much of him is General Issac Waverly, Virigina's grandfather. He nurses his anger and bitterness towards Gabriel in a believable manner which in contrast makes Virigina's attitudes seem more contrived. His interactions with Gabriel and with Gran are also far more engaging than main characters.
The book is okay. It fills in some blanks regarding the double murder of the parental units but the focus is on the mystery surrounding the events that led up to the race that ultimately claimed Roger Waverly's life.