Paul Fraser Collard > Quotes

“It was time for the tried and tested method of entry employed by the British redcoats. He lifted his leg, aiming the heel of his boot at the space just above the lock, then took a deep breath and slammed his foot against the wood.”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Devil's Assassin

“He might have had as much right to be there as a maharajah’s bastard had to claim a throne, but he was determined to make good his ambition and once again secure the life he craved.”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Maharajah's General

“The situation suddenly felt absurd, and he had to control the urge to laugh out loud, the sheer folly of the midnight escapade catching up with him. He had imagined his career as an impostor ending in so many ways. Being caught sneezing halfway up a trellis whilst trying to burgle a fourth-rate hotel had not been one of them.”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Devil's Assassin

“The tower was battered, a relic of a distant past. Yet there was a dignity to it, a grace that belied the pockmarked walls and broken stone. It had endured through the centuries, its lonely vigil immune to the machinations of men. It was a symbol of what had been, and Jack shivered as an uneasy chill ran down his spine.”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Maharajah's General

“even”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Devil's Assassin: Battle of Khoosh-Ab, 1857

“disburse”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The True Soldier

“He had to deal where and when he could. If that meant supping with the devil, then all he could do was pass the port.”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Devil's Assassin

“With their men fully engaged digging the defences, the British officers had been granted permission to spend their time at leisure.”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Devil's Assassin: Battle of Khoosh-Ab, 1857

“He had believed the life of an officer was easy, full of undeserved privilege and comfort. He had not seen the responsibility that the officers carried constantly. Now he understood what it meant to lead men. Yet as heavy as that burden was, he would not surrender it for anything.”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Scarlet Thief

“Serve the Queen or go to bloody Botany Bay. That’s the choice they gave me. So here I am. You’re a charlatan and I’m a thief. Proud redcoats all.”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Scarlet Thief

“The redcoats enjoyed little in the way of comfort, earned a pittance and endured terrible hardships and ferocious discipline. Yet they faced it all with a stoicism that was scarcely credible. With their mates at their side they would go into battle with the same resolute spirit that they dealt with everything else the army threw at them.”
― Paul Fraser Collard, The Scarlet Thief