Publisher's Synopsis
After the battle of Inkerman on 5 November 1854 the British Army faces a terrible winter. Provisions and clothing for the troops are hopelessly inadequate. In this grim season Sergeant "Fancy Jack" Crossman and his troop are billeted at Kadikoi village near Balaclava harbour - their official instructions are to blow up the magazine in the Russian Star Fort. But it transpires that Crossman's true, and infinitely more complex, mission is to spy on a British general suspected of corruption, and to bring about his downfall. Set against a bleak backdrop it is only the sheer grit and determination of Crossman and his men that allows them to survive against all odds in the field.
