What a loss. I was an avid fan of the Fraser's Flashman series. Flashie was a lech, a bounder, a cad, and most other defects that men have from time to time. He was in every important historical event and engagement over the last half of the 19th Century. He was highly decorated for bravery. Most of the time he was trying to escape from the fight or running for his life. As luck would have it, when Flashie was trying to weasel out, the fact that he was running as fast as he could resulted sometimes in leading the charge and he would be covered with glory.
If you like anti-heroes, then Flashman is your man. Give some of them a read. There were even a flick or two based on a Flashman novel, and Fraser also contributed movie scripts.
His history of the English-Scots Border and its reivers, The Steel Bonnets (1971) is a must read for you historians of that area and era. He also contributed other works of fiction and notn-fiction that are worthy of recommendation.
