John Buchan: Thirty Nine Steps (Paperback, 1967, Pan Books Ltd)
Paperback, 144 pages
Published Sept. 22, 1967 by Pan Books Ltd.
Richard Hannay has just returned to England after years in South Africa and is thoroughly bored with his life in London. But then a murder is committed in his flat, just days after a chance encounter with an American who had told him about an assassination plot which could have dire international consequences. An obvious suspect for the police and an easy target for the killers, Hannay goes on the run in his native Scotland where he will need all his courage and ingenuity to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.
Fast-paced wartime adventure that's also a fast read. It's only 138 pages long. Our stiff upper lipped hero, Richard Hannay, outwits an international ring of spies and murderers and dastardly foreigners in a very English adventure story. Very much a novel of its time, some of the attitudes are so dated now as to be laughable but, in a way, that adds to the charm of the story. A great escapist read for a rainy afternoon!
