Among the first espionage thrillers and an acknowledged classic, The Thirty-Nine Steps well deserves its accolades as one of the best adventure stories of all time. Leaving aside the improbable denouement, the fast paced, brilliantly conceived narrative still excites and carries one along with the sheer suspense of the manhunt - a recurring theme in literature - and Hannay's struggle against the evil that is the 'Black Stone'.
May 1914: Europe is close to war and spies are everywhere. Richard Hannay has arrived back in London to begin a new life, when a spy called Scudder asks for help to uncover a German plot to murder the Greek prime minister in London and to steal British plans for the outbreak of war. He claims to be following a ring of German spies called the Black Stone. A few days later, Scudder is murdered. Hannay is forced to continue Scudder's work and is chased across Scotland both by police and German spies. The solution to the mysterious phrase 'Thirty-Nine Steps' is a thread that runs through the whole story.
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"I have an addiction to old movies and watch Turner Classic movies often. About a month ago I watched an old noir film named "The Thirty-Nine Steps" and enjoyed the acting, the old 30's black and white feel, but the story got a little convoluted at times. In looking it up on wone of the movie websites, I learned that it was the result of a book written in 1915 by John Buchan and with my ongoing luck found a copy at my local library bookstore. This book is short, but not a quick read. It should be named "The Great Escape" since the protagonist is chased all ove Great Britain by German spies that want him killed and by British authorities that believe him guilty of a murder. Now I understand why the movie was hard to keep up with. In any case, a delightful mystery-intrigue book that has a great deal of early 20th century language and a little brogue thrown in, but a fun and captivating novel."
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Chuck (4 out of 5 stars)