The Thirty-Nine Steps

"Richard Hannay is, like his American brother Philip Marlowe, a modern knight errant. Charging through a hypocritical world, he is a seeker after truth with a boundless love of nature, a liking for simple pleasures and a hatred of pettiness and snobberies... Buchan's novels are eerily resonant with today's troubles... Hannay is a hero for all times" Observer "The book is even more fun than the films" Guardian "The father of the modern espionage adventure" Sunday Times "Buchan makes superb use of wild landscapes in this economical and gripping story" The Times "Go into a bookshop today, pick up The Thirty-Nine Steps and I guarantee you will read it to the end. There is random and graphic violence, there is clear and present evil, eyes that are hooded 'like a bird of prey' - and a man 'skewered to the floor by a long knife through his heart'" Daily Mail