Perhaps more than any other book The Thirty-Nine Steps has set the pattern for the story of the chase for a wanted man. And, of the many writers who have attempted this kind of thing since Buchan, only a very few, like Graham Greene, have managed to sustain the tension in the same way. The story's extended chase scene inspired Alfred Hitchcock's movie of the same name.
The Thirty-Nine Steps, Buchan's best-known thriller, introduces his most enduring hero, Richard Hannay—who, despite claiming to be an "ordinary fellow," is caught up in a dangerous race against a plot to devastate the British war effort.
It begins calmly enough with a rather boring trip to London. Returning to his flat, Richard is shocked to find his neighbor dead on the floor with a knife in his back. Near the deceased is a small black notebook containing cryptic notes about the "thirty-nine steps" and a black stone. As the situation escalates, Hannay is mistaken for a secret agent by the police. Now he must run for his life across the Scottish highlands, thinking his way through narrow escapes while trying to decode the thirty-nine steps.
With wit and flair, this old-fashioned roller coaster ride offers soaring suspense with a comic touch.
GenreGeneral Fiction, Action and Adventure, Christian & Inspirational
Length3 hrs 53 mins
Narrated byFrederick Davidson
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateSep 20, 2010
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1#1
6#6
2#2
7#7
3#3
8#8
4#4
9#9
5#5
10#10
About the author
John Buchan
John Buchan (1875–1940) was a Scottish diplomat, barrister, journalist, historian, poet, and novelist who wrote more than one hundred works. Of those published during his lifetime, he is best remembered for his adventure and spy stories, especially The Thirty-Nine Steps, which was made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock. During World War I, he worked as a war correspondent before joining the army, serving with the headquarters staff of the British Army in France. He was educated at Glasgow University and Brasenose College, Oxford. He became a barrister, member of Parliament, soldier, publisher, and governor general of Canada.View all by John Buchan
