Robin M. (robinmy) -
Scotsman Richard Hannay has returned to Scotland after many years making his fortune as a mining engineer in South Africa. He makes the acquaintance of an American who warns him about some spies in the area. A few days later, Hannay returns to his apartment to find the American has been murdered. Hannah escapes with his life and goes on the run to England.
This is a classic spy thriller set in 1915, right before WWI. I enjoyed parts of this story; but found other parts slow. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
This is a classic spy thriller set in 1915, right before WWI. I enjoyed parts of this story; but found other parts slow. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
Robert J. (ygrec23) reviewed The Thirty-Nine Steps (Dover Thrift Editions) on + 25 more book reviews
One of the first and best thrillers ever written. The story of a South African in Britain some time before the beginning of WWI. He mistakenly runs into a gang of German spies and then runs from them, all over the UK, before, of course, he wins out.
Dana G. (cincinnatiyankee) reviewed The Thirty-Nine Steps (Dover Thrift Editions) on + 42 more book reviews
This short 1915 British novel became the prototype for the spy thriller, and I enjoyed it. The 88-page story moves quickly, and the reader is tossed into the middle of the mystery and left to discover what's going on along with the main character. The author achieves this without needing to use the "adult" language and situations modern thriller authors seem to prefer, making the book appropriate for grown-ups and teens alike. (Teachers may want to add this book to a curriculum studying World War I, as the fictional events in this story lead up to the start of the war.)
