Book Review: The 39 Steps by John Buchan

The 39 Steps. John Buchan.  William Blackwood & Sons (2004) (First published 1915). 100 pages. Genre: Mystery, Classic.

First Line:  "I returned from the City about three o'clock on that May afternoon pretty well disgusted with life."

Summary:  Richard Hannay is thoroughly bored with his life in London.  He has been back for three months after having been in South Africa.  He has decided he will give it one more day and if nothing exciting happens, nothing to give him purpose or interest, he will head back to South Africa.  

As he is returning to his apartment after dinner, a neighbor approaches him and asks if he can come inside.  The man seems very agitated, which makes Hannay reluctant at first.  However, he invites him in.  He has quite a story to tell about an assassination plot he discovered accidentally against someone high up in politics.  Hannay lets the man stay.  

Hannay finds the man murdered in his apartment one day when returning home.  He now realizes the man wasn't making the story up.  He also realizes that he is the next target.  

My thoughts:  I enjoyed John Buchan's writing style.  It was straight-forward and easy to understand.  Although, at times, I was a little lost as to what was happening when he was on the run.  

Richard Hannay was always just a few steps ahead of those pursuing him and was never sure exactly who they were.  This makes for a suspenseful story.  He meets several people along the way.  Some he can trust, others he can't.  It was always a relief when he would trust someone and tell them his story.

Each of the characters he meets is well-drawn and often humorous in some way.  The chapter titles help summarize the characters.  For example:  The Adventures of The Literary Innkeeper; The Adventure of the Spectacled Roadman; or The Dry-Fly Fisherman.  

The author called this type of story a "shocker".  We know it as a thriller.  Whatever you call it, I recommend this classic to anyone looking for a quick, entertaining read.