The Thirty-Nine Steps

by John Buchan Narrated by Jason Reed

Overview

"The Thirty-Nine Steps" by John Buchan is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story follows the main character, Richard Hannay, who becomes caught up in a thrilling conspiracy after a mysterious man named Franklin P. Scudder arrives at his flat. Scudder claims to be a hunted man with vital information that could alter the fate of Europe.

At the beginning of the book, we meet Richard Hannay, an expatriate who feels disillusioned with life in London after returning from South Africa. His dull existence is disrupted when he encounters Scudder, who believes he possesses knowledge that could prevent an imminent assassination plot against an important politician, Konstantine Karolides.

Scudder tells a bizarre tale of underground political maneuverings involving anarchists and conspirators, but he is brutally murdered in Hannay's apartment. This event thrusts Hannay into a desperate race for survival as he becomes a fugitive, seeking both refuge and the truth behind the assassination plot. This gripping opening sets the stage for an intense adventure filled with intrigue, danger, and espionage, leaving the reader eager to uncover what lies ahead for Hannay.

Editorial Reviews

AudioFile

Frederick Davidson’s voice is properly sardonic, and his supercilious British articulation is just right. The story’s extended chase scene inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s movie of the same name.”

Telegraph (London)

Buchan’s technique as a writer is simple enough and well displayed in The Thirty-Nine Steps. He understood that in a thriller…what matters above all is to keep the reader focused on what is going to happen next…It doesn’t matter that the reader has no clue where he is being taken or, when he gets there, how the thing happened as it did. All that matters is that once you’ve started, you can’t put the book down.”

author of A History of Warfare John Keegan

It is the dimension of the mysterious that makes Buchan’s writing so unfailingly compelling.”

An officer on the front in World War I

It is just the kind of fiction for here. One wants something to engross the attention without tiring the mind. The story is greatly appreciated in the midst of mud and rain and shells, and all that could make trench life depressing.”

From the Publisher

"Lethal, spare, clean and contemporary." —Guardian

Product Details

BN ID:	2940192870327
Publisher:	Carbon ink Audio
Publication date:	03/21/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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