Published in 1915, The Thirty-Nine Steps is John Buchan’s breakthrough novel and one of the most influential thrillers ever written — the story of Richard Hannay, a mining engineer newly returned to England who accidentally becomes embroiled in a German spy plot and is forced to flee across the Scottish moors with the police and enemy agents in pursuit. Buchan essentially invented the template for the modern chase thriller.
Hitchcock’s 1935 film adaptation spread its fame worldwide, but the novel is leaner and more tightly plotted than any screen version. Download this free EPUB from Better Gutenberg for the complete original text of this essential British thriller.