The Prisoner of Zenda

The hugely successful romantic adventure story which continues to thrill a century after it was written. It has all the classic ingredients - a twisting plot of betrayal and deception, love interest, great swashbuckling action and a most beguiling villain in Rupert of Hentzau, who captured the publics imagination and had them begging the author for a sequel. Rudolph Rassendyll visits Ruritania, with whose Royal Family he has a connection because of a scandalous sexual indiscretion in the past. When the heir apparent is kidnapped, Rudolph by virtue of his physical similarity to the new ruler, is plunged into a sequence of events in which he is crowned, then must rescue "The Prisoner of Zenda" in order to continue the royal line and pay court to the Princess Flavia - the latter task coming very easy to him as he falls deeply in love A terrific, original tale much imitated by succeeding authors - but never bettered. Great entertainment and part of literary history!