The ThirtyNine Steps, John Buchan
The ThirtyNine Steps, John Buchan
List: $14.95 | Sale: $10.47
Club: $7.47

The Thirty-Nine Steps

Author: John Buchan

Narrator: John Rayburn

Unabridged: 4 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/10/2021


Synopsis

It would be easy to call it a case of naïveté on the part of Richard Hannay, but there was much more to the story. He had just returned to London after living in Rhodesia so he wasn’t fully versed in the intrigue going on in England. That wasn’t much of a reason for Hannay allowing a man he met to live in his flat. However, that’s what he did, even though Franklin Scudder claimed to be a spy with involvement in an anarchist plot to assassinate the Greek premier. Hannay got into a major problem when Scudder was found murdered in the apartment.The victim left behind a codebook containing the phrase, “the thirty-nine steps,” an apparent message indicating the possible planned escape by the conspirators if they were successful in the assassination plot. Although innocent, Hannay was harassed by authorities and had an extremely difficult time before he was finally cleared after explaining his lack of involvement to the Foreign Office. He was extremely convincing and wound up, not only being cleared, but commissioned a captain in the English military.The spy group was extremely angry and Hannay became a “man on the run.” He fortunately evaded several close calls that could have ended with his death. All this was at a time when England had just entered into the international intrigue days of WWI. You can now hear the thrilling tale of a private citizen who managed to put his country’s interests before his personal safety. This is Hannay’s story.

About John Buchan

John Buchan (1875 - 1940) was a talented author who specialized in adventure novels. Having served as the Governor-General of Canada, he has over fifty books to his name.

About John Rayburn

John Rayburn is a veteran of sixty-two years in broadcasting. He served as a news/sports anchor and show host, and his TV newscast achieved the largest Share of Audience figures of any major-market TV newscast in the nation. John is a member of a Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rowan on October 28, 2023

I enjoyed both the 1935 and 1959 film adaptations, so figured it was time to finally read this classic from 1915! The Thirty-Nine Steps follows Richard Hannay who is bored with life, and soon finds himself framed for murder and involved in a complex assassination plot. He goes on the run and seems to......more

Goodreads review by Bobby on November 10, 2022

Scotsman John Buchan’s fabulous The Thirty-Nine Steps is rightly considered a seminal classic in the Adventure/Spy genre, and it is for good reason it was on The Guardian’s Best 100 English Novels list at #42. This exciting tale of espionage defined the man-on-the-run tale in breathless fashion, and......more

Goodreads review by Georgia on February 17, 2023

What Hitchcock does with this novel is what Italy did for ground meat by inventing lasagna. The meat is here - a race against time and up to Scotland and back - but it might, if you love the Robert Donat film, think it needs . . . something. Salt? Pepper? A blonde? Perhaps a scene where the hero han......more

Goodreads review by Fabian on November 24, 2020

Run-of-the-mill outmoded thriller. With conventions that pile on & on like wretched clichés, "The 39 Steps" is somewhat thrilling, somewhat entertaining. A sure predecessor to "The Fugitive," it has our main man running from the law while hiding and acting the parts of the British "lower" classes. T......more

Goodreads review by Jon on February 16, 2025

The classic (and I believe first) 'a secret society is after me and no one will believe me' story line - reminded me of a kind of proto-James Bond novel. You are really invested in the situation; if things continue on the way they are going there will be a war...a war that will 'ripple' out and cove......more