(Hercules Poirot comes to mind, albeit of a younger, more British, more rugged turn of style.)Īnd of course he has a manservant: not a butler exactly, a factotum perhaps. He lives in a flat in a new block behind Langham Place, a porter and a liftman at the entrance, but there was no restaurant or anything of that sort.

When he reads the newspapers it is to catch up on developments on the world political stage. Either way: now at the age of thirty seven and having made a modest 'pile' he is back in London – and heartily sick of it after only a few weeks.Ī quick character sketch shows us a man with brokers to deal with his investments, a club at which to dine when not being invited to make up the numbers or provide colonial colour at dinner with folk who are mere acquaintances and not pals. One minute it will be Bulawayo, the next South Africa. Scots-born, at the age of six he was taken by his father to Africa – Buchan is not always consistent in his mentions of the continent. Said hero, for those totally in the dark, is one Richard Hannay. Knowing what the thirty-nine steps are -and, no, it isn't a recovery programme for the hard-to-treat addicts - doesn't render the book pointless or unreadable, but certainly it's much more fun if you really can't remember and have to try to work it out all over again along with our hero. In this case that's all to the good, if you haven't read the book. The films, good, bad and indifferent, cloud the issue. Buchan wasn't averse to including the improbable in his tales of adventure, mystery and crime – but I'm fairly sure even he never envisaged Robert Powell hanging by his fingertips from the minute hand of the Palace at Westminster clock tower. The problem is that the story has been filmed many times and each time, in order to keep it fresh, to maintain the measure of suspense important to the success of the book, the screenwriters have felt the need to change the ending. Not all, there's always some-one who will know. But when you ask, Yes, but what ARE the 39 Steps? most people will falter. Most people will be able to tell you how it starts. Summary: The classic spy story of Richard Hannay’s attempt to avoid a charge of murder, foil a foreign plot and prevent a war is an unchallenging, but intelligent read.Īsk anyone about The Thrity-nine Steps and I guarantee they'll be able to tell you it's a spy story with Richard Hannay at its heart.

The 39 steps john buchan summary