The 39 Steps by John Buchan (1915)

Unlike The Riddle of the Sands (the 1903 spy novel I reviewed earlier this month), the 1915 spy novel The 39 Steps reads like a modern book. Its language is direct and uncomplicated; the action is non-stop; it abounds in improbable coincidences and derring-do and narrow escapes which are often implausible; its hero is larger than life and clever beyond belief. It comes as no surprise to learn that Buchan was an influence for Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond spy thrillers. And like Fleming, Buchan is great fun to read.

The story begins when an American journalist-turned-spy confides in the Englishman Richard Hannay before being murdered by persons unknown in Hannay's apartment. Hannay goes on the run, both from the police who he assumes will blame him for the murder and from the foreign government agents who he believes committed the murder. The rest of the novel is a fast moving account of one narrow escape after another, ending as one would expect.

This is not a book to be taken seriously, unlike The Riddle of the Sands. It is light entertainment, pure and simple. I was surprised to find out that the highly regarded British newspaper The Guardian included it in their list of 100 Best English Language Novels. Perhaps they gave it a place because of the stylistic influence it has had on later espionage fiction.