Richard Hannay finds a corpse in his flat, and becomes involved in a plot aby spies to precipitate war and subvert British naval power. The resourceful victim of a manhunt, he is pursued by both the police and the ruthless conspirators.The Thirty-Nine Steps is a seminal?chase? thriller, rapid and vivid.
It has been widely influential and frequently dramatised: the film directed żeby Alfred Hitchcock became a screen classic. This engaging novel also provides insights into the inter-action of patriotism, fear and prejudice.