Showing results by author "John Buchan" in All Categories

Richard Hannay thirsts for adventure. Down and out in early retirement in South London, Hannay bores of the easy life. When Franklin Scudder reveals a secret ploy to set all of Europe to arms, Hannay finds his cure. With experience, intelligence, and a good deal of luck, Richard Hannay peels the layers one step at a time. (Summary by Tom Haire)

What is sinister preacher John Laputa doing on a remote Scottish shore in the moonlight hours? Young David Crawfurd and his friends are lucky to escape with their lives when they disturb his rituals. Years later David travels to Africa and meets the minister again, this time in company with the evil Henriques.

A fascinating collection of short stories by great writers that examine aspects of the first world war, from action in the trenches, to the psychological impact of war on individuals and their relationships, to heroic adventure stories, to ghosts and war graves. A wonderful collection!

In the third Richard Hannay novel, the Brigadier-General finds himself pulled from the warfront to hunt down a German agent whilst undercover as a conscientious objector.

FNH Audio presents an unabridged reading of The Thirty-Nine Steps. In May 1914 Richard Hannay finds himself caught up in an international intrigue that has the sole objective of starting a world wide war. Hannay's enemies have committed murder and set Hannay up to take the fall. Now he's on the run from the secretive Black Stone and the police, yet he's the only one who can save England!

Sir Richard Hannay introduces this last adventure involving his old friends.

John Blenkiron discovers that a ruthless industrialist is plotting to destabilise America and cause global turmoil. Although Bavarian born, Castor plans to dominate the world from Olifa, a small country in Latin America. Hannay realises he is now too old for the job of thwarting these evil designs and enlists the aid of his old friend Sandy Arbuthnot, now Lord Clanroyden.

Mr. Standfast by John Buchan is the third novel in his Richard Hannay series, set during World War I. Hannay, a British intelligence officer, is tasked with uncovering a German spy network operating in Britain. Disguised as a pacifist, he infiltrates radical groups and embarks on a perilous journey across England, France, and Switzerland. Along the way, he encounters the enigmatic Mary Lamington, who becomes both his ally and romantic interest. The story culminates in a high-stakes confrontation in the Alps. Combining espionage, adventure, and patriotism, Buchan explores themes of loyalty, ...

May 1914: Europe is on the brink of war. London is riddled with spies. Richard Hannay has just returned from Rhosesia, and intends to begin a new, quiet, sedentary life. But a shady man named Franklin Scudder calls on him for help. Scudder is a freelance spy who has just uncovered a German plot to murder the Greek Premier, thus forcing Europe into war. He is the only man living to have penetrated into the ring of German spies who call themselves the Black Stone. Scudder tells Hannay all he knows. The next day, Scudder is murdered in Hannay's apartment.

Richard Hannay is an ordinary man caught in extraordinary circumstances. A bored expatriate returning to London, he finds his life upended when a mysterious American stumbles into his flat with a terrifying secret—a secret so dangerous that men are willing to kill for it. When the man is murdered, Hannay becomes the prime suspect, forcing him to flee for his life. Pursued by both the police and a shadowy network of spies, he races across the rugged landscapes of Scotland, deciphering cryptic clues and dodging deadly enemies.

One of the most original and best adventure stories ever told, with spies, thrilling chase scenes, and explosions. With an introduction by Stella Rimington. May 1914. Britain is on the eve of war with Germany. Richard Hannay is living a quiet life in London, but after a chance encounter with a...

Four haunting classics, filled with mystery and suspense, abridged especially for young listeners: Frankenstein, The 39 Steps, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Introduce your children to four much-loved spooky stories. These...

Colonel John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (1875 - 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian and politician. He is best known for his mystery and ghost stories.The Wind in the Portico is a strange tale of a visit by a classical scholar, Nightingale, to an odd castle set in a park in Shropshire where a rare manuscript is housed.

Diplomacy by other means may, at times, sound heroic. A fight for principles and ideals carried out by young men armed to the teeth and directed by older men in pursuit of their own version of glory for themselves and their Nations. Right will triumph over wrong. But war can be an illusion, stirred up by schemers and opportunists to take something from other nations that may or may not be right. As blood and limb are sacrificed the true cost is seen but often set to one side as the dispute becomes embedded in emotions and reason falls away.

FNH Audio presents an unabridged reading of Greenmantle. Richard Hanney, hero of The Thirty-Nine Steps, returns in this exciting wartime sequel. Once again Hanney steps forward when his country needs him. Pulled out of the front line he finds himself thrown into adventure and mystery behind enemy lines. The mystery of the Greenmantle secret weapon needs to be solved and dealt with before it brings ruin to the Allied cause.

Among the first espionage thrillers and an acknowledged classic, The Thirty-Nine Steps well deserves its accolades as one of the best adventure stories of all time. Leaving aside the improbable denouement, the fast paced, brilliantly conceived narrative still excites and carries one along with the sheer suspense of the manhunt - a recurring theme in literature - and Hannay’s struggle against the evil that is the ‘Black Stone'.

Perhaps more than any other book The Thirty-Nine Steps has set the pattern for the story of the chase for a wanted man. And, of the many writers who have attempted this kind of thing since Buchan, only a very few, like Graham Greene, have managed to sustain the tension in the same way. The story's extended chase scene inspired Alfred Hitchcock's movie of the same name.

The Three Hostages is a thrilling blend of espionage and mystery, featuring the resourceful Richard Hannay. When three children from prominent families are kidnapped, Hannay is called upon to unravel a complex web of deception, crime, and danger. Racing against time and facing formidable enemies, he must uncover the truth before it’s too late. Packed with intrigue and action, this novel is a gripping installment in John Buchan’s iconic spy series.

Richard Hannay finds a corpse in his flat, and becomes involved in a plot by 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 by Alfred Hitchcock became a screen classic.

Many hybrid forms of the mystery-crime-thriller genre exists. All of them are narratives that keep one in suspense about what is about to happen. The thriller also shares a literary lineage with ancient epic and myth populated by monsters, terror and danger. Alexandre Dumas, Alfred Hitchcock, and Robert Ludlum are some of the masters of the genre.

The Thirty-Nine Steps is an adventure novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. It first appeared as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine in August and September 1915 before being published in book form in October that year by William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh. It is the first of the five novels featuring Richard Hannay, an all-action hero with a stiff upper lip and a miraculous knack for getting himself out of tricky situations.