by John Buchan
First published 1915
Richard Hannay returns to London after years in South Africa, restless and bored with civilian life. A chance meeting with an American stranger changes everything when the man reveals an assassination plot with international implications. Days later, Hannay discovers a murder has taken place in his own flat. The police consider him an obvious suspect. The real killers see him as a loose end to eliminate. With both law enforcement and assassins hunting him, Hannay escapes to the Scottish countryside he knows from his youth. He must rely on his wits and courage to stay ahead of his pursuers while unraveling the conspiracy that has turned his quiet London existence into a deadly game of survival. The chase across the Scottish landscape becomes a test of ingenuity against increasingly desperate odds.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, fugitive
Setting: London, Scotland
Period: 20th-century
118 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books