John Buchan, a Scot, wrote the adventure book The Thirty-Nine Steps.
Richard Hannay, a mining engineer who had previously worked in Rhodesia, returns to London in 1914. Franklin P. Scudder, a neighbor, claims to be investigating a group of German spies known as the Black Stone who are attempting to steal Britain's naval defense blueprints in preparation for war. Hannay leaves his flat while it is being watched, feeling as though he now has to thwart the plan. He poses as the milkman. Hannay boards an eastbound train but deviates from the path by getting off between stops. He ultimately comes upon an inn and convinces the proprietor to let him remain the night.
Fortunately, when on the moor, he comes upon a road mechanic who is severely intoxicated. The grateful employee is sent home for the day when Hannay offers to take over for him. Unfortunately, it turns out that person is Hannay's lethal foe and the head of the spy ring. Unexpectedly, he gets a call from London informing him that Karolides has been killed. The next morning, when Hannay and Sir Walter return to London, they clear his record with Scotland Yard, which then releases him.
John Buchan (1st Baron Tweedsmuir) was a Scottish author, historian, and Unionist politician who lived from 26 August 1875 to 11 February 1940. Buchan was chosen by King George V to succeed the Earl of Bessborough as Governor General of Canada in 1935. He held the position until his passing in 1940. He blended his successful writing career as a thriller, historical fiction, historian, and biographer with a concurrent career in public service. He was Canada's governor general at the time of his death.Buchan received his education at Oxford and Glasgow Universities. He had a brief legal career before moving to South Africa in 1902, where he helped in the nation's post-Boer War reconstruction. In his writing, he frequently returns to his love of South Africa. Buchan served as the British Government's Director of Information during World War One. He produced a 24 book history of the conflict, which was eventually abridged. He also produced several excellent action books, such as Richard Hannay's spy-catching exploits. Dickson McCunn and Edward Leithen are two further notable characters developed by Buchan.
