June Group Read- The 39 Steps

This is the discussion group for June's read of The 39 Steps by John Buchan. Published in 1915, it's the classic tale of English espionage.
This is a slim book, with my edition running to 138 pages.
If it's okay with everyone, how about we break it up into two parts, with a discussion of the first 70 pages around June 14th, and the rest of the book near the end of the month.

Sounds good to me - I read this last month and it was a pretty quick read. Looking forward to seeing what others think of it.

And looking forward to your input, Stacy! I'm only maybe 30 pages in, but it's sucked me in from the beginning.

Hmm, I have a big TBR stack for this month already, but I would love to join in if possible! My library does have a copy, so I probably won't be able to resist. :)

I hope you're able to join. It's pretty much non-stop action, which I didn't expect from a book that's 100 years old.

Just stopping in to mention that I always assumed that this was a very English tale, and it does start out in London. But our hero is a Scot who was raised in South Africa. I'm only 40 pages in, but that does factor in a bit.
Also ***spoiler***
Scudder's ability to procure and maim a corpse is so casual. His quick mention of it is very effective in telling the life he leads.

I just finished it. Buchan set out to write a piece of genre fiction and that's exactly what he did. Ticks off all the ingredients necessary at the time. I thought it was decent, but not outstanding. It's far too black-and-white for modern tastes.

I also thought it was decent, but not great. I liked all the action and the various people he came across during his escape.
***spoiler***What struck me as dated was the way he trusted everyone he met and immediately blabbed his whole story to anyone who would listen. Which led to the obvious, but I still would say that I liked the story.
And now I realize how much Masterpiece Theatre messed with the story for their 2010 production, with adding in a young woman who goes on the run with Hanney for the romance. But it did star Rupert Penry-Jones, and that's a good thing.

>8 mstrust: Yum!

Exactly! And he really was perfect for the part.

Just started this, and I'm enjoying it so far (aside from the blatant anti-Semitism…). But it's shaping up to be a fun thriller, and I'm hoping to finish it today!