Super Short Summary

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan, published in 1915, follows Richard Hannay, a mining engineer recently returned to London, who becomes embroiled in a spy plot after his neighbor, Franklin P. Scudder, shares information about an impending assassination and espionage plans. Scudder is subsequently murdered, leading Hannay on a dangerous journey across Scotland to decode the mystery involving an espionage group called the Black Stone and something referred to as "39 steps."