Pop Quiz: As Richard Hannay runs for his life through the hills and dales of England, he is running because he is (a) a murderer, (b) a car thief, (c) a liar and identity-stealing impostor, or (d) a misunderstood patriot trying to help his country. You'll find evidence for many of these options in John Buchan's thrilling novel The Thirty-Nine Steps as you encounter a vast international conspiracy intent on starting World War I, intrigue, assassination, and the verdant English countryside that is home to both loyal citizens and scurrilous spies alike. The Thirty-Nine Steps is a gripping read, a book that will leave you ready for more adventures with its intrepid hero, Richard Hannay.
I'll be the first to admit that I am happiest when I've got a routine. I abhor surprises, and I tend to get twitchy when I'm not sure where I'm going or what to expect when I get there. Charles Unwin, protagonist of Jedediah Berry's remarkable debut novel The Manual of Detection, is a man after my own heart. When he is suddenly plucked from his quiet, methodical, happy life of clerking for the most famous detective in the city and actually made a detective himself, Unwin becomes a man on a mission: Get life back to normal, and pronto. On his quest, he finds out that all is not as it seems: The cases his missing detective got credit for were solved incorrectly, he doesn't know who to trust, and his narcoleptic assistant isn't much help. As the mystery deepens (Why are all the alarm clocks being stolen? Who is the woman with the mirror-gray eyes who keeps turning up everywhere? Why won't it stop raining?) you'll be drawn inexorably into its complex and shocking conclusion.
Judging a book by its cover can be dangerous business, but The Manual of Detection is a serendipitous instance where image and product are equally remarkable. When Charles Unwin is promoted from Clerk to Detective, we, the readers, are whisked along on the handlebars of his bicycle with little explanation and only the standard issue Manual of Detection as a guide. From the first line, we are enveloped in a world where details may be clues, clues may be red herrings, and red herrings may be the most important of all. This book is a fantastically imagined dream to be read over and over again. So come along for the ride.
