As one of the characters in this book exclaims when the protagonist recounts his adventure, "...It's all pure Rider Haggard and Conan Doyle!"
Indeed Scottish writer John Buchan's thriller deserves a place at the table with the giants of early 20th century adventure classics.
The story follows Richard Hannay, a jack of all trades recently returned to London from South Africa, as he get caught up in a German plot to steal British military secrets on the eve of World War I. Hannay is very much like the literary Dr. Watson and at many times the story felt like something that would happen if Sherlock wasn't around to deduce them out of danger, and Watson instead had to punch, run, or shoot his way out.
A fun read (minus a sprinkling of anti-semitism) that I happened upon while perusing the free book shelf at the Iwakuni BOQ.