The Thirty-Nine Steps

How it reads

The Thirty-Nine Steps is thriller (spy thriller, specifically), and its dominant mood is adventurous. It's driven by momentum, discovery and getting into trouble. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in an international setting, in the historical past, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are survival, war and secrets. In weight it's light and escapist — easy to fall into.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. It's a short book. It's a mega-bestseller — the book everyone seems to have read.