This is the fifth and last of the novels revolving around Richard Hannay, he of The 39 Steps fame and subsequent stories.
Some years earlier after a showdown in Africa he and his friend Lombard swear an oath to protect an associate's family. Now many years later they are called upon to honour the oath.
The story travels from Africa to England to Scotland finally ending reaching its climax on a Scandinavian island.
This has great descriptive backgrounds to all the locations with much local colour. The story itself is full of outlandish coincidences but you get that with the thriller genre, so you accept it and enjoy the story.
The book is of its time, meaning all the hero's are elites with the attitude and beliefs that were prevalent in 1936. This could be off putting to the young progressives who may pick this up but if you look past it you will have several hours of enjoyment.
A good read in the "stiff upper lip " tradition.
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