John Buchan is a well-known Scottish author who wrote The Thirty-nine Steps while recuperating from an illness. The title of the book came from a flight of 39 steps found in this nursing home...
It is considered one of the first "shockers" - combining personal and political drama -, but I actually watched Hitchcock's film adaptation by the same name first: though not one of his best and memorable, it was adventurous enough to let 1.5 hours pass by. As I came across the book, though, I wanted to see whether the plot there would be "flat" compared to the film, or whether it would be just as thrilling...
