Contains: The Thirty-nine Steps -- Greenmantle -- Mr. Standfast -- The Three Hostages ( )

Four delightful spy thrillers, set and written around WW1. The pace is probably a bit slower than modern versions - I don't read many books like this. I am guessing that a lot of the details provided here are true to life. In Three Hostages there is a very detailed description of a Scottish river and the land around it. In Mr. Standfast, the description of a battle in France is similarly detailed.

There are lots of twists and turns here. They're page-turners for sure, but never repetitive. Lots of chasing around the countryside, but the reader gets a clear picture of the terrain. ( )