Before You Begin

Before you begin.

Richard Hannay has been back in London only a few months when a stranger brings a dangerous secret to his rooms. A murder soon turns Hannay from a restless visitor into a hunted man, carrying a warning that reaches far beyond the city.

John Buchan’s 1915 thriller follows Hannay north through Scotland and onward to the Kent coast. Its momentum comes from quick disguises, close escapes and the ordinary details that can become clues when a fugitive has nowhere safe to stop.

This edition follows the novel’s ten chapters. Its illustrated scenes and recaps unlock at the chapter they belong to, so you can read straight through and discover each plate when you reach its moment.