The Three Hostages
John Buchan
The Three Hostages by John Buchan is a fast-moving espionage thriller featuring Richard Hannay, the hero of *The Thirty-Nine Steps*. First published in 1924, it is the fourth novel in Buchan’s Richard Hannay series and takes place after the First World War. Hannay has settled into a peaceful family life when he is asked to help solve a disturbing international mystery. Three young people from prominent families have been kidnapped by members of a powerful criminal organization, and conventional police investigations have failed to locate them. The only clues include a strange cryptic verse pointing toward apparently unrelated places and images. Hannay’s investigation gradually draws him into a dangerous world of secret societies, psychological manipulation, hypnotism, disguised identities, and a formidable adversary named Dominick Medina. What begins as a rescue mission develops into an intense contest of intelligence and nerve, taking Hannay from England to Norwa