“My lack of local knowledge might very well be my undoing”. Hannay is starting to struggle with hiding from his pursuers. Here Hannay who was seconds away from death he still managed to think clearly which created suspense. “I’ll take on your job for a bit and see the surveyor”. He spots a road worker and swaps role with him. He thinks of the time he changed roles with the milkman when he was trying to leave London and thinks he must do the same now. When Hannay spots his enemies in the hills of Scotland he begins to think clearly. This gave great suspense as I was faced with the idea that he might be killed at any time, and he would not be able to stop the political assassination that was about to happen. The plane that found him before finds Hannay and then he crashes the car and his nearly killed. Then follows an action packed section of the story.

“my friends at the inn had come to the understanding, and we were united in desiring to see more of me”. After Hannay is nearly caught by a policeman, I felt that he had no longer any who could help him, it was as if it was him against everyone. “The little man told me a pack of lies” I feel this created suspense because Hannay is now lost and if it wasn’t for Scudders notebook he would have to give himself in. “I pitched him a lovely yarn” Hannay had been told lies by Scudder when been told about his situation. Throughout the story Hannay fools the people he meets and causes suspense because I wonder if the people will believe his story. This shows that Hannay is now becoming scared and he could be found at any time. As Hannay is in a manhunt in Scotland is becoming scared, “Crouching low in the tunnels of the bog, I ran till the sweat blinded my eyes”.

I feel this continues the deception of Hannay trying to hide from the Police and it also adds to the suspense that he may be caught out at any time and wont be able to stop the political assassination that is about to happen.

As Hannay sets out to travel to Scotland his decides he must disguise his voice so that he wont be caught out, “in my broadest Scots”. I feel that the exact details of timing keeps the reader involved in the story as it creates a much stronger feeling of suspense and what will happen next.

Hannay way gives exact details of timing, “six thirty passed, then six forty” and “At one minute after the quarter to seven”. He does this by stealing the uniform of a milkman.

The 39 steps john buchan summary