The Three Hostages

It is some time after the First World War, and spy-catcher Richard Hannay is now married to his sweetheart Mary Lamington and living peacefully in the Cotswolds. When the kidnapping of three young children interrupts his quiet, rural life, Hannay finds himself on the trail of Dominick Medina, a cultivated and academic con man who charms everyone he meets. With a few lines of verse and the help of his friend, Dr. Tom Greenslade, Hannay must catch Medina and reveal the villain's involvement in an international plot to corrupt young minds using hypnotism and blackmail.

Revisiting the memorable characters from The Thirty-Nine Steps, The Three Hostages is the fourth of five Richard Hannay novels written by John Buchan. The Thirty-Nine Steps and its four sequels established Buchan as an original thriller writer, and a pioneer of espionage fiction.