Written in 1936, this is a lovely story about rich males who seem able to drop their jobs / business dealings to support the son of a friend who is being threatened by unscrupulous types.
Richard Hannay and Sandy Clanroyden have both featured in other stories by John Buchan. Here they’re helping a friend called Lombard who is trying to ensure the son of a deceased friend called Haraldsen from Scandinavia stays out of the hands of some swindlers. These people want money from Haraldsen because of an ‘agreement’ Haraldsen’s father had with men called Barralty, Troth, and Albinus. These three aren’t really criminal types but they’re joined by D’Ingraville, Martel, and Carreras who definitely are.
The action zooms along from the Cotswolds, to the Scottish Borders, and eventually to the fictional Island of Sheep in the Norlands which seems to be part of Denmark. Here the denouement occurs and not all the characters survive.
There’s plenty of hunting, shooting, and especially fishing talk. Hannay’s son Peter John and Haraldsen’s daughter Anna are central to the plot and eventually become firm friends in a brother and sister type of relationship.
Julian Worker Fiction Writing 