''The Three Hostages'' is the fourth of five
Richard Hannay
Major-General Sir Richard Hannay, KCB, OBE, DSO, is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist John Buchan and further made popular by the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film '' The 39 Steps'' (and other later film adaptations), very loosely b ...
novels by the Scottish author
John Buchan
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
As a ...
, first published in July 1924 by
, London.
Hannay had previously appeared in ''
The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1915), his most famous adventure, and in two books about his activities during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, ''
Greenmantle
''Greenmantle'' is the second of five novels by John Buchan featuring the character Richard Hannay. It was first published in 1916 by Hodder & Stoughton, London. It is one of two Hannay novels set during the First World War, the other being ...
'' (1916) and ''
Mr Standfast'' (1919). The last novel in this series of five novels is ''
The Island of Sheep.'' ''Three Hostages'' is set sometime after the war. Hannay has married Mary Lamington (who featured in ''
Mr Standfast'') and the couple have settled down to live in rural tranquility in the
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...
with their young son Peter John.
Plot
Dr Greenslade discusses with his friend
Richard Hannay
Major-General Sir Richard Hannay, KCB, OBE, DSO, is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist John Buchan and further made popular by the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film '' The 39 Steps'' (and other later film adaptations), very loosely b ...
the power of the
subconscious
In psychology, the subconscious is the part of the mind that is not currently of focal awareness. The term was already popularized in the early 20th century in areas ranging from psychology, religion and spirituality. The concept was heavily popu ...
, and the ills of post-war society.
Hannay is asked to help recover three hostages seized by associates of a criminal gang that aims to control people's disturbed and disordered minds in the aftermath of the
Great War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. They are Adela Victor, daughter of a wealthy American banker and fiancée to Hannay's wartime companion the Marquis de la Tour du Pin ('Turpin'); Lord Mercot, an undergraduate; and Davie Warcliffe, a schoolboy.
Hannay and Greenslade puzzle over a cryptic poem sent by the kidnappers which refers to a blind woman spinning, a Norwegian barn, and "the Fields of
Eden". Greenslade says he has heard of the first two before, though he cannot recall where. When Hannay discovers that the last expression comes from a
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
, Greenslade remembers a man named Dominick Medina who had talked of these things and who had hummed the tune. He had also mentioned a
curiosity shop
''Curiosity Shop'' is an American preschool children's educational television program produced by ABC. The show was executive produced by Chuck Jones, sponsored by the Kellogg's cereal company and created as a commercial rival to the public te ...
, which may relate to the Fields.
Medina impresses Hannay, but his old friend
Sandy Arbuthnot is suspicious. When Hannay is invited to Medina's home, Medina attempts
hypnotism
Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...
, but Hannay manages to resist. Feeling ill the next day he visits a Dr Newhover, a name suggested by Medina, and is referred to a
masseuse
Massage is the rubbing or kneading of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet, or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pa ...
named Madame Breda, in whose house he sees a strange-looking young girl named Gerda. He is again hypnotised, and resists. Sandy departs saying that he needs to continue his own researches in Europe.
Hannay visits a dance club with his friend
Archie Roylance
Sir Archibald Roylance was a fictional character created by John Buchan. He appeared in many Buchan novels, never as the protagonist. He was a good friend of Richard Hannay and Edward Leithen
Sir Edward Leithen is a fictional character in severa ...
and sees a beautiful young dancer with dead eyes who appears to be under the control of a man he recognises as Medina's butler.
Medina introduces Hannay to his mother, a blind, frightening old woman. She also attempts to hypnotise him, and he pretends to succumb, acting out a variety of demeaning tasks. Hannay is present when Medina meets with Kharama, an Indian who emanates ruthless power and whom Medina addresses as 'master'.
Learning that Newhover plans to visit Norway, Hannay tells Medina that he is ill and needs a week's bed rest at home. Medina agrees, enabling Hannay to slip away and follow Newhover to a secluded Norwegian farm where Lord Mercot is being held. Hannay insists that Mercot must remain there a little longer to avoid tipping off the gang and risking the lives of the other hostages. Archie flies Hannay back to England in a private plane.
In an old book, Hannay finds mention of a London pleasure-resort known as "the Fields of Eden". Where it had once stood he finds an antique shop. Exploring by night, he discovers a room overlooking the dance club he had visited earlier. He watches a hideously-dressed couple dancing, and is shocked to recognise Turpin and his own wife, Mary. Later, Mary explains that she and Turpin have been working for Sandy, and that they have found Turpin's fiancée, Adela: she is the dead eyed dancer.
Hannay moves in with Medina. Turpin is kidnapped and held in the same house as his fiancée. Mary disguises herself as a
district visitor and befriends the maid at Madame Breda's house.
The police swoop simultaneously in several countries: conspirators are arrested and the located hostages released. Medina refuses Hannay's offer of immunity in return for the still-missing Davie Warcliffe – even when Kharama enters and reveals himself to be a disguised Sandy who has been holding Turpin and Adela at Medina's request. Mary enters with Gerda from Madame Breda's – now revealed to be Davie. Full of wrath, she threatens to disfigure the vain Medina; he capitulates and restores the boy's mind.
Davie is returned to his father, Lord Mercot resumes his studies, and Adela and Turpin marry.
Some months later, Sandy warns Hannay that Medina is seeking revenge, and Hannay heads to a remote
deerstalking lodge in the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...
. Medina follows. The men stalk each other through the Highland
crag
Crag may refer to:
* Crag (climbing), a cliff or group of cliffs, in any location, which is or may be suitable for climbing
* Crag (dice game), a dice game played with three dice
* Crag, Arizona, US
* Crag, West Virginia, US
* Crag and tail, a ...
s, with Hannay eventually gaining an upper position. Medina attempts to climb up, and gets dangerously stuck. Hannay lowers a lifeline, but the rope breaks and Medina falls to his death. Hannay collapses, exhausted, and is rescued by Mary the next morning.
Principal characters
*
Sir Richard Hannay, retired soldier, intelligence agent, and former mining engineer
*Mary, his wife, also a former intelligence agent
*
Sandy Arbuthnot, old friend of Hannay
*
Sir Archie Roylance, a friend of Hannay
*
Sir Walter Bullivant, a senior officer in the intelligence service
*MacGillivray, Bullivant's right-hand man
*Dr Tom Greenslade, well-travelled local doctor
*Adela Victor, daughter of a wealthy American banker
*The Marquis de la Tour du Pin, Adela's fiancé, an old friend of Hannay
*Lord Mercot, an Oxford undergraduate
*David Warcliff, a ten-year-old schoolboy
*Dominick Medina, a gifted and popular society man, poet and politician
*His mother, a blind and frightening old lady
*Dr Newhover, a medical man
*Madame Breda, a masseuse
*Kharama, an Eastern mystic
*Herr Gaudian, a German engineer
Film, TV, radio or theatrical adaptations
In 1952, a six-part series ''
The Three Hostages'' with
Patrick Barr
Patrick David Barr (13 February 1908 – 29 August 1985) was an English actor. In his career spanning over half a century, he appeared in about 144 films and television series.
Biography
Born in Akola, British India in 1908, Barr was educat ...
playing Richard Hannay was broadcast by the BBC.
1977 TV adaptation
The novel was adapted for television by the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
in 1977. Written by
John Prebble and directed by
Clive Donner
Clive Stanley Donner (21 January 1926 – 6 September 2010) Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Clive Donner ''The Guardian'', 7 September 2010 was a British film director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as '' The Caretaker'', ...
, the 85-minute television film ''
The Three Hostages'' starred
Barry Foster as Hannay,
Diana Quick
Diana Marilyn Quick (born 23 November 1946) is an English actress.
Early life and family background
Quick was born on 23 November 1946 in London, England. She grew up in Dartford, Kent, the third of four children. Her father was Leonard Quic ...
as Mary, Alexander Mackay as Hannay's son Peter John,
Peter Blythe
Peter Blythe (14 September 1934 – 27 June 2004) was an English character actor, probably best known as Samuel "Soapy Sam" Ballard in ''Rumpole of the Bailey''.
Early life
Born in Yorkshire, Blythe studied drama on scholarship at the Roya ...
as Sandy Arbuthnot and
John Castle as Medina. It was shown in the United States by
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
.
The film was one in a series of British thrillers set between the wars produced by
Mark Shivas
Mark Shivas (24 April 1938 – 11 October 2008) was a British television producer, film producer and executive.
Early life
Shivas was born in Banstead in Surrey. His father was an English teacher; his mother was a librarian. He attended Whi ...
. Others included ''
Rogue Male''
[Television: An Interview with Mark Shivas
Hodgson, Clive. London Magazine18.1 (1 April 1978): 68.] and
''She Fell Among Thieves''.
2003 radio adaptation
The story was also adapted for radio by
Bert Coules
Bert Coules is an English writer, mainly for the BBC, who has produced a number of dramatisations and original works. He works mainly in radio drama but also writes for TV and the stage.
Early years
Bert Coules worked in radio drama for ten year ...
for
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
as a two-part drama starring
David Robb
David Robb (born 23 August 1947) is a Scottish actor.
Early life
Robb was born in Wandsworth, London, the son of David Robb and Elsie Tilley. He grew up in Edinburgh and was educated there at the Royal High School, where he played Henry II i ...
as Hannay and
Clive Merrison
Clive Merrison (born 15 September 1945) is a Welsh actor of film, television, stage and radio. He is best known for his long running BBC Radio portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, having played the part in all 64 episodes of the 1989–1998 series o ...
as
Sir Walter Bullivant, first broadcast in September 2003.
References
External links
*
*
The Three HostagesHTML
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It defines the content and structure of web content. It is often assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets ( ...
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...
from 'Project Gutenberg Australia'
*
A review of the bookfrom the John Buchan Society
with details of published editions and links to used copies
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Hostages, The
1924 British novels
British novels adapted into films
British novels adapted into television shows
Hodder & Stoughton books
Novels by John Buchan
Scottish thriller novels