The Thirty-Nine Steps - John Buchan - Bog

After working as a mining engineer in southern Africa, Richard Hannay is in London and at a loose end. When a man is killed, Hannay is suspected of the murder. He flees to Scotland and becomes embroiled in an international spy ring related to the mysterious "39 steps." Hannay must elude both the police, who are hunting him for murder, and the foreign spies who seek to foment war.