The Thirty-One Kings

June 1940.

As German troops pour across France, the veteran soldier and adventurer Richard Hannay is called back into service. In Paris an individual code named 'Roland' has disappeared and is assumed to be in the hands of Nazi agents. Only he knows the secret of the Thirty-One Kings, a secret upon which the whole future of Europe depends. Hannay is dispatched to Paris to find Roland before the Germans overrun the city. On a hazardous journey across the battlefields of France Hannay is joined by old friends and new allies as he confronts a ruthless foe who will stop at nothing to destroy him.

The lights are going out across Paris and time is running out for the world as both sides battle for the secret of the Thirty-One Kings.



Robert J. Harris was born in Dundee and studied at the University of St. Andrews where he graduated with a first class honours degree in Latin. He is the designer of the bestselling fantasy board game Talisman and has written numerous books, including Leonardo and the Death Machine, Will Shakespeare and the Pirate's Fire, and the popular World Goes Loki children's series. He lives in St. Andrews with his wife, Debbie.



'Riveting. Daring measures and hairbreadth escapes are the rule in this first-person chronicle. The can-do spirit of Mr. Harris’s book evokes a time when it seemed the fate of the world might hinge on the acts of a handful of brave souls. The Thirty-One Kings is old-fashioned in many ways—which is what makes it such a reassuring pleasure to read'



'Fans of John Buchan will be wooed by this new adventure . . . Harris's new Second World War story picks up the threads of Buchan's last novel, Sick Heart River, and cleverly weaves them into this thrilling tale'



'This fast-moving tale will delight Buchan fans. … Gripping and fun; it will encourage devotees to return to Buchan and newcomers to seek him out'



'This is very good fun. The plot whips along, embellished by dogfights, perilous car journeys, personal vendettas and plenty of derring-do – plus a whiff of enjoyable parody to lend an edge. I was beguiled'



'This is a loving tribute to Buchan, then, and thoroughly good fun'