THE THIRD HOUR

by

GEOFFREY HOUSEHOLD

Published for 

the Adventure Book Club 

by

Little Brown & Co (©1938)

CONDITION:

GOOD large book with GOOD jacket.  Book pages are very much tanned with age, but well bound.  Jacket has some shelfwear at edges and corners (see photographs).

A gripping adventure from the acclaimed author of ROGUE MALE.

For Manuel Vargas, helping a revolutionary leader derail a train in Mexico is not that unusual. That is, until he realises there are gold bars and coins on-board. After concealing his new wealth, his life is changed forever.

Meanwhile in London, a man takes an innocuous job in the toy industry, unaware that his path will cross with Manuel Vargas. When the two meet, they hatch a plan to locate the hidden gold and smuggle it out of Mexico.

Commentaries on line:

The Third Hour (1937) by Geoffrey Household is a 1930s adventure novel following Manuel Vargas, a Spanish adventurer who hides gold after a Mexican train heist, and Toby, a British salesman. The plot focuses on their partnership to recover the gold, featuring a shift between character stories and a mix of adventure and idealism. 

In order to find this book fully satisfying and convincing, you would have to believe that its protagonists really had conceived of a bold new way forward for mankind – which is kind of a lot to swallow when their plans are chiefly characterized by vagueness and nostalgia. As always, Household writes skillfully, and there's a lot to enjoy here…

In the decade preceding the Second World War, the remarkable Geoffrey Household had already won praise far and wide for his ability to add rare depth and intelligence to the classic thriller. Thoughtful and unforgettable, filled with unexpected turns and richly drawn characters, The Third Hour is a masterful demonstration of everything that a suspenseful and deeply human adventure novel can be.

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