Lonely Road

Malcolm Stevenson, a wealthy ex-naval officer haunted by his memories of the war, finds his lonely life turned upside down one night when he runs into trouble on a road near the coast. What at first appears to be an accident leads him to discover an international conspiracy against his country-and to fall in love with a dance hostess who seems to have something to do with it. Malcolm's determination to expose the plot will put his life-and that of the only person who has brought him any happiness-in grave danger.

Nevil Shute Norway was a British novelist and aeronautical engineer. His novels are written in a simple, highly readable style, with clearly delineated plot lines. Where there is a romantic element, sex is referred to only obliquely. Many of the stories are introduced by a narrator who is not a character in the story. The most common theme in his novels is the dignity of work, spanning all classes, whether an Eastern European bar "hostess" (Ruined City) or brilliant boffin (No Highway).