The more steps, the merrier!
39 steps. Even better!
There are similarities, Leaddy!
Buchan characterised The Thirty-nine Steps as an adventure where the events in the story are unlikely and the reader is only just able to believe that they really happened.
Who could believe that in a first world country, so much time and money could be spent creating a regulatory camel that is still sprouting humps, with no end in sight and no one responsible?