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Father Brown
Father Brown of the Church of Rome
This is a unique collection of ten of Chesterton's famous Father Brown stories which puts special emphasis on the role that Brown's Catholic faith played in helping him solve the murder mysteries. As Dorothy Sayers once wrote, Chesterton was "the first man of our time to introduce the great name of God into a detective story … to enlarge the boundaries of the detective story by making it deal with death and real wickedness and real, that is to say, divine judgment." This paperback Father Brown edition includes generous footnotes (not available in other editions) which help to clarify the literary and historical allusions made by Father Brown. It is based on the texts of the original editions by Chesterton for assurance of complete authenticity, and is set in easily readable type. These are excellent short detective yarns in the classic British tradition of Sherlock Holmes - puzzling concoctions of mysterious crimes, dubious suspects and ambiguous clues. They are among the very best of the Father Brown stories.
270 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
15 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
G.K. Chesterton
4,732 books5,858 followersGilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic.
He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.
Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.
He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.
Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 10, 2023
Father Brown Of The Church Of Rome, selected mystery stories by G. K. Chesterton
This book's introduction gives the reader a solemn warning that readers who are deeply anti-Catholic are not going to like this particular book, which is true enough as far as it goes. The editor of this book, one John Peterson, has selected from among the large body of Father Brown short stories some ten stories from 1920 to 1935 that have largely not been anthologized and which demonstrate both the savvy as well as the Catholicism of Father Brown (and indirectly, therefore, of G.K. Chesterton himself). What is remarkable about Chesterton's Catholicism in these stories is its remarkable graciousness towards sinners as well as its hostility to religious belief systems or political systems that are only based on gaining or using power while neglecting the moral and spiritual and emotional aspects of human beings and their need to be treated with dignity because of their being created in the image and likeness of God. Interestingly enough, in several of the stories, deliberate attention is drawn to a supposed contrast between heathen mystery religions and the specific nature of Father Brown's Catholicism, which is hostile in general to secret societies and secret plots for domination (be they Jesuitical, Gnostic, or Freemason in nature). This book, therefore, is part of a larger polemical that addresses the place of the Catholic within British society, a strong hostility to Calvinism (one I must admit I personally share as a committed Arminian), as well as the place of Catholicism with regards to the ancient heathen mystery religions that it syncretized with.
This particular book is a bit more than 260 pages of sparsely annotated stories, ten in number, that are not included in any sort of chronological order. The book begins with an introduction, before moving on to "The Chief Mourner of Marne," from 1925, where Father Brown has to uncover a cold case murder mystery which hinges on the psychology of a murderer. "The Red Moon of Meru," from 1927, which deals with the combination of theft and religious fraud, then follows. After that comes "The Miracle of Moon Crescent," from 1924, which takes a sour look at the consequences of Progressive thoughts about how people can be disposed of without caring about the dignity or sensitivity of the people involved. "The Resurrection Of Father Brown," from 1926, shows Father Brown somewhere likely in Guyana or close to it, dealing with an anti-Catholic plot that seeks to take advantage of Brown's supposed vanity. "The Man With Two Beards," from 1925, is a story that examines the repentance of a thief who ends up being a murder victim of another and less obviously recognized thief. "The Curse of the Golden Cross," from 1925, examines the context of a monomaniac's search for a specific artifact that threatens the life of an honest scholar of Byzantine antiquities. "The Flying Stars," from 1911, discusses the last theft of the repentant Flambeau, which also shows Chesterton's remarkable kindness towards idealistic socialists, a class of people I must not admit having a great deal of personal sympathy towards. "The Secret Garden," from 1910, plays on the violence in the heart of anti-Catholic agitators towards would-be converts. "The Honour Of Israel Gow," from 1911 shows Father Brown's considerably complicated thoughts towards Scotland and its history. The final story, "The Insoluble Problem," from 1916, shows Father Brown dealing with a non-crime that is itself a red herring meant to distract his attention from another real crime that is being planned, after which the book ends with a note on the texts and a note on the notes within the book.
Most of the notes in the book appear to explain references that Chesterton made in his stories to other literary works, and only one of them is obviously defective, a note in the 9th story of the book that confuses Mary, Queen of Scots, with her cousin Mary I Tudor, popularity known as Bloody Mary, though as both of them were Catholic sovereigns, it makes sense that Chesterton's intriguing thoughts about Mary, Queen of Scots about the romance around her being a castle of lies is immensely interesting indeed. It seems far more likely that Chesterton would be far kinder to Mary Tudor than to the less principled and less tragic Mary Stuart. As is often the case with writings, these particular stories reveal the religious interests of the editor in selecting them from Chesterton's larger variety of work and Chesterton's own deep interest in not only solving crimes, but also wrestling with issues of motive and the consequences of religious beliefs, or lack thereof, on one's own behavior and mentality. Quite a few of the cases that Father Brown solves here are solved in large part because of Father Brown's insight about the moral character of the people involved, which may make some readers uncomfortable. Not that is by any means a bad thing about the stories themselves.
This book's introduction gives the reader a solemn warning that readers who are deeply anti-Catholic are not going to like this particular book, which is true enough as far as it goes. The editor of this book, one John Peterson, has selected from among the large body of Father Brown short stories some ten stories from 1920 to 1935 that have largely not been anthologized and which demonstrate both the savvy as well as the Catholicism of Father Brown (and indirectly, therefore, of G.K. Chesterton himself). What is remarkable about Chesterton's Catholicism in these stories is its remarkable graciousness towards sinners as well as its hostility to religious belief systems or political systems that are only based on gaining or using power while neglecting the moral and spiritual and emotional aspects of human beings and their need to be treated with dignity because of their being created in the image and likeness of God. Interestingly enough, in several of the stories, deliberate attention is drawn to a supposed contrast between heathen mystery religions and the specific nature of Father Brown's Catholicism, which is hostile in general to secret societies and secret plots for domination (be they Jesuitical, Gnostic, or Freemason in nature). This book, therefore, is part of a larger polemical that addresses the place of the Catholic within British society, a strong hostility to Calvinism (one I must admit I personally share as a committed Arminian), as well as the place of Catholicism with regards to the ancient heathen mystery religions that it syncretized with.
This particular book is a bit more than 260 pages of sparsely annotated stories, ten in number, that are not included in any sort of chronological order. The book begins with an introduction, before moving on to "The Chief Mourner of Marne," from 1925, where Father Brown has to uncover a cold case murder mystery which hinges on the psychology of a murderer. "The Red Moon of Meru," from 1927, which deals with the combination of theft and religious fraud, then follows. After that comes "The Miracle of Moon Crescent," from 1924, which takes a sour look at the consequences of Progressive thoughts about how people can be disposed of without caring about the dignity or sensitivity of the people involved. "The Resurrection Of Father Brown," from 1926, shows Father Brown somewhere likely in Guyana or close to it, dealing with an anti-Catholic plot that seeks to take advantage of Brown's supposed vanity. "The Man With Two Beards," from 1925, is a story that examines the repentance of a thief who ends up being a murder victim of another and less obviously recognized thief. "The Curse of the Golden Cross," from 1925, examines the context of a monomaniac's search for a specific artifact that threatens the life of an honest scholar of Byzantine antiquities. "The Flying Stars," from 1911, discusses the last theft of the repentant Flambeau, which also shows Chesterton's remarkable kindness towards idealistic socialists, a class of people I must not admit having a great deal of personal sympathy towards. "The Secret Garden," from 1910, plays on the violence in the heart of anti-Catholic agitators towards would-be converts. "The Honour Of Israel Gow," from 1911 shows Father Brown's considerably complicated thoughts towards Scotland and its history. The final story, "The Insoluble Problem," from 1916, shows Father Brown dealing with a non-crime that is itself a red herring meant to distract his attention from another real crime that is being planned, after which the book ends with a note on the texts and a note on the notes within the book.
Most of the notes in the book appear to explain references that Chesterton made in his stories to other literary works, and only one of them is obviously defective, a note in the 9th story of the book that confuses Mary, Queen of Scots, with her cousin Mary I Tudor, popularity known as Bloody Mary, though as both of them were Catholic sovereigns, it makes sense that Chesterton's intriguing thoughts about Mary, Queen of Scots about the romance around her being a castle of lies is immensely interesting indeed. It seems far more likely that Chesterton would be far kinder to Mary Tudor than to the less principled and less tragic Mary Stuart. As is often the case with writings, these particular stories reveal the religious interests of the editor in selecting them from Chesterton's larger variety of work and Chesterton's own deep interest in not only solving crimes, but also wrestling with issues of motive and the consequences of religious beliefs, or lack thereof, on one's own behavior and mentality. Quite a few of the cases that Father Brown solves here are solved in large part because of Father Brown's insight about the moral character of the people involved, which may make some readers uncomfortable. Not that is by any means a bad thing about the stories themselves.
August 27, 2020
Selection of Fr. Brown mysteries with a focus on Catholicism. Excellent footnotes.
March 19, 2020
G. K. Chesterton ranks as one of the great writers of the early 20th century, and Father Brown is one of the best-known of fictional amateur sleuths. He appeared in 53 stories published between 1910 and 1936. This collection present just ten of those, stories that have been presented in less frequently in collections than others and all of which put a special emphasis on the role Father Brown's faith plays in solving crimes.
The brilliance of these stories can't be disputed. Each presents a clever puzzle combined with witty social commentary and smooth integration of religion with other aspects of life, something not often found in literature. At the same time, the modern reader might find them rather less accessible than readers a century ago. Chesterton worked in aspects of literature and contemporary society that many of us aren't familiar with, although editor John Peterson provides footnotes to help us along the way. His style is also that of a bygone era.
Still, these are fine tales, and a couple, such as "The Insoluble Problem," are brilliant. They are well worth the time and effort to read.
The brilliance of these stories can't be disputed. Each presents a clever puzzle combined with witty social commentary and smooth integration of religion with other aspects of life, something not often found in literature. At the same time, the modern reader might find them rather less accessible than readers a century ago. Chesterton worked in aspects of literature and contemporary society that many of us aren't familiar with, although editor John Peterson provides footnotes to help us along the way. His style is also that of a bygone era.
Still, these are fine tales, and a couple, such as "The Insoluble Problem," are brilliant. They are well worth the time and effort to read.
October 15, 2017
I read many of the Father Brown mysteries when I was in 5th-7th grade. At that time I read any book in the library with a skull stamp on the spine (library-speak symbol at the time for MYSTERY), so these were part of the mix. Sure, when I was 12-13 I found them fun. But, having read two collections of Chesterton's detective-with-a-Roman-collar mysteries in recent years (the other being Martin Gardner’s "Annotated Innocence of Father Brown," 1987), I am sorry to say I need read no more. If you do want to read some of them to form you own opinion, get the Gardner book, not this one (M.G.'s annotations help contextualize the stories). The stories here were carefully selected by the editor to reflect Chesterton's R.C. sympathies, and are NOT the best of the F.B. stories at all. I would finally like to warn fans of the BBC/PBS Father Brown series, the books are NOTHING like the TV series, including none of the regular characters, including any of the police detectives, from the series show up in the original stories.
February 1, 2020
I have loved Father Brown stories for decades.
However, the editor of this collection seems to have picked out stories that show Chesterton at his most tedious and Jesuitical. That is, these stories feature characters and narrators who drone on in theological exegesis for what seems like an eternity before Father Brown ever appears.
An interesting strategy for a collection of stories, but I did not find it to have the charm of the more well known stories.
However, the editor of this collection seems to have picked out stories that show Chesterton at his most tedious and Jesuitical. That is, these stories feature characters and narrators who drone on in theological exegesis for what seems like an eternity before Father Brown ever appears.
An interesting strategy for a collection of stories, but I did not find it to have the charm of the more well known stories.
December 3, 2017
Ten lesser-known Father Brown stories appear in this thoughtful collection, including several that are new favorites of mine: "The Chief Mourner of Marne," "The Flying Stars," and "The Resurrection of Father Brown."
May 20, 2025
These mysteries have somewhat interesting plots, but the deductive processes by which Fr. Brown solves the murders are not only rather thinly veiled but often laughable preposterous, with little to no reasons given for him to have come to his crime-solving conclusions.
September 4, 2023
Classic Father Brown mysteries. These with more of a religious and moral perspective. If you like Father Brown, you will love these stories.
September 17, 2023
A great collection of Father Brown mysteries.
May 4, 2025
Fun but not really solvable mystery stories
October 25, 2014
This is a nice collection of Father Brown stories. I received this volume as a gift before having read any other Brown mysteries, and found it hard the get into. The best introduction to Father Brown is probably "The Blue Cross", but if you are already familiar with the philosophical little priest then this book is probably for you.
January 6, 2012
Father Brown is one detective fiction's greatest characters. But as in any large corpus, some stories are better than others. This collection is a wonderful introduction for one who has not read the stories before, especially as each story has a theological hook (some implicit, some implicit).
March 9, 2016
As always, Chesterton is the bomb. There were a few in here I hadn't yet read, so I was glad to find them. Chesterton gives both intriguing mysteries and discourses on philosophy in the same story, and it is difficult to say which is more interesting.
March 18, 2007
Sherlock Holmes eat your soul out!
August 2, 2011
My first Father Brown book. Loved it. Clever, wise. Love the main character.
February 25, 2012
These stories are very well done, very clever. If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes, you'll like these mysteries.
May 17, 2013
I really like these older mysteries. There are some 3-star stories, one or two 5-star stories, and several 4-star stories and for that I give this collection 4-stars.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews