The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton

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Chesterton created the character of Father Brown in the wake of his already-established fame in the fields of philosophy and theology. His titular character, which bears some resemblance to other famous fictional detectives, nonetheless stands out from the crowd for doing the exact opposite: Father Brown's unremarkable appearance, coupled with his seemingly naïve persona, belies his keen insight into the human mind, and allows him to root out the solution to a problem with marked efficiency.

Though Father Brown is, of course, fictional, he also acted as a vehicle for Chesterton to make sense of the world, and in fact help us (the readers) understand him (the author). Whereas Sherlock went scientific, Brown waxes spirituality and philosophy as he deciphers each mystery.

This collection, the first of five penned by Chesterton, includes the following stories about the Roman Catholic priest-turned-detective:

• The Blue Cross
• The Secret Garden
• The Queer Feet
• The Flying Stars
• The Invisible Man
• The Honour of Israel Gow
• The Wrong Shape
• The Sins of Prince Saradine
• The Hammer of God
• The Eye of Apollo
• The Sign of the Broken Sword
• The Three Tools of Death