The Complete Father Brown
by G. K. Chesterton
Father Brown is a lovable amateur sleuth, always busy about the work of solving the crimes that he invariably runs across. In the Penguin omnibus edition of his tales, you can find the complete collection of Father Brown mysteries, from The Innocence of Father Brown all the way through The Scandal of Father Brown.
Detective stories are always a lot of fun, and there have been countless detectives to appeal to readers over the ages — from Sherlock Holmes right on down the line. Father Brown is memorable for his simplicity, as well as for his umbrella and his eyeglasses. It is funny how this pure, childlike exterior seems to keep Father Browns real depth of understanding (especially of the criminal mind) from view. But it always makes itself known at the end, as Father Brown never fails to uncover the mysteries behind the crimes going on around him.
G. K. Chesterton's writings can be filled with a lot of depth. I have always found it amusing that his famous Father Brown's stories are so simply put together, especially when you see these tales as a sort of contrast to his nonfiction writing. However that may be, he was a talented writer, and his fiction is always engaging. Father Brown is just the sort of character that it can be lots of fun to settle in and spend a quiet, lazy afternoon with.
— Reviewed by Shelly Bryant