G K Chesterton’s best-known character is the priest-detective Father Brown, who appears in 51 short stories, most of which were later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor (1870–1952), a parish priest in Bradford who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922. Father Brown is a short, stumpy Catholic priest, "formerly of Cobhole in Essex, and now working in London". He is perpetually correcting the incorrect vision of the bewildered folks at the scene of the crime and wandering off at the end with the criminal to exercise his priestly role of recognition and repentance. Father Brown is characteristically humble, and is usually rather quiet; when he does talk, he almost always says something profound. Although he tends to handle crimes with a steady, realistic approach, he believes in the supernatural as the greatest reason of all. Product details Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (27 Nov. 1997) Language: English ISBN-10: 0140622594 ISBN-13: 978-0140622591 Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 0.9 x 18.1 cm