Short Detective Story Review G K Chesterton – Father Brown - The Blue Cross

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This was the first Father Brown mystery, and published in 1910. It is unusual, perhaps even unique in that it reverses the usual detective story format. We already know who the criminal is – the mystery to solve is the amateur detective himself, a Catholic priest. A famous French detective, Valentin, is in pursuit of a notorious master-criminal Flambeau, who has sailed to England with intent to steal valuable religious artifacts at a Catholic convention. On a train, a young, fat priest boasts loudly and foolishly of carrying a rare, valuable blue cross. Valentin advises him to be more discreet. Later, pursuing Flambeau again Valentin finds that he is in the company of a priest who keeps performing acts of petty mischief. At a café salt and sugar have been mixed up, and a shop window has been broken. Valentin follows the trail of witnessed chaos until he sees two priests talking on Hampstead Heath. One is the priest from the train, while the other is Flambeau in disguise. Valentin realizes the real priest is himself playing detective. The petty vandalism has been committed as clues to draw the official detective onto the trail. The Blue Cross is a fake intended to attract Flambeau and the amateur sleuth reveals that in hearing endless confessions he has come to understand human nature and criminal minds very well. Both Valentin and Flambeau accept that they have been outclassed by the priest. Later stories will reveal more about Father Brown who will often tangle with Flambeau before persuading him to give up crime to become an assistant detective in his own right. Unlike the introductions for Holmes or Poirot this debut story creates a real mystery around the hero rather than the protagonist. The full text of the story is given in the free link below. Arthur Chappell