The Innocence of Father Brown

Father Brown is the protagonist of the Father Brown series and an English Catholic priest from Essex who also works as an amateur detective. He is a plain, short man who wears shapeless clothes and carries an umbrella with him. Father Brown deeply values reason, but unlike other detectives, he also uses his spiritual and psychological intuition to solve mysteries. He often investigates crimes in an eccentric manner—for example, by throwing soup, breaking a window, and switching salt and sugar in “The Blue Cross.” He also tends to “lose his head” during investigations, being able to “put two and two together and make four million,” a practice of which the Catholic Church, and sometimes even he himself, does not approve (37). Flambeau, before and after his reformation, also sometimes struggles to understand Father Brown’s internal logic.

As a priest, Father Brown has deep spiritual intuition and a great understanding of human nature. He explains to Flambeau that because he “does next to nothing but hear men’s real sins,” he is aware of “human evil” and the depth of darkness within each human soul from sin (15). His understanding of human nature helps him solve the mysteries around him and learn people’s motivations.