Father Brown was a British Catholic priest who frequently aided in the investigation of gruesome crimes. He was a small man, not much larger than a child, with a round face and brown hair. He wore a black priests outfit with a round black hat and boots. He is usually depicted wearing glasses and he frequently carried an umbrella on his adventures. Physcially, he was a bit clumsy, but he possessed a strong and naturally curious mind. He believed there was reason and justice to be found in all of creation. He always sought rational explanations to crimes that seemed extraordinary. He solves crimes by putting himself in the mind of the killer. When asked how a priest could understand such evil, he says, “Has it never struck you that a man who does next to nothing but hear men’s real sins is not likely to be wholly unaware of human evil?” Father Brown is generally depicted as humble and quiet, usually reserving his speech until he has a profound observation to communicate.
First Appearance “The Blue Cross” in The Storyteller (September, 1910)
First Publisher The Saturday Evening Post, 23 July 1910
Appearance List The Innocence of Father Brown (1911), The Wisdom of Father Brown (1914), The Incredulity of Father Brown (1926), The Secret of Father Brown (1927), The Scandal of Father Brown (1935), Uncollected Stories (1914, 1936)
Description Father Brown was a British Catholic priest who frequently aided in the investigation of gruesome crimes. He was a small man, not much larger than a child, with a round face and brown hair. He wore a black priests outfit with a round black hat and boots. He is usually depicted wearing glasses and he frequently carried an umbrella on his adventures. Physcially, he was a bit clumsy, but he possessed a strong and naturally curious mind. He believed there was reason and justice to be found in all of creation. He always sought rational explanations to crimes that seemed extraordinary. He solves crimes by putting himself in the mind of the killer. When asked how a priest could understand such evil, he says, “Has it never struck you that a man who does next to nothing but hear men’s real sins is not likely to be wholly unaware of human evil?” Father Brown is generally depicted as humble and quiet, usually reserving his speech until he has a profound observation to communicate.
