This is the fourth collection of mysteries featuring the very smart and even more devout catholic priest, Father Brown. (It follows The Innocence of Father Brown, The Wisdom of Father Brown and The Incredulity of Father Brown.) Father Brown is probably the most unconventional detective of fiction: short and dumpy, extremely shy, unvaryingly kind, and utterly unselfconscious. His secret? As a priest he has developed a far-reaching understanding of how we all feel and think. Being profoundly humble, he is able to imagine how he, personally, could be led to commit a given theft, murder or other crime. With this in mind, he is generally able to figure out who did commit it. - Summary by Kirsten Wever