A Chief of Police hosts a dinner party for an American millionaire wishing to will his entire fortune to the Church of France. Jewels that have been stolen and recovered so many times that they're known colloquially by thieves as The Flying Stars. A murder committed by an invisible man. These and many others are the mysteries that are presented to the lovable, bumbling, stumpy Man of God, Father Brown. The Innocence of Father Brown, by G.K. Chesterton is a collection of eleven stories which marks the debut of this most unusual detective. Chesterton was a contemporary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and it is only natural that his fictional sleuth be compared with the most famous one in English literature, Sherlock Holmes. Unlike Holmes, Father Brown is a gentle, unassuming figure, who solves crimes through reasoning based on spiritualism and philosophic truths instead of scientific methods. The priest is also deeply compassionate and insightful as far as psychological aspects go. He truly delves into the minds of the people and comes up with results. Another big difference is that unlike Doyle, Chesterton was in fact a brilliant writer. His elegant, humorous prose, full of literary touches is very different from Conan Doyle's bland and simple style.