The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Man Who Knew Too Much is a book of detective stories written by G.K. Chesterton and published in 1922 by Cassel & Co in Great Britain. It contains twelve short stories, with the first eight featuring the detective known as the “Man who knew too much.” The remaining four stories are standalone but follow the same style. There’s no specific order to read them in.

G.K. Chesterton, a British writer and journalist, was often called the “prince of paradoxes.” One of his well-known characters is Father Brown, a Catholic priest with sharp psychological insight, making him an adept detective. Father Brown appears in over fifty stories.

Chesterton’s notable works include The Napoleon of Notting Hill and The Man Who Was Thursday.

Recommended for: Fans of classic detective fiction, particularly those who enjoy the works of G.K. Chesterton and his unique take on the mystery genre. This collection of short stories featuring the character of the “Man Who Knew Too Much” provides an engaging introduction to Chesterton’s clever and unconventional approach to crime narratives.

You will:

Immerse yourself in a series of intriguing mysteries that challenge traditional detective story tropes and conventions.
Discover the character of Detective Horne Fisher, a brilliant investigator who has deep connections to the political elite, which both aids and complicates his ability to solve cases.
Witness Chesterton’s masterful use of paradox, moral ambiguity, and social commentary to explore the complexities of human nature and the tensions between justice, power, and corruption.
Appreciate the author’s distinctive narrative voice, which blends philosophical insights, dry wit, and a keen eye for the absurdities of human behavior.
Develop your skills of critical thinking and analysis as you grapple with the moral dilemmas and unexpected twists presented in each story.
Gain a deeper understanding of the social and political context of early 20th century Britain, which provides the backdrop for the stories.
Discover the origins of one of Chesterton’s most renowned fictional creations, the priest-detective Father Brown, who makes a brief appearance in this collection.
Enjoy the engaging, fast-paced, and intellectually stimulating nature of classic mystery short stories.

Plot

The man who knows too much is the name given to Detective Horne Fisher, who is the main character in the first eight stories. Also, Fisher’s assistant is a political journalist named Harold March. And he is the one who represents Chesterton’s philosophies and paradoxes in the stories.

Moreover, Fisher had very close relationships with the major political figures. As a result, he had access to private information from influential people and the politics of that moment. In fact, having access to this kind of information becomes a problem within their stories. Thus, he can discover the injustices, dishonesty, and homicides in each one of them. But it is impossible for him to expose the real murderer or guilty because this could generate chaos. Also, if this information is published it could cause a war. Since it is likely that there are manifestations from the Irish rebellions or that people lose credibility in the government.

Book Content

The Man Who Knew Too Much

I. The Face in the Target

II. The Vanishing Prince

III. The Soul of the Schoolboy

IV. The Bottomless Well

V. The Fad of the Fisherman

VI. The Hole in the Wall

VII. The Temple of Silence

VIII. The Vengeance of the Statue

The trees of Pride

I. The Tale of the Peacock Trees

II. The Wager of Squire Vane

III. The Mystery of the Well

IV. The Chase after the Truth

Licensing

G.K. Chesterton. The Man Who Knew Too Much. Publisher: Harper & Brothers Publishers (New York & London), 1922. Originally published in 1922. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929. The longest-living author of this work died in 1936, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 87 years or less. Text from Wikisource: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Knew_Too_Much
This digital edition is provided by Ebooks-net in 2024 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. The full text of the license is available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.