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Just finished a re-read of The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton (the first time was as an e-book). The book was a download from Librivox, and the reader was quite good, although it seems to have been recorded with an emphasis on the bass settings that made the audio a tad muddy.
The author's style is unusual, in that each story begins in a manner that seems to me to produce a fairy-tale atmosphere that could only have been stronger had they began with "Once upon a time." Once beyond the point where the mysterious characters being described are Father Brown and his friend, the thief-turned-detective Flambeau, the stories take on more of an air of a traditional but clever whodunnit.
This book of short stories is enjoyable, yet there is an irritating element present in many of them, and that is the not-so-hidden sermons contained within. Many of the villains in these tales are atheists. I don't mind the idea of a main character who is faithful to his own religious ideals, but in a work of fiction I prefer not being hit over the head with an author's religious or political viewpoints.
Nevertheless, Father Brown is a very likable character whose powers of observation are keen, and while his method of crime-solving seem to rely more on intuition than deduction, overall these are very enjoyable stories. I highly recommend them to all who enjoy good mysteries.
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