Other editions of book The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Man Who Knew Too Much by Gilbert Keith ChestertonHow is this book unique?Tablet and e-reader formattedOriginal & Unabridged EditionAuthor Biography includedIllustrated versionThe Man Who Knew Too Much is a compilation of eight detective stories by the English philosopher and prolific writer Gilbert Keith Chesterton. The protagonist of these stories is the man of the title, Horne Fisher, an upper-class detective whose investigative gifts often put him in uncomfortable situations where he has to take difficult decisions. In stories like “The Face in the Target” and “The Vengeance of the Statue,” which are all told by a third-person narrator, Fisher uses his deductive faculties and theatrical representations to absolve the innocent and incriminate the guilty. Most of the crimes dealt with in these stories are about mysterious murders. Yet, Fisher has also to solve other cases related to theft as well as to disputes over money and estates. Due to his friendly or family relationships with influential statesmen, Fisher often finds himself with “too much” knowledge about the way things are run in the country. This paradoxically valuable and embarrassing knowledge forces him many a time to let the murderer get away with his crime in order to avoid something more dangerous to happen to the country such as war or rebellion.

How is this book unique? Illustrations includedOriginal & Unabridged EditionOne of the best books to readClassic historical fiction booksExtremely well formattedThe Man Who Knew Too Much is a compilation of eight detective stories by the English philosopher and prolific writer Gilbert Keith Chesterton. The protagonist of these stories is the man of the title, Horne Fisher, an upper-class detective whose investigative gifts often put him in uncomfortable situations where he has to take difficult decisions. In stories like “The Face in the Target” and “The Vengeance of the Statue,” which are all told by a third-person narrator, Fisher uses his deductive faculties and theatrical representations to absolve the innocent and incriminate the guilty. Most of the crimes dealt with in these stories are about mysterious murders. Yet, Fisher has also to solve other cases related to theft as well as to disputes over money and estates. Due to his friendly or family relationships with influential statesmen, Fisher often finds himself with “too much” knowledge about the way things are run in the country. This paradoxically valuable and embarrassing knowledge forces him many a time to let the murderer get away with his crime in order to avoid something more dangerous to happen to the country such as war or rebellion.

Horne Fisher is extremely well connected. The plans of prime ministers, foreign ambassadors, and chancellors are matters of table conversation - usually because these people are dining with him. And when a man so well connected is also a brilliant detective, all sinister motives and plots systematically unfold. Whether it is a case of police corruption, or a war with Sweden, Horne Fisher can always solve it. But Horne Fisher is also a philosopher, and not a policeman, and the murderer is seldom punished. G. K. Chesterton, author of the Father Brown stories, here introduces another detective outside the realm of conventional law enforcement. The Man Who Knew Too Much contains eight stories full of mystery and adventure, with a fair share of food for thought.

The classic British detective story that became the immortal Hitchcock film starring James Stewart—from the author of the Father Brown mysteries. Horne Fisher is a skilled detective who always finds his man, but every solution comes with a catch: Exposing the crime will make things worse. Fisher’s greatest strength isn’t his Holmesian ability to deduce, but his knowledge of the dirty secrets of the ruling class, how the rich and powerful manipulate the government and bend the law to their wills. In this collection, Fisher uses his special skill to get to the bottom of mysteries as diverse as the disappearance of a valuable coin, the framing of an Irish prince, and the death of his own uncle from a falling statue. The Man Who Knew Too Much is a shining example of author G. K. Chesterton’s prodigious wit and prescient observation. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.