Can't really blame him for my refusal to read him, though. Had a bad experience with a Russian Orthodox constantly invoking him instead of engaging in actual discussion.

But those were almost certainly from Chesterton's apologetic works and this was fiction! Fun detective stories of theft and murder!

All the stories were mostly enjoyable and minimal blackface and n-wording were to be found. Aside from that, Chesterton does seem to try a bit hard to be witty at times and it comes off as...forced? For a specific audience that doesn't think much about atheists, feminists, Scottish Presbyterians and the French? Like if you don't like one of those, you'll laugh when he does his "Calvinists, amirite?" bit and probably slap your knee to help control your hooting and hollering, ya uncultured plebian! Why don't you stick with your fart jokes instead of lying to yourself? You aren't fooling anybody, you couldn't recognize wit even if Oscar Wilde slapped you in the face with his giant- cough But I digress!

When it is good, the stories are very entertaining, and if nothing else, folks should read At the Sign of the Broken Sword which is legitimately a masterful piece of literature.