The Secret Garden

Father Brown accompanies a friend of his to a Party held by an eccentric American millionaire, he is slightly uncomfortable with the setting, as the house is virtually a fortress, with only one exit, so how does a dead body appear?

So, this is unlike any of the twelve episodes that came before, there is much more of a complexity and originality to this story , The Secret Garden is a deep, complex mystery, but it is definitely one that you need to concentrate on, or you will lose the thread of the plot.

It's a little slow in places, but the plot is definitely an absorbing one, that alone should hold your interest, I really liked the grizzly nature of the crimes, I didn't think the solution was totally satisfying, it should have been a bit more dramatic.

Quite macabre killings here, no cosy teatime poisoning or evening shooting, Father Brown is having to solve crimes, where the victims were decapitated, more Hammer Horror than early evening mystery.

A quality cast assembled for this one, I really did enjoy the performances of Charles Dance, Cyril Luckham and Ferdy Mayne.

What a shame that this was the end of Kenneth More's Father Brown, fortunately he'd return with a new face some years later.

7/10.

Apart from Peter Dyneley's American accent, which was quite good, the episode is filled with Frenchies with little trace of a French accent! While this doesn't hurt the episode too much, it is a bit cheesy.

A group of folks are invited to a French police inspector's home. Father Brown is invited since Mr. Brayne asked if he could bring them....otherwise Mr. Valentin the inspector would have nothing to do with a priest as he's a very ardent atheist. During the course of the party, a beheaded man is found in the garden...and Mr. Brayne is no where to be seen. Considering the place is much like a fortress, the murder and disappearance seem impossible.

This was a pretty interesting episode, though the murderer's motivations seemed, well, odd or difficult to believe. Still, it is decent and a fine final episode for this short-lived series.