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The Wisdom of Father Brown · Character

Colonel Cray

A military man whose household erupts into a salad-plate mystery, forcing Father Brown to untangle domestic absurdity from genuine menace.

supporting

Also known as Cray, Colonel Cray Father Brown

First appearance: The Salad of Colonel Cray

As a supporting figure in The Wisdom of Father Brown, Colonel Cray is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Fires a revolver at a supposed intruder; appears paranoid and agitated.
In the storyThe Salad of Colonel CrayOpen this moment free

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Colonel Cray belongs to the world of retired officers, orderly households, and small domestic scandals that turn out to have sharper edges than anyone expects. His entanglement in a bizarre affair involving a salad and…

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The fuller portrait of Colonel Cray sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Colonel Cray in The Salad of Colonel Cray

Character Web

18 connections

A slice of how Colonel Cray sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

FBFather BrownCDColonel DuboscJBJohn BoulnoisDDDuc de ValognesSWSir Wilson Sey…CCColonel Cray

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Recurring or major figures
  • Protagonist
  • Minor story characters

+13 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

SetupAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

In this excerpt, the narrative climax occurs as Edward Nutt’s habitual, paralyzing fear of libel and propriety…

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In the story

Colonel Cray appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See Colonel Cray in The Salad of Colonel Cray