I am a big fan of GK Chesterton, so it pains me to give him such a low rating on one of his novels. But this novel just didn't work as far as I was concerned. It was the story of a naif, a college professor named Innocent Smith who was accused of a murder when visiting a household of people who do not really appreciate his personality. The first half of the story is the bickering between Smith and the various characters who inhabit the house where the story takes place. The second half of the story is a "Law & Order" style legal proceeding in which Smith makes his case for innocence. In some ways this is a crime novel, but it's not really that. There's plenty of Chesterton style humor in the story, and of course Chesterton's own style of social criticism. But my experience here is that it's hard to follow this story, and you lose attention quickly. While a great lover of Chesterton may appreciate "Manalive", most others would not. Therefore, I render it a verdict of only 3 stars....