Gilbert Keith Chesterton's influential novel merges the surreal with detective fiction and dystopia. Sometimes referred to as metaphysical thriller "The Man Who Was Thursday" is a grasping work full of deception and secrets. First published in 1908 the story follows Gabriel Syme a Scotland Yard detective who goes undercover to infiltrate a secret organization called "The Central Anarchist Council" operated by seven men who use days of the week as their alias with the intention to destroy the world.