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    The Big Four: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    The Big Four: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    The Big Four: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Big Four: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Hugh Fraser

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Famed private eye Hercule Poirot tackles international intrigue and espionage in this classic Agatha Christie mystery.

    Framed in the doorway of Hercule Poirot's bedroom stands an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust. The man stares for a moment, then he sways and falls. Who is he? Is he suffering from shock or just exhaustion? Above all, what is the significance of the figure 4, scribbled over and over again on a sheet of paper?

    Poirot finds himself plunged into a world of international intrigue, risking his life—and that of his ""twin brother""—to uncover the truth.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 3, 2012
    ISBN9780062232267
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie (1890–1976) is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the bestselling novelist of all time. The first recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award, she published eighty mystery novels and many short story collections and created such iconic fictional detectives as Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple, and Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. She is known around the world as the Queen of Crime.

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    Reviews for The Big Four

    4/5

    261 ratings45 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Not like any of her other Poirot stories in that it is such a long storyline.
    • 3/5
      An espionage thriller with ... Poirot? It isn't a bad story, ut just a bad Poirot story. Better for Tommy and Tuppence perhaps. Tbat is the reason The Big Four comes up on lists of worst Poirot stories. It is just the wrong franchise to tell this kind of Fu Manchu / 39 Steps kind of cliffhanger narrow escapes save the world from Bond villains ki d of thing.
    • 3/5
      It was a nice read but with a disappointing ending especially since the brains of the big 4 Li Cheng Yen was never really identified except that appears he never left China. Also the refrain of trying to get H.Poirot to leave England for one reason or another did not make sense since the Big 4 went off to Italy anyway. It left quite few unanswered questions.
    • 2/5
      A mildly amusing ripoff of Sherlock Holmes jousting with Moriarty.
    • 2/5
      So many spy thriller cliches! Evil geniuses, a master of disguise, sinister Chinamen who all look alike, an underground lair....In the best Poirot stories, he, and we, get to know the psychology of each suspect intimately, and they all come together in the solution of the case. In this, players rush on and off the stage so fast, and in such ludicrous get-ups, that we never get to know any of them. This was early in Christie's career, and she clearly hadn't quite found her way yet.
    • 5/5
      Always a delight. On to the next Christie mystery. Going to finsh the lot in 2020.
    • 3/5
      Stealing a bit of a page from Doyle/Sherlock, perhaps? The detective's faked death, the dim-witted friend who can't be let in on the secret. (Hastings is an idiot)

      I found the out/escape a little "too easy", and other than Hastings presence, the book was an enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      Good trade-length novel that shows Hercule Poirot in a constant fight against a crime ring that seeks to take over the world. There is a twist with every chapter, but the result comes out as expected--with Poirot saving the day and, in fact, the world.
    • 3/5
      Synopsis:This is book 5 in the Hercule Poirot Mystery Series. Poirot goes up against four super-villains. A Chinaman, a rich American, a French Woman, and "The Destroyer".My rating:2.5/5Of all the Hercule Poirot books, this has been my least favorite so far. I think that this book is one of those that either you love or you hate. It doesn't feel like a typical Poirot book. If you watch television series that do a musical episode or some other similar "artsy" episode that feels out of place in the series I think that is a comparison to this book.Typically, Poirot is solving mysteries involving people. He isn't wrapped up in conspiracies with people wanting to take over the world.Poirot also doesn't quite act like himself and things get zany. There were many times I felt like Poirot and Hastings were in a Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon.I know some people have said this book is amazing and was perhaps Christie's tribute/shout-out/etc to Sherlock Holmes. I haven't read Sherlock Holmes so I can't comment on that. Whatever her reasons for writing it were I can appreciate that it exists and that Poirot can even win against world power super-villains but honestly I just want him to solve small-town murders of rich ladies who just changed their wills.I will note that the David Suchet televised version of this story takes a twist that turns it back into a more typical Poirot mystery and I think I liked that version better than Christie's own.If you are starting in the Poirot series do not start here because this isn't a good example of what the Poirot books are. If you read it and love it you may be disappointed with future books where Poirot is at places like Styles solving the poisoning of an old woman. If you hate this book because it is so zany and more James Bond-esque you will be missing out on an amazing opportunity to determine if Poirot is a detective you can enjoy.If you are reading this book as part of a series read then I think you will either love the novelty of it, as some do with the musical episodes of television series, or, like me, you will roll your eyes, accept it exists, and hope that the Queen of Mystery got that out of her system and won't ruin another Poirot mystery by trying to turn it into a super-spy thriller story. Poirot isn't James Bond and I don't want him to be. I want to see Poirot being Poirot. That is what he is good at and that is why I keep coming back again and again for more.
    • 5/5
      Poirot is up against a group of four expert criminals who attempt to lead him into a trap in their determination to cause international upheaval. Very well written and suspenseful.
    • 3/5
      The eponymous Big Four are a global group of criminal masterminds, and Hercule Poirot is on their case. Through a series of short and largely independent mysteries (it turns out that they were all short stories originally, and then combined into the novel later on), Poirot and Hastings learn more about the bad guys and ultimately put them away. In many ways, this one has more in common with a Saturday adventure matinee or a pulp novel of the period than it has in common with the usual Christie cozy, but it's still a lot of fun, even as the reader continues to see the evolution of Christie's style and the genre home that she is slowly carving for herself. Where characterizations are concerned, this one also shows a Christie who is still learning her way, as the people we meet are largely cardboard stereotypes of their respective ethnicities and the like. In many ways, I could have easily seen this being an outing for the likes of The Shadow or Doc Savage instead of Poirot, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
    • 5/5
      It's short and enjoyable, but it would have been even better if the antagonists weren't such caricatures of themselves.
    • 4/5
      Part of my mission to read all the Christie-books, this is a Poirot mystery. Here Hercule takes on a case which turns out to be of global importance. This makes this book somewhat different in style to the standard "a guy has been killed by poison in his hot chocolate" kind of story. Not one of my favourites by Christie, but still a worthwhile read.
    • 5/5
      I have to admit, I outwardly groaned when it began that Captain Hastings was the narrator of the book. He was not my favorite. However, this book was like a character arc for him. This was a clever story that is unlike other Hercules Poirot story that I have read. I highly recommend it if you like spy novels.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite Poirot mysteries ever! Probably second to his last mystery, Curtain.Poirot and Hastings are on the trail of a criminal organization, and it really seems as though they are in over their heads. It's also a very active plot. Instead of Poirot spending most his time exercising his "little grey cells" in an armchair, he and Hastings do a lot of traveling.My favorite character in all fiction is Sherlock Holmes, and this book reminds me of Doyle's Holmes mysteries in many ways. I think there are even a few deliberate references written in by Christie. Some might complain and call it derivative, but I loved it!
    • 4/5
      England, ca 1927Kaptajn Hastings kommer uanmeldt på besøg fra Argentina for at besøge Hercule Poirot, men denne er uanmeldt på vej til at rejse til Sydamerika. Det forstyrres dog af en mand, Meyerlink, der har været forsvunden i 5 år, men nu dukker op for at advare Poirot om "De fire store" forbrydere ledet af Li Chang Yen, de andre tre er en mystisk amerikaner, en ditto fransk kvinde og nr fire kaldet Ødelæggeren.Inspektør Japp fra Skotland Yard er som altid kæk og munter, men uden at være den store hjælp.Meyerlink bliver myrdet på en måde, der ikke efterlader spor og så går Hercule Poirot i krig. En Mr. John Ingles er den, der bedst kender til organisationen og det er ikke meget. En mand ved navn Jonathan Whalley er næste spor, men han er allerede myrdet, da de når frem.Skurkene er ude efter verdensherredømmet. De har en kraftig stråle, som de kan rette hvorhen de ønsker det. En britisk flådeenhed er blevet udslettet, men det holdes hemmeligt. En videnskabsmand, Halliday, er forsvundet. Poirot opdager at Madame Olivier er den ene af De fire Store. Han retter også mistanken mod Abe Ryland og får Hastings smuglet ind som sekretær, velvidende at Hastings ikke er nogen god skuespiller. Ryland lægger en fælde for Poirot, men går tilsyneladende selv i den. Dog kun tilsyneladende, men nu ved Poirot at Ryland og Olivier og Li Chang Yen udgør tre af de fire. Den fjerde er en forrygende god forklædningskunstner og snigmorder. Han optræder som læge i Sagen om De gule Jasminer. En skakmatch mellem Gilmour Wilson og Dr. Savoronoff ender med at Wilson dør. Åbningstrækket var Ruy Lopez, også kaldet spansk åbning. Og Wilson blev dræbt med elektricitet gennem en skakbrik. Poirot gennemskuer plottet, men forbryderne flygter.Hastings bliver bortført, men befriet af Poirot. En miss Flossie Monro dukker op og giver Poirot et tip om sin kæreste Claud Darrell, der har det med at lege med brød ved bordet og så duppe krummerne op. Det koster hende livet. Senere bliver Poirot og Hastings kaldt til et hus, hvor der sker en eksplosion og da Hastings vågner, får han at vide at Poirot er død.Senere får han et brev angiveligt sendt posthumt af Poirot, der beder ham rejse til Sydamerika. Skibet standses af et orlogsfartøj og ombord finder han Poirot.Jagten kulminerer i Felsen-labyrinten, hvor Poirot afsløres som Achille Poirot, Hercules tvillingebror, men det er nu også fup.Skurkene bliver dræbt i en eksplosion. Li Chang Yen begår selvmord, Mr. Abe Ryland og Madame Olivier dør, Eller måske undslipper nummer fire? Grevinde Vera Rossakoff skifter side, fordi Poirot har fundet hendes forsvundne søn, og hjælper Hastings og Poirot til at undslippe.James Bond agtig, men skrevet inden James Bond bøgerne, så det må jo være James Bond, der er Poirot agtig.
    • 3/5
      I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and I absolutely adore Hercule Poirot, but this book fell flat for me. It seemed that Dame Agatha tried too much with this one. There were so many conspiracies going on and so many plot twists, that Hastings wasn't the only clueless person around. Plus all of the times that Poirot foiled the plots of the Big Four, but did not manage to capture them, made the story appear to drag on forever. However, it IS Agatha Christie and it IS Hercule Poirot, so I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
    • 4/5
      A thriller rather than a whodunnit, this adventure sets Poirot and Hastings up against a mysterious group plotting to control the world. An enjoyable read if slightly episodic in places, and an abrupt resolution which doesn't quite match the feel of the rest of the book.
    • 3/5
      I haven't read a lot of Agatha Christie but this was certainly the most clichéd mystery novel I have read. Hastings comes across as more dim-witted than usual and all the villains are stereotypes of 20s racial views. The story is certainly of its time but not the best of Christie from what I've read so far.
    • 3/5
      I love the Grand Dame of mystery, and Hercule Poirot is one of my favorites. His adventures can be quite different from each other, but this is the first Poirot book I've read where Christie indulged in her secret criminal conspiracy plot device. She clearly had a fondness for spy intrigue and shady evil organizations, and I've read some of her other books that develop this theme, but never with Poirot before. While I find her books in this vein entertaining, I do prefer her more pure mysteries. The evil masterminds strike me as cartoony and unbelievable. I am being harsh - I like Noir style mysteries, and the Thin Man series, and they have many traits in common, but I suppose I am happier when Christie is spinning out a web of lies and deceit in an intimate setting of family and friends, rather than crafting spy capers. To leave meandering, and address this particular book, I did enjoy it, and read through it in only two days. The story reunites Poirot with his old friend Hastings, who serves as a wonderful foil to his sleuthing. Hastings rightly points out Poirot's arrogance and finicky ways, but consistently overestimates his own talents and intelligence, and is righteously indignant when anyone points out his flaws (especially in comparison with Poirot). Nonetheless, the two men are close friends, and the story begins with Hastings embarked on a surprise visit. He lives in South America, but is in England for business. However, when he arrives at Poirot's flat, the Belgian is about to embark on a business trip to South America! Poirot is reluctant to go - he has been occupied with a mysterious organization called the Big Four, who he suspects are mastermind criminals. Poirot made a promise, though, and he intends to keep it. Until an unexpected visitor joins them, walking into the sitting room from Poirot's bedroom.The man is covered in mud and nearly catatonic. He keeps repeating the same phrases over and over. More unusual, of course, is the fact that he arrived from the bedroom of a flat on an upper story, where the only entry is a window, and that he is rambling about the Big Four. Poroit eventually realizes that his trip to South America was arranged by the mysterious 4, and he promptly heads back to his flat, but not in time to stop the bad guys from killing his visitor, who turns out to be a part of British secret intelligence. Now that Poirot's suspicions are confirmed, the hunt is on, and he will stop at nothing to track down and destroy the Big Four. Although the book is a novel, it often feels like a collection of short stories. In order to fight the Big Four, Poirot and Hastings follow every lead they find that is connected to the group. These nebulous connections lead into mini mysteries of their own, like the old man with his throat slit in his own house when no strangers visited the town, and the scientist who went missing in France. Some of the smaller episodes are more spy adventure, such as when Hastings goes undercover in the rich American's house to find out if he is one of the infamous four. Eventually, Poirot learns how to anticipate his opponents' moves, and puts all the random clues and leads together, planning a way to completely outmaneuver the Big Four and end their tyranny.While not my favorite Poirot adventure, this novel is still highly entertaining and readable. The relationship between Poirot and Hastings is precious. Several times I laughed aloud at things one of them said. The small mysteries are satisfying, and the ending is appropriately grand and melodramatic. I know not everyone likes Christie mysteries, but I don't understand why, because she is such fun. This is not one of her finest works, but it's still a good time.
    • 5/5
      An excellent Christie work. There are many small mysteries solved by the little grey-celled Belgian that all stack together to lead to the Big Four themselves and their crimes.
    • 2/5
      This is, up to now, my least favourite in the Poirot series. Of course, it's fun to read as the writing style of Christie as such is as good as ever. However, The Big Four is more of a thriller story than a real detective narrative. Afterwards, I read that it was composed of separately published short stories and that Christie herself noted ``I have been, once, in a position where I wanted to write just for the sake of money coming in and when I felt I couldn't – it is a nerve wracking feeling. [...] That was the time I had to produce that rotten book The Big Four [...]''. One can tell. :-(
    • 5/5
      One of my favourite Christie books. It is shaped somewhat differently than your run-of-the-mill murder mystery, I but I believe she did try to challenge herself (and her readers) by breaking with tradtional formulae. The introduction of Poirot's "brother" is a nice touch, too.
    • 3/5
      Poirot is brought up against an international conspiracy headed by the melodramatically-named Big Four: four individuals from America, France, China, and England. Poirot faces each in a series of extremely contrived adventures. The story is extremely cheesy, but lots of fun. Not a story to be taken seriously, but an enjoyable romp.
    • 2/5
      Just as Poirot is about to leave for South America (and Hastings arrives from South America,) a man wanders into Poirot's office/apartment deliriously muttering something about "The Big Four"... International intrigue and homicides notwithstanding, absolutely ridiculous plot and characters. It's hard to believe that this came from the same author who gave is, 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'!
    • 3/5
      My least favorite Agatha Christie book...it just didn't work having Poirot take on "The Big Four". Poirot works better in a tradional mystery setting (someone dies, there are clues, people get questioned, mystery gets solved).
      Characters are still amazing. The Plot just wasn't up to her usual quality.
    • 1/5
      A great disappointment after the skillful and inventive The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The Big Four barely holds together as a book. Indeed it may not be said to have a plot at all. Instead it is a series of vignettes that are tied together with the loosest of bindings. I presume what Christie was aiming for was a romp such as she had provided in several of her earlier books but this time with Poirot and Hastings at the center of the story. But instead of a romp she delivered a book that lacks both insight and joy with cardboard cutouts rather than characters.In many ways the most interesting thing about this book is the insight it gives into how precarious the world of the privileged middle-class seemed in the late 20s even before the stock market crash. Without doubt this book has no pretensions to realism yet at the same time it wouldn't have worked had it not played on the barely unconscious fears of the relatively monied that their world was tottering on the edge of something very frightening. All around they looked and they saw labour unrest and the overthrow of governments and they cannot believe that such things could hapen without some mastermind behind the scenes. Not, I think, because they thought that the workers had no reason to complain about anything but more because they really didn't believe that ordinary workers were capable of organizing themselves. And this book reflects the dream that if only the heads of those dread organizations could be cut off then the workers would subside back into their previous state of continual but safe discontent.
    • 4/5
      Captain Hastings and Hercule Poirot investigate several quite varied crimes only to find a common thread running through them. Before long, Poirot believes that they are up against an international cabal that calls itself "The Big Four." It is made up of a brilliant Chinese strategist, a female French scientist, a very wealthy American, and a master of disguise who calls himself, simply, Number Four. Close calls and near catastrophes abound, and even though it has taken the better part of a year, Poirot's obsession with destroying The Big Four will either be realized or will be the death of him. Literally.This book took a slightly different track to the finish than Christie's other Poirot novels. It was great fun to read, though.
    • 2/5
      A very odd Poirot novel. He & Hastings travel around trying to locate The Big Four supervillains who want to take over the world. Poirot comes across as a sub-standard James Bond. Give me a closed country house / train / ocean liner setting with a small group of suspects & a murder any day. NB. Reading other reviews I understand this was 12 short stories mashed together - and it shows in the disjointed novel.
    • 4/5
      A Hurcule Poirot mystery. This was not one of his better ones. I think it was written later and was an attempt to give Poirot a more challengeing foe as well as write an international spy novel. It was an enjoyable read but is not nearly as believable as most of the other Poirot novels.