The Big Four

About the book

An unexpected visitor brings Poirot a disturbing fragment of information about a group known as the Big Four. The detective and Hastings pursue connections among incidents that initially seem to belong to different investigations, encountering threats whose scale exceeds a single household or inheritance. Christie gives this adventure an episodic rhythm, with each new encounter contributing to a larger contest of concealment and strategy. The familiar partnership supplies humour and emotional continuity while the plot favours international conspiracy and sudden danger. Disguise and the management of appearances become as important as the interpretation of clues. Readers approaching the book as a thriller can enjoy its changes of scene and pace, while noting how far its expansive adversaries stretch the ordinary dimensions of Poirot's work.

• Conspiracy
• Disguise
• Partnership

Why read it

For an unusually adventurous Poirot story that gives the detective and Hastings a succession of linked threats to confront.

English text