| The Big Four |  | Author: Agatha Christie
Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $2.69
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Avg. Customer Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 3475668
Format: Large Print
Media: Paperback
Edition: Largeprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 280
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 0816145342
Dewey Decimal Number: 823
EAN: 9780816145348
ASIN: 0816145342
Publication Date: July 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Former Library book. Binding is slightly damaged and/or book has some loose pages. No missing pages. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy!
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Product Description
An emaciated stranger approaches Hercule Poirot, shouts a warning about "the big four" and drops dead. Who knew Poirot's inquiry into the man's odd behavior would lead to an underground laboratory, an insane asylum, and rumors of a secret weapon?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 54 more reviews...
 If you like Sherlock Holmes you will LOVE this one! June 13, 2008
One of my favorite Poirot mysteries ever! Probably second to his last mystery, Curtain. (If you like Sherlock Holmes, read Curtain and The Big Four...you'll love them.)
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!
 not much mystery to this mystery March 10, 2008
If you like a mystery to think over and try to solve, this will not be one of your favorite Agatha Christie's. This is an account of Poirot's uncovering of the Big Four. It wasn't one of my favorites.
The Moriarty Syndrome October 25, 2007
Ever since Sherlock Holmes pursued the super-villain Professor Moriarty, mystery writers have seemed compelled to pit their sleuths against an invincible evil opponent, often with the fate of the world in the balance. These efforts universally fall short of the authors' usual standards of excellence (Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe vs Arnold Zeck for instance).
Agatha Christie's "The Big Four" falls into this category. The saving grace is that Miss Christie treats the whole thing as a joke. The book reads more like an E Philips Oppenheim adventure than a detective story. Because Hercule Poirot is so great, Miss Christie matches him against not one but four super-villains including a Fu Manchu look-alike. There are both overt and subtle references to Sherlock Holmes. Even Chesterton's "invisible postman" makes an appearance.
Have fun. Forget detection. Approach "The Big Four" in the same spirit as you would a James Bond adventure.
Quite a departure from the norm February 20, 2007
Poirot is confronted by a quartet of super criminals in this rather bizarre departure from the normal circumstances Christie uses to tell the tales of her Belgian detective. The reader is supposed to imagine that the only thing preventing world domination by this group is the existence of Hercule Poirot and his "little grey cells." I have to be honest; this is a leap I was not willing to take. James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, even Doc Savage, is a better fit for this storyline. I must admit I was intrigued by how Christie tried to shoehorn her creation into this mix of intrigue, espionage, and Fu Manchu. It's not successful, but I was entertained by the overall strangeness of this outing. Read it for the experience of seeing Hercule Poirot: Action Hero!
Lots of Action! October 27, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have read all of the Poirot stories; and I find that this is my favorite, second only to Curtain. I like it because it is very different than the other books of the series. Poirot is much more a man of action, and the killer stays ahead of Poirot for most of this book. (Poirot is usually more in control early on in his cases.) There is also much more danger with Poirot being called upon more than once to save Hastings' life.
This story showcases Hastings' innocence and trusting nature more than any other book of the series. Because of Hastings' personality, Poirot has to resort to tricking him to effectively solve the case. The creation of Poirot's twin brother is one of the most interesting factors in this tale. Agatha Christie tricks her readers a bit too, but finally lets us in on the truth at the end.
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