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The Big Four (Hercule Poirot, #5)

Agatha Christie

Start date: July 1, 2025

Finish date: July 31, 2025

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Why we're reading this: Next in our Poirot and Marple challenge
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* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
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last updated Sep 12, 2025 08:12PM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
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What Members Thought

Jun 10, 2018 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This novel was published in 1927. It follows, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” and it also followed Christie’s notorious eleven day disappearance; an event which haunted her all her life. Devastated by the death of her mother, and the breakdown of her marriage, her brother in law suggested that she re-work some short stories, previously published in “The Sketch,” an American magazine. Due to the publicity surrounding her disappearance, “The Big Four,” was a huge success – much more so than, “The M This novel was published in 1927. It follows, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” and it also followed Christie’s notorious eleven day disappearance; an event which haunted her all her life. Devastated by the death of her mother, and the breakdown of her marriage, her brother in law suggested that she re-work some short stories, previously published in “The Sketch,” an American magazine. Due to the publicity surrounding her disappearance, “The Big Four,” was a huge success – much more so than, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.” However, despite this, the critical acclaim for Roger Ackroyd has grown (quite rightly), while, “The Big Four,” has been criticised as being disjointed. Robert Barnard, for example, stated that it was, “cobbled together,” “demeaning to Poirot,” and “pretty dreadful.”

Despite these criticisms, though, “The Big Four,” is, to my mind, a lot of fun and showed just how good Christie was under pressure. This is more thriller than mystery and it may have been, “cobbled together,” from different short stories, but it has a lot to delight fans. It begins with Hastings returning from Argentina, on a surprise visit; only to discover that Poirot is about to leave the country. However, Poirot’s journey is delayed by a mysterious stranger and, before long, Poirot and Hastings are embroiled in trying to uncover the Big Four – a criminal gang responsible for illegal activities worldwide.

What follows is non-stop action, as Hastings and Poirot follow leads, investigate murders, find themselves in danger and do what they can to discover the identity of these criminal masterminds. The relationship between Poirot and Hastings is both warm and humorous. I listened to the Audible version of this, read by Hugh Fraser, who played Hastings in the television series and I enjoyed his narration. Yes, sometimes the plot gets a bit silly, but I loved the real sense of affection that Poirot displays for his friend, Hastings loyalty and the brief appearances of Japp. Although it isn’t Christie’s best, it is better than most author’s could have come up with. Sadly, it is one of only two Poirot novels which has no dedication, possibly showing how alone, or dispirited, she felt at that time. Even at such a low point, she created a fun, fast-moving novel, with a lot of recommend it to Poirot fans and, as such, it is certainly worth reading.

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Mar 08, 2019 Christine PNW rated it did not like it

This book is ranked at 65/66 in my definitive ranking of all 66 full length Agatha Christie mysteries.

The Big Four was published fairly early in Christie's career, in 1927, and stands in as the 4th full-length Poirot mystery. Agatha was still alternating between standard mystery and international espionage at this point in her career. In the Poirot canon, The Big Four is preceded by The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Murder on the Links and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, two solid mysteries and one, ...more

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May 13, 2013 Kavita rated it liked it

Shelves: author-on-lsd, uk, mystery

I can see many one and two star reviews for The Big Four. I can understand where they come from. The book is nothing like a normal Christie and the plot goes haywire with spies and international criminals running around all over the place. It is also inconceivable to see Poirot, as good as he is, being so scary to those aiming for world domination! I mean, you are either a detective solving crimes or you are an international diplomat / spy. You can't be both!

The enemy here is an organisation cal I can see many one and two star reviews for The Big Four. I can understand where they come from. The book is nothing like a normal Christie and the plot goes haywire with spies and international criminals running around all over the place. It is also inconceivable to see Poirot, as good as he is, being so scary to those aiming for world domination! I mean, you are either a detective solving crimes or you are an international diplomat / spy. You can't be both!

The enemy here is an organisation called - you got it - The Big Four - named so, because it is run by four people. Three of them are white, and the invisible one is a Chinese. There are also a lot of Russians running about, completely unrelated to the main story. I think in Christie's mind, the Bolshevik Revolution was the coming of the end of the world, and the organising of the Big Four culminating in civilisation's downfall. I mean, whatever would happen to the moneyed people if the workers stood up for their rights? It means the end of the world, I tell you!

The book was published in 1927, ten years after the Bolshevik Revolution, and pretty much at the time when the Communist Party of China was trying to take hold of China. People like Christie and her ilk must have been shaking in their expensive leather boots. The funny part is that none of it hangs together properly. The four criminals are aiming for world domination, but why? They are mostly from the upper class in their countries, and one of them is stinking rich and could buy off countries. The stunts pulled by the Big Four also defy imagination and common sense. On the other side, we have Poirot armed with nothing but his little grey cells. It's just too much to suspend disbelief.

Christie never did write good spy thrillers, even though she tried her hand at them several times. But the positive of this book is that she simply seems to have gotten carried away and had the time of her life. The plots are really over the top and I am just picturing Christie laughing as she types away on her typewriter. For a similar reason, I really enjoyed the book despite its complete lack of value as a detective story. It's like a journey into a psychedelic Poirot world. ...more

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Jun 23, 2018 Frances rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-series

Something of a diversion for Christie, into a world of criminal masterminds. Poirot and Hastings are together again, and there are a series of smaller mysteries making up one overarching story. I'm enjoying reading the Poirot's in series and watching the progression of the characters and style. ...more

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Aug 12, 2018 Bev rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: british-mystery, bought-2016, vintage-mystery, mount-tbr-2018, mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Big Four (1927) by Agatha Christie....or "Christie does Sax Rohmer complete with evil Chinese genius and secret society." Also--Poirot does a Sherlock Holmes on his dear friend Hastings and co. So, yeah. I read this one long ago and far away during my big Agatha Christie binge--from elementary school through junior high. And I thought it was pretty good--of course, I think evil geniuses trying to take over the world have a greater appeal to a younger mindset. And I didn't catch the parallel The Big Four (1927) by Agatha Christie....or "Christie does Sax Rohmer complete with evil Chinese genius and secret society." Also--Poirot does a Sherlock Holmes on his dear friend Hastings and co. So, yeah. I read this one long ago and far away during my big Agatha Christie binge--from elementary school through junior high. And I thought it was pretty good--of course, I think evil geniuses trying to take over the world have a greater appeal to a younger mindset. And I didn't catch the parallel to Holmes--with Poirot allowing his friends to think he was dead so he could work on catching the criminals.

This time around I found myself much less enthralled with Poirot taking on the secret society. I don't think Christie was at her best when she wrote thrillers, but I enjoy her thrillers more when they are stand-alones rather than inserting Poirot into the mix. There's still an element of fun in watching him track down the elusive Big Four and a bit of humor in the introduction of his brother Achilles. But I certainly can't give it the 3.5 stars my younger self handed out. ★★ and 1/2.

This book may not have had as great an appeal to my middle-aged self as it did to the younger me--but it is still WAY better than the Suchet production (keep in mind that I like Suchet as Poirot) and don't even get me started on the production of The Labours of Hercules (though I will talk about that in a minute...). I mean, megalomaniacs who want to take over the world make for good, over-the-top adventure when one is in the mood for it. But to take that and reduce it to the machinations of one guy who is out to impress a girl who rejected him several years ago? Seriously? I'm sorry, but no. Give me the honest to goodness evil geniuses any day.

And Labours of Hercules? They took an enjoyable series of short stories built around Poirot performing detective tasks in the mode of the tasks performed by Hercules smooshed several of them together (and left out others) to make a horrible mishmash whose point seemed to be to highlight Poirot's overweening pride, and to make the series even darker and more depressing. My little gray cells may not be all that, but even I knew immediately what an astoundingly bad idea it was for the guard to show the woman at the beginning the "secret" knock out in the open with a dozen or so people all around. And Poirot just stands there and watches her do it and didn't think a thing about it.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks. ...more

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Jun 26, 2025 Jackie rated it liked it

This is an oddly silly change of pace from all the other Christie novels, suffering from being short stories stuck together. It is nowhere near as good as her other books, but mildly entertaining to see Hastings and Poirot sucked up into an international conspiracy of cartoon villains. (view spoiler) Another reviewer said it read like Fan Fic, but it's really more ...more

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Jan 05, 2023 Amy marked it as abandoned

Shelves: 2023-crime-spree, brit-trip, read-as-an-audiobook, 2023

A “Moriarty type” trope is one of my least favorite to read and this fall squarely in that category.

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Feb 27, 2020 Bev rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-mystery, mystery, vintage-mystery, suspense, thriller, audionovel, agatha-christie

I reread my own paper copy of this novel about two years ago (review at title link). At that time I also viewed the David Suchet version of the story. I won't rehash the plot here or reference my previous review--other than to say: Of these three recent experiences of Christie's excursion into the evil masterminds/thriller genre, I much prefer this audio version with Hugh Fraser narrating. Fraser does a terrific job managing all the different voices and accents--from Poirot's French to Russian a ...more

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Jun 25, 2015 Julie rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: detectives, reviewed

This was really bad. I can't believe Agatha Christie went from The Murder of Roger Ackroyd to this... drivel. Nothing in here felt coherent, and I had to check out reviews just to make sure that it was really as bad as I felt it was (it was). Apparently, it was conceived as a serial and then published all together, and it did read that way.

Felt like the plot would be better off as an episode of Lupin III or Detective Conan, tbh. Also Hastings is here (which, in my experience, is never a good si ...more

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