Customer Reviews

The Big Four (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Hercule Poirot Mysteries (Prebound))

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

For those who think Ian Flemming invented the novel of international intrigue, Agatha Christie anticipated him by several decades. Poirot and Hastings confront an international cabal intent on nothing less than world domination. Close calls and near misses abound, and early on in the saga Poirot extricates himself and Hastings from certain death with a deus ex machina worthy of the most futuristic weapon ever employed by James Bond.

As Holmes and Watson dueled to the death with Moriarty and his three henchmen in "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House", Poirot and Hastings do battle with the Big Four. Moriarty's aims were more modest than the Big Four's, but Poirot's battle was no more earnest than Holmes'. Just as Holmes' smarter brother, the indolent Mycroft, assisted in the defeat of Moriarty, Hercule's smarter-but-lazy brother Achille assisted in the defeat of the Big Four.

The story proved fun to read, but it wasn't up to the best of Christie's efforts.

I'm a big fan of Hercule Poirot's mysteries. I agree with otherreviewers, though, that this book does not reflect Ms. Christie'susual style. In fact, I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as her other Poirot novels, so if any of you haven't read Agatha Christie books before, DO NOT start with this one. Get Five Little Pigs instead. By the way, to another reviewer, Hastings meets his wife to be in Murder on the Links. Anyway, read Big Four after you've read more of Christie's books.

I love, love, love Agatha Christie. When I read the back cover of "The Big Four", though, I became a little skeptical about how she could cover such world intrigue with huge characters in such a short book.

I should have listened to my instincts. This book seems as if A) she was in a hurry to get something out on a deadline, or B) it was written by someone else entirely.

It was choppy, predictable, pointless, and very far-fetched. I hope this is not the first Agatha Christie read for someone, because otherwise it will be their last, and they will forever wonder what the fuss is about her.

I gave it two stars instead of one only because it's worth a read ONLY if you are trying to read her complete collection.

This is a slightly different mystery from Christie's other works. I would look at it as more of a spy story really as opposed to a traditional whodunit. Simply put, there is a gang of international crooks called the "Big Four" whose aim is nothing less than world domination. Poirot stumbles onto their doings by accident and then makes it his personal mission to stop and destroy this group. A nice addition is Captain Hastings, back from South America for a trip. I always thought that the Poirot mysteries were so much more entertaining with Hastings on the scene. The plot itself is a bit far-fetched but then again, looking at how Hitler and Mussolini roused entire nations a few years later, this book which was written in the 1930's may be an eerie precursor of the power of mass hysteria. My only complaint is that much of the book reads like a series of almost separate incidents and there really doesn't appear to be too much connection between them and Poirot's mission. All the same, I feel that Christie's addicts will enjoy this one, again more for the atmosphere and the fun dialogue rather than wanting to read a great mystery.

Agatha Christie was out of her element in the spy thriller, The Big Four, in which the villains are fomenting nothing short of world wide conquest. And moving Hercule Poirot away from country houses was not a good idea as he traipses uncharateristically all over the continent. His famous gray cells seem a little slow as well as all the puzzles set before him will be readily apparent to the reader long before the famous detective figures it out. The saving grave of this otherwise dismal entry into the Poirot library is the return of Hastings and the development of the relationship between Poirot and himself. A mystery to be skipped except for the die hard Christie fans.

It certainly isn't often that I would criticize an Agatha Christie book, but then again, The Big Four isn't exactly your normal Christie book.

The Big Four has Poirot go head to head with this larger then life crime group - aptly named The Big Four - which, amazingly, no one has ever heard of. The members of the Big Four are a Chinese businessman who helped the Russian Revolution, the richest man in the world, a brilliant French scientist, and another unknown man.

The Big Four has its headquarters in the side of a mountain, is capable of overthrowing governments, hijacking weapons and numerous other dangerous deeds that would put the bad guys from a James Bond movie to shame.

Besides the ridiculous story, boring characters and some of the least surprising plot twists I've ever seen from Agatha Christie, there really isn't much here worth mentioning.

If you're interested in seeing what a Bond movie in the 30s would be like, maybe the Big Four is for you, otherwise I can't imagine who this would appeal to.

This was the 5th Hercule Poirot mystery but is quite a bit different from MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES or many of the more famous later ones like MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS or DEATH ON THE NILE. The plot is more fantastic, involving a vast international conspiracy of supercriminals and has Poirot taking a much more active role than usual.

The story opens with Hastings planning to surprise Poirot by arriving from South America unannounced only to be surprised himself by Poirot's own imminient departure - for South America. A filthy stranger bursts into Poirot's apartment with a cryptic message which sets the two detectives on a long and twisted trail to save the world.

This book was published in 1927 not long after Christie's first marriage ended (and her mysterious disappearance). She was in deep financial trouble and took a suggestion to link together a series of previously published stories. (Information from Agatha Christie's autobiograhy).

This resulting book was immensely popular when it was first released but has not aged that well, in my opinion. If you are, like me, an advid Christie fan, you will probably find this book amusing but if you are new to Christie's work or are only familiar with the later books you probably would be better served with another choice.

This book is totally different from Christie's other stories. In this tale, Poirot faces a secret society formed by four criminal minds that seek to take over the world.

And the plot reminds a lot of a James Bond film. But Poirot has no guns or gadgets but his wits. The book has a racist touch, but then, so have many James Bond books and films. And this book was written at a time when the political situation of the world was a lot different.

So, what's this book worth? I personally believe it is highly entertaining. The mysterious Number Four is an intriguing character, an assassin and master of disguise. We never get to see his features, not even after he has died. As the story unfolds we face Poirot's death, his "return" from the dead and Hastings torn apart his loyalty to his friend and his wife. And the ending is equal to the rest of the book: Unrealistic, yes, but still fun to read.

I read this book almost twenty years ago and I still like it.

This is easily one of the best books by Agatha Christie. It is different from her other books because it is not the typical murder mystery with a victim and one murderer, who is unmasked in the last chapter. It is a thrilling, fast-paced story with all sorts of twists and turns. I agree with another reviewer that don't read this as your first Agatha Christie book. In order to appreciate the characters of Poirot and Hastings, you should have read at least 2-3 other Agatha Christie books featuring Poirot and Hastings. I read it about 10 years ago. Haven't read it again since then, but I still remember every single twist and turn from the story. It was so fasicnating that I still remember a few great dialogues from the book. If you are an Agatha Christie fan and are considering buying this book: set aside 5-8 hrs. for reading this book because you won't be able to keep it down once you start reading it. So make sure you start if only if you can finish it at one go.

Long before Hitler, Mussolini, or even Osama Bin Laden, Agatha Christie created a number of novels with the master-criminal-out-to-rule-the world theme. This time she gives us not one, but four such people: an extremely wealthy American, a powerful Oriental, a famous French scientist, and the elusive fourth. It is Poirot's mission to discover who the fourth person is and save the world from mass destruction. The adventure is highlighted by a visit from Poirot's faithful companion, Captain Arthur Hastings, who happens to be on a visit from his new home in Argentina. Poirot is always sharper when Hastings is around, and this book makes clear why the duo is a favorite of mystery lovers around the world.

Also notable in this book is the introduction of Achille Poirot, alleged brother of the famous Hercule. (If Sherlock could have Mycroft, why can't Hercule have Achille?)

My only criticism of this might be the sometimes bumpy construction, but it should be read more as a series of short stories rather than a cohesive novel. As a matter of fact, Chapter 11 "A Chess Problem" is often included in anthologies of short stories as a complete unit unto itself.

Sit back and enjoy as Poirot and Hastings keep the world safe.