The Big Four - Agatha Christie

Published in an omnibus edition: "The Pale Horse"; "The Big Four" and "The Secret Adversary" as part of the "Agatha Christie Crime Collection", first published by the Hamlyn Publishing Group: London, 1970. This edition published by Lansdowne Press: Dee Why West, Australia, 2009.
First published individually in book form, 1927.

I usually like Poirot novels; there are a lot of twists and turns, with unexpected moments that - in hindsight - are clever solutions that fit the evidence better than the 'obvious' ones. Poirot is always the smartest person in the room, and the cases are ones that only he could solve.

The Big Four is a little different, and - to me - a little underwhelming. This is mostly because of its structure: The Big Four originated as a series of short stories, each individually published, that eventually got collected into a book, with a little bit of connective tissue added in. Unfortunately, the short story aspect shows through, and prevents the story from going as "deep" and "complicated" as the majority of Poirot stories are able to.

The storyline is also a little different; rather than focusing on a specific mystery that needs solving, Poirot is here attempting to uncover a vast criminal conspiracy, with four main antagonists, and each few chapters gives a relatively self-contained adventure towards that end. With solutions to each mini-mystery coming at a regular pace, there is less 'complications' to unpack, and therefore each mystery is far more 'solvable' on its own. 

One other element that I feel needs mentioning: the book was originally published in 1927, and includes some Chinese characters. These, unfortunately, fall into some stock stereotypes, particularly in the way they talk. The characters are not super-prominent, but I did find the 'dated' stereotypes a little bit uncomfortable whenever they showed up. Just another reason why this particular entry is not going to be high on my list to revisit!

Completed 31 August 2026.

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