Written by Agatha Christie
SUMMARY:
Originally published in 1927, this 215-page Berkley Books paperback reprint was released in 1984. On an extended visit from Argentina, Captain Arthur Hastings reunites with Hercule Poirot to investigate the shadowy criminal mastermind, Li Chang Yen.
Despite Scotland Yard’s skepticism, a series of outlandish murder-mysteries in the course of roughly a year lead Poirot and Hastings into repeated contact with the so-called ‘Big Four:’ a mythical quartet of criminals ultimately bent on global domination. Among them is a chameleon-like master assassin, who may be the Belgian sleuth’s most elusive foe.
Not only are the lives of Hastings and his beloved wife threatened, the ‘Big Four’ intends to finish off Poirot. This deadly cat-and-mouse game ensures that the world isn’t big enough for these four super-crooks and Hercule Poirot.
REVIEW:
If Christie fans ever visualized Hercule Poirot as an indomitable super-spy vs. international forces of evil, then The Big Four is this unlikely dream come true.
Unlike her other Poirot whodunnits, Agatha Christie aims for a pulpy, globe-trotting James Bond-style espionage adventure with familiar elements of Sherlock Holmes thrown in for good measure. Hastings’ presence as a ‘Dr. Watson’ becomes essential, as his point-of-view dominates the story’s narrative. It’s only through Hastings’ voice that Christie can pitch Li Chang Yen (her answer to Fu Manchu) and his cutthroats as remotely credible foes for Poirot.
What hampers The Big Four’s entertaining plot too often is implausibility, as Christie’s plot is more akin to a comic strip. Pre-dating SPECTRE from the James Bond movies, the assembled villains should be tangling with Sean Connery (in Christie’s works, he would be an ideal ‘Colonel Race’) rather than David Suchet, so to speak. Counter-balancing this preposterous spy games formula, Christie devises some clever mini-mysteries worthy of Conan Doyle, so that Poirot can decipher their nebulous link to ‘The Big Four.’
To some extent, Christie’s game plan clicks, unless the reader ponders the various plot deficiencies. One instance stems from Hastings himself, as he inexplicably doesn’t express a shred of remorse about being away from his family for months on end.
In fairness, it’s implied that Hastings remains in correspondence with his wife, as she plays a brief off-screen role. Not seen since Murder on the Links, her presence is relegated here to potential collateral damage only. How Poirot discreetly resolves this matter suggests that he has vast global resources not previously disclosed by Christie. Failing to anchor The Big Four to any semblance of reality is perhaps The Big Four’s most unique element (or detriment).
Poirot even resorts to a dubious literary cliché late in the game that comes out of nowhere. The Big Four’s wild endgame, as a result, is again far closer to a Bond caper than anything a Christie aficionado might expect. Curiously, Christie leaves a few plot threads stoking a potential sequel, but she never followed up on them. Perhaps she sensed that The Big Four goes so far too over the top to dare revisiting its sub-plots.
Still, Christie smartly depicts, no matter their prior faith in him, a skeptical Scotland Yard’s dismissal of Poirot’s claim of a grandiose conspiracy plot, as if it’s straight out of the funny papers. That much makes sense in The Big Four; everything else is strictly old-school pulp fiction – including occasionally some of Christie’s racist overtones.
Upon suspending sufficient disbelief, The Big Four could be a fun bedtime read, likely even for non-Poirot fans. One just needs to keep in mind that this Poirot caper isn’t among Christie’s better efforts.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
A table of contents is included.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
