THE BIG FOUR

THE BIG FOUR is a work of detective fiction by British author, AGATHA CHRISTIE, first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons in 1927 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. It features Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings, and Inspector Japp. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) and the US edition at $2.00. THE BIG FOUR was published a few short weeks after the disappearance and reappearance of Christie. The resulting publicity caused the new novel to become a sales hit. Sales were good enough to double the success of her previous book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The structure of the novel is different from other Poirot stories, as it began as twelve short stories (eleven in the US) that had been separately published. This is a tale of international intrigue and espionage. The Big Four is an international crime cartel with four leaders, a Chinese political mastermind named Li Chang Yen; an American; a Frenchwoman; and the fourth leader known only as "the Destroyer." The novel was adapted for television in 2013.