The Big Four

An unexpected visitor comes into Hercule Poirot's bedroom and collapses on the floor. The only clue as to what he wants is his repeating Poirot's name and address and writing the number 4, many times. When Poirot's friend Hastings jokingly calls it "The Mystery of the Big Four," The visitor begins speaking about an international crime cartel of that name. He describes the four leaders: Number 1 is a Chinese political mastermind named Li Chang Yen; Number 2 is probably American; Number 3 is a Frenchwoman; and Number 4 is known only as "the Destroyer." The man dies soon after and Poirot and Hastings go off on the trail of the Big Four. Poirot's grandest and most dangerous case to date.

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was an English novelist and playwright widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of detective fiction. Over a career spanning more than five decades, she authored sixty-six detective novels, numerous short stories, and the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap.Christie created two of crime literature's most enduring figures: the meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and the perceptive village sleuth Miss Marple. Her fiction is distinguished by tightly constructed plots, ingenious misdirection, and a deep understanding of human motive. Blending intellectual puzzle with social observation, her novels helped define the Golden Age of British detective fiction.One of the best-selling authors of all time, Christie's works have been translated into more than one hundred languages and continue to shape popular conceptions of the classic mystery novel.