The Big Four: The Original 12 Stories

by Agatha Christie, Gabrielle de Cuir Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, John Rubinstein, Gabrielle de Cuir

Overview

“If one man does not make a move, the other must, and by permitting the adversary to make the attack one learns something about him.”

In The Big Four, Hercule Poirot investigates a string of murders that appear to be disconnected on the surface, but Agatha Christie's Belgian detective sees the only tiny detail that links them all together. For some obscure reason that Poirot is determined to uncover, the number four keeps popping up with every killing. Poirot soon learns that there is in fact an international crime gang dubbed “The Big Four,” and he sets off after them. With Hastings once again at his side, Monsieur Poirot travels all over Europe to find them, but the pair are always seem to be a step behind this shadowy syndicate.

This audiobook features the original twelve linked stories as they first appeared in The Sketch periodical, before Christie re-worked them with her brother-in-law to create the novel, The Big Four. Originally titled The Man Who Was Number Four: Further of Adventures of M. Poirot, this collection not only sees the return of Hastings and Inspector Japp, but it also introduced to the world Achille Poirot, the identical twin of Hercule Poirot himself!

Featuring original advertisements from The Sketch, and an introduction by Gabrielle de Cuir.

Full Contents:

“The Unexpected Guest”

“The Adventure of the Dartmoor Bungalow”

“The Lady on the Stairs”

“The Radium Thieves”

“In the House of the Enemy”

“The Yellow Jasmine Mystery”

“The Chess Problem”

“The Baited Trap”

“The Adventures of the Peroxide Blonde”

“The Terrible Catastrophe”

“The Dying Chinaman”

“The Crag in the Dolomites”

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2023 - AudioFile

In 1924, 12 Christie short stories were serialized in "The Sketch" and later published in novel form. Now on audio they can intrigue listeners. John Rubinstein captures the familiar voices of Poirot and Hastings. Rubinstein perfectly delivers the French accent of the great Belgian detective and the classic British voice of the good-hearted, naïve Captain Hastings. The story reads more like a spy thriller than a typical Christie as the villain is a criminal cabal bent on world domination. There's more action than detection. As was the case in "The Sketch," there are commercials. These are artfully presented by Gabrielle de Cuir and Stefan Rudnicki. The stories are not Christie at her best, but the production entertains and is professionally done. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160056791
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	08/15/2023
Series:	Hercule Poirot Series
Edition description:	Unabridged

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