The Big Four (novel)

The Big Four

Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition
Author	Agatha Christie
Cover artist	Thomas Derrick
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Crime novel
Publisher	William Collins & Sons
Publication date	27 January 1927
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages	282 (first edition, hardback)
Preceded by	The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Followed by	The Mystery of the Blue Train

The Big Four is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons on 27 January 1927 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. It features Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings, and Inspector (later, Chief Inspector) Japp. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) and the US edition at $2.00.

The structure of the novel is different from other Poirot stories, as it began from twelve short stories (eleven in the US) that had been separately published. This is a tale of international intrigue and espionage, therefore opening up the possibility of more spy fiction from Christie.

The opening chapters are set in Hercule Poirot's apartment in London. There is an abortive railway trip to Southampton and the return trip to London. There is then a visit to an unnamed village in Devon, situated in the vicinity of Dartmoor. The village of Chobham which Poirot visits next is an actual location in Surrey. The action then moves to France, in the Passy area of Paris. The action returns to the United Kingdom in the fictional location of Hatton Chase, seat of the Duke of Loamshire. Followed by a visit to Market Hanford, Worcestershire. The action next returns to London and to London's Chinatown. There is also a visit to a restaurant in Soho. The action then moves abroad to Belgium. There are two trips on ocean-going ships. Finally there is a railway trip from London to Paris and from there to South Tyrol in Italy.