Big Four | 
pickReading on #Litsy with Christie‘s Capers (Reading Agatha Christie's books in publication order) Hosted by @Librarybelle #AgathaChristieClubR3
4 Stars • In Agatha Christie's The Big Four (1927), Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings investigate a shadowy international crime syndicate known as the Big Four. ⬇️
It‘s time for our #ChristiesCapers discussion! I have five questions posted as spoilers; you can find them on my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtags.
Next month is another Poirot novel; this time, we‘re traveling on the Blue Train! Official post tomorrow! #AgathaChristieClubR3
janeycanuck, suvata, Aims42, MallenNC, Soscha, Cuilin, kspenmoll, BarbaraJean, PurpleyPumpkin, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, MariaW, elkeOriginal, AnneCecilie, Gissy, OutsmartYourShelf, mrp27, Larkken, Suet624, Cailey_Mac, Deblovestoread, ferskner, Marmie7, MaleficentBookDragon, majkia, Bookwormjillk, StayCurious, Teresereading, Laughterhp, RainyDayReading, Skygoddess1, Morr_Books, PathfinderNicole, dabbe, tdrosebud, MaGoose, ElizaMarie, bcncookbookclub, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Tineke, PageShifter, willaful, kimrenee, AnishaInkspill5. The ending...Poirot faking his own death to unmask the rest of the Numbers! We of course know that Poirot cannot possibly die at the end of this book, but imagine being a reader in 1927. Would you believe that Poirot was dead?
Incidentally, critics do say that this aspect was a good Poirot move...the book is not great, but at least there is a glimmer of the real Poirot in this move. #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3
4. Let's think about the characters beyond Poirot. We have Hastings back in this novel, and we fall into the conspiracy rabbit hole with this group of individuals who wish to control the world. Any thoughts on the Numbers? Any other characters worthy of discussion? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3
3. Poirot the action hero?!? Poirot's portrayal in this novel differs a bit from our prior reads. We still see Poirot putting together the pieces to the international crime cartel, but it just feels...well, different. Think back to our prior Poirot reads. Compare and contrast Poirot's methods in The Big Four versus his prior cases. Can the Poirot we know really be an action hero??? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3
2. The Big Four was actually a number of short stories thrown together into a novel. The stories first appeared in 1924 as a serial in magazines. In 1926 Christie decided to adapt the short stories into The Big Four. Critics cite the mishmash of stories, somewhat quickly put together to try and present a full length novel. Do you agree? Would this book have worked better as a collection of short stories? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3
1. The Big Four did not receive many positive reviews upon its publication in 1927; in fact, Christie called it “that rotten book,“ and critics rate it as one of their least favorite works by Christie.
What was your impression of this novel? How does it compare to other Poirot novels we read? If this was your first time ever reading a Christie mystery, would you pick up another one? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3
so-soHere‘s my review for this book I just finished reading for the #christiescapers buddy review and I finished just in time for the discussion too.
I started this book last night for the #christiescapers buddy read. So far, it‘s okay but I‘m not liking it. It feels different from other Poirot books. I feel like I don‘t understand what‘s going on in this book but I‘ll keep going with this book. If I can‘t get into this book, I‘ll probably DNF it but I hope I don‘t have to DNF because I like Agatha Christie.
“I have met people who enjoy a channel crossing: men who can sit calmly in their deck-chairs and, on arrival, wait until the boat is moored, then gather their belongings together without fuss and disembark.“
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
I try to be this person when traveling because I hate the stress of everyone jamming the exits on planes, trains, and ships. I wait until the end unless a short transfer forces me to be one of the crazies.
so-soI‘m reading along with #ChristiesCapers and this is our book for August and my #BookSpin for the month. If not for those two things, I don‘t think I‘d finish this. Maybe it‘s bc it came right after Roger Ackroyd but this was not fun. It was repetitive and often over the top. I just thought it would never end. Good thing Agatha Christie had quite a few more books to make up for this one!
We‘re a little less than 1.5 weeks away from our next #ChristiesCapers discussion!
This will be the third time reading this one for me, and I fully admit it‘s not a favorite of mine. I‘ve seen posts already that others may agree; the discussion will be interesting!
See you August 31st! #AgathaChristieClubR3
janeycanuck, suvata, Aims42, MallenNC, Soscha, Cuilin, kspenmoll, BarbaraJean, PurpleyPumpkin, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, MariaW, elkeOriginal, AnneCecilie, Gissy, OutsmartYourShelf, mrp27, Larkken, Suet624, Cailey_Mac, Deblovestoread, ferskner, Marmie7, MaleficentBookDragon, majkia, Bookwormjillk, StayCurious, Teresereading, Laughterhp, RainyDayReading, Skygoddess1, Morr_Books, PathfinderNicole, dabbe, tdrosebud, MaGoose, ElizaMarie, bcncookbookclub, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Tineke, PageShifter, willaful, kimrenee, AnishaInkspill
“Pardon, my friend, but it is possible that you read ‘The Future of the Argentine,‘ ‘Mirror of Society,‘ ‘Cattle Breeding,‘ ‘The Clue of Crimson,‘ and ‘Sport in the Rockies‘ at one and the same time?"
I laughed, and admitted that ‘The Clue of Crimson‘ was at present engaging my sole attention. Poirot shook his head sadly.
"But replace then the others on the bookshelf!"
——
Poirot would be aghast at the stacks of books on my nightstand. ?
meh. A disappointment after the wonders of Roger Ackroyd.
#ChristieCapers
@Librarybelle
I guess it would be cheating to use this cover for an #ISpy square. 😂
Christie's spy plots and her Poirot characters really don't mix well. It's melodramatic and silly and Poirot pokes fun at that while simultaneously being melodramatic and silly himself. I was stunned this followed “Roger Ackroyd“ but it turns out she wrote the stories individually and then came up with the framing device later. #ChristieCapers
“ I forbore to pander to his conceit by asking the obvious question.”(68).
This comment by Captain Hastings made me laugh! Obviously Poirot thought the Big 4 brains put together were not as intelligent as his brain! #littlegraycells #AgathaChristieClubR3
Enjoying this book featuring Hercule Poirot & his little gray cells.#ChristieCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3 #porchlife
Starting today. #AgathaChristieClubR3 #ChristieCapers
Between the smoke/haze & allergies - high, suggesting that “sensitive groups” stay inside, that is where I will be today.
Repost for @Librarybelle
Great discussion yesterday for # ChristiesCapers ! Feel free to keep contributing.
Next month, we have another Poirot novel and go on the quest for The Big Four. Discussion on August 31st.
All are welcome to join us! Please let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the tag list. #AgathaChristieClubR3
Original post - https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2887001
Great discussion yesterday for # ChristiesCapers ! Feel free to keep contributing.
Next month, we have another Poirot novel and go on the quest for The Big Four. Discussion on August 31st.
All are welcome to join us! Please let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the tag list. #AgathaChristieClubR3
janeycanuck, suvata, Aims42, MallenNC, Soscha, Cuilin, kspenmoll, BarbaraJean, PurpleyPumpkin, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, MariaW, elkeOriginal, AnneCecilie, Gissy, OutsmartYourShelf, mrp27, Larkken, Suet624, Cailey_Mac, Deblovestoread, ferskner, Marmie7, MaleficentBookDragon, majkia, Bookwormjillk, StayCurious, Teresereading, Laughterhp, Sace, RainyDayReading, Skygoddess1, Morr_Books, PathfinderNicole, dabbe, tdrosebud, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Tineke, PageShifter, willaful, kimrenee, AnishaInkspill
panI didn't like this at all.
pickAnother great installment in the Poirot series. This was one of my favorites I think, it kind of gave me James Bond/Sherlock vibes with a dash of supervillain evil global plotting.
pickHastings returns from South America to see his old friend but arrives to find Poirot in the midst of packing. Poirot is about to leave for overseas on a case, but plans change when they both become embroiled in the latest scheme masterminded by a group called 'The Big Four'.
This book is a series of short stories arranged into a narrative which revolves around 'The Big Four'. (continued)
pickThis one was…interesting. I liked it okay but definitely another that is not a favorite.
Good old chauvinistic Agatha Christie 😂
This one is a bit confusing.. it‘s not one murder but many all connected to the 4..
Up next in my reading challenge #agathachristie#readingchallenge#murdermystery#queenofmystery
so-soWhat a strange book this is. But then, so far I've found all of Christie's "international intrigue" plot lines strange. I do enjoy the relationship between Hastings and Poirot, but this one is hindered by an anti-Asian bias that, while probably true to the time and location, is still jarring and unpleasant to read, especially the accent/pidgin Christie has her Chinese characters speak. Or I guess maybe one could argue that it's Hastings's bias?
Misty morning audiowalk. After an hour listening to the adventures of Poirot and Hastings, I came home noting clues. "You must have made the coffee within the past 30 minutes because your mug isn't in the sink. Ah, yes! Your mug is by your side and the coffee is still hot! And someone had eggs for breakfast. An omelet, made with onions."
I commend my family for taking my dorkiness in stride.
panThis was not a Poirot novel, this is a collection of short stories. Of Poirot going after the Bug Four of the world‘s conspiracy network. Interesting group of individuals, granted the diversity there. But it lacked greatly in a solid through plot. Let alone the horrendous Asian stereotypes. Poirot was more all over the place than usual, too, being Obsessed with taking the group down. Not good one if you have to force yourself to read #whodunit
Our next source of information was the famous Madame Olivier. I was quite excited as we mounted the steps of her villa at Passy. It has always seemed to me extraordinary that a woman should go so far in the scientific world. I should have thought a purely masculine brain was needed for such work. - Hastings
There‘s so much old time stereotypes in plain sight thrown throughout. So eye pain wrenching. Like excuse YOU. #whodunit
Always need a cup of tea with an Agatha Christie novel. (Also with a spoonful of honey) so far this seems like an all over the place mystery with a super villain group conducting murder around England. Don‘t understand the link Poirot has to the group though. Nice to have Hastings as company to bounce ideas off. #whodunit
panJust finished my first #24in48 book. I can‘t say I liked this Poirot mystery. It felt exceedingly disjointed, and I wasn‘t surprised to learn that it started as short stories that were combined into a novel. Despite being action-packed, the plot was far-fetched even for a Christie—a powerful, international cabal called The Big Four orchestrating murders across the English countryside—and it featured a lot of gross, old-timey racial stereotyping.
pickAnother good one from Agatha Christie. I liked this one because of the relationship of Hastings and Poirot. It brought more humour into the novel, which I really enjoyed.
panThere were some good little misteries in the middle, but I still don't like Hastings very much and I found the overarching narrative very unconvicing, as well as Number Four's disguise habilities.
pickThis was another fun installation of Poirot, but it's the first which really stretches the imagination - an evil supervillain group who run the world is way outside of the expected Agatha Christie cozy mystery... Enjoyable nonetheless, but not my favourite so far. 3.5⭐
pickWell, hello again, Hastings! Somehow, this felt more like a series of connected short stories than a novel. I liked how it seems to span over quite a long period of time and in some places, read more like a thriller than a mystery.
4. The Big Four contains an arguably shocking twist: Poirot's death. Were you shocked? Does this fit with what we know about Poirot's character?
#agathachristieclubR2
3. Poirot joins Christie's espionage thrillers with this book. Did you find him to be a good fit? How did this compare to the other thrillers we've read for you?
#agathachristieclubR2
2. This book takes a different form than we've seen so far in Christie's writing, in that they are linked short stories. Did you enjoy this style?
#agathachristieclubR2
Another month has gone and it's time for #agathachristieclubR2 questions!
As usual, please tag all previous commenters to keep the conversation flowing.
1. Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not? (I will always lead with this question. :) )
@TheAromaofBooks @Librarybelle @hes7 @AnneCecilie @Charityann @linzy @Laughterhp
pickI‘m going to give this a pick, even though as far as Poirot books go it‘s a little out there. It‘s very different than any of hers I‘ve read. There are a lot of characters so it tends to get confusing, but still, it wasn‘t bad. Not her best but worth reading if you enjoy her books. 3.5 ⭐️
#AgathaChristie
#Poirot
pickI enjoyed this mystery. It doesn‘t have the best reviews, but I thought it was a great big mystery. Probably the biggest and most intricate mystery that Poirot has had to deal with. I‘ve never really not liked an Agatha Christie book. And Hasting wasn‘t too awful in this books, I usually can‘t stand him. I also knew the reveal, but I‘m not sure if it was supposed to be obvious or not, even if Hastings didn‘t know.
#agathachristieclubr2
Putting together a small #AprilTBR - Not sure what I‘ll actually be in the mood to read but I do want to read all these books. Luckily I own all but 1, so I do have to wait for an audio hold to come in.
The tagged is for #AgathaChristieClubR2, 3 are #BOTM, and 1 is for #swordandlaserpodcast
Day 21 - #FavoriteLiteraryFriendships #MagnificentMarch
#PoirotAndMe #DavidSuchet
I love the books where Poirot and Hastings are featured!
#TheBigFour #HerculePoirot #AgathaChristie #Bookish
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