sherlockinthefinalproblem

The Big Four | Agatha Christie

This post contains spoilers

5. 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

Cuilin Yeah, I probably would‘ve believed that. Christie was killing of Poirot but I liked that part of the story. I‘m not sure about the twin aspect though. 2mo

MallenNC I would have believed it back then and been surprised, I think. The twin bother trick was a little less believable though. 2mo

dabbe Christie plays a masterful trick not just on the characters, but on her entire audience. She exploits the absolute trust the reader has in the narrator (Hastings) and the unspoken rules of the detective genre, only to shatter them in a spectacular and joyful reversal. For a few brief, heartbreaking chapters, the world would have genuinely believed the little Belgian detective was gone. Or would they? #sherlockinthefinalproblem

2mo

BarbaraJean I didn't believe it for the obvious reason that I've read later books, but I also didn't really believe it in the context. I don't trust the “twin“ trope! I don't know how much of my disbelief is based on that and how much is based on my previously-formed opinion of Hastings' gullibility, though! 2mo

MariaW I thought it was the best move to deceive the Big Four. I am not sure if he could‘ve beaten them in any other way. I didn‘t believe is dead at any point, but would‘ve believed it in 1927 though. The twin brother was not one of Christie‘s best ideas. 2mo

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