The Big Four

Hercule Poirot's quiet life is shattered when Hastings returns from Argentina to find his old friend preparing for South America, only to be interrupted by a half-conscious stranger who collapses at Poirot's door, repeating his name and address. As the mystery deepens, Poirot reveals his own uneasy interest in the secretive "Big Four," an international criminal syndicate led by the elusive Li Chang Yen, and the stranger's fevered message confirms that the detective is already in its sights. When Poirot and Hastings race back too late to save their visitor, they uncover a murder staged to look accidental and an impostor asylum attendant who proves the enemy can disguise itself at will. From there, the investigation widens into espionage, political intrigue, and poisonings: the death of Mr. Paynter, the suspicious behavior of Ah Ling, the vanished manuscript, and Poirot's discovery that "Yellow Jasmine" points to deadly poison hidden in the curry. Even as he unravels one plot, Poirot is drawn into another—Dr. Quentin's apparent impersonation, a stolen document, and fresh signs that the Big Four remain one step ahead. Then, over dinner in Soho, Japp brings news of a new baffling death: American chess prodigy Gilmour Wilson, who collapses mid-match against Dr. Savaronoff. Poirot, ever alert to patterns, senses that this too belongs to the same sinister web. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.