The Big Four: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

“Fiendish ingenuity, a genius for disguise, and utter ruthlessness are Number Four’s chief assets, and against these there is nothing but Hercule Poirot and his ‘gray cells.’ But has not Poirot admitted that he is the world’s greatest detective?” —New York Times

“One of mystery fiction’s most beloved heroes, Hercule Poirot, is brought vividly to life in this delightful audio production. Originally published in 1927, this outing thrusts Poirot into one of Christie’s most outlandish and melodramatic adventures. It finds her Belgian detective pitted against an international quartet of criminal masterminds bent on world domination. Narrator Fraser is no stranger to Poirot’s world, having played the detective’s faithful companion, Captain Hastings, in several made-for-TV movies. A gifted reader, he obviously enjoys interpreting this material, and he perfectly captures each of Christie’s diverse characters, shifting flawlessly from one to the other. But it is in his portrayal of Poirot that Fraser shines. With a well-tuned accent, Fraser brings out the full range of Christie’s eccentric detective…With its over-the-top premise and international cast of villains, portrayed with relish by Fraser, it is certainly one of her most entertaining.” —Publishers Weekly audio review

“Hugh Fraser, best known as Captain Hastings on the Mystery dramatizations of the Poirot novels, here does double duty as Hastings and the little Belgian sleuth as they track down a quartet of ruthless criminals…Even though Fraser is accustomed to playing Hastings, there’s not a drop of Hastings in his Poirot, nor in his masterful portrayals of Japp, Poirot’s Scotland Yard sidekick, or the hilarious but tragic Cockney heroine, Flossie. While this is over-the-top Christie, with its talk of the A-bomb and lasers (incredible since the book was copyrighted in 1927), Fraser brings to it logic and credibility.” —AudioFile