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* CaptainErsatz: Li Chang Yen and the Destroyer are pretty much exactly Literature/FuManchu and [[Literature/BulldogDrummond Carl Peterson]].
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* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: The big four are: a brilliant Chinese warlord who has effectively made himself emperor of China and has agents throughout the world; an American multi-millionaire with near limitless resources; a French Scientist who has developed amazing new weapons and atomic energy; and a really good hitman.
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* BondVillainStupidity: One of the greatest problems with the novel. Number 4 casually murders someone in Poirot's flat in the very first chapter, has effectively unfettered access to him at any time, and shows that even together Poirot and Hastings have no chance against him alone, much less the army the Four commands. The Big Four go through significant expense to try to bribe, threaten, or capture the detective and even Hastings. Therefore, when [[spoiler: a bomb appears in their living room]] it isn't a matter of surprise, but a matter of "what took you so long".
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* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: One of the greatest problems with the novel is that this question is never answered. Number 4 casually murders someone in Poirot's flat in the very first chapter, has effectively unfettered access to him at any time, and shows that even together the pair have no chance against him alone, much less the army the Four commands. The Big Four go through significant expense to try to bribe, threaten, or capture the detective and even Hastings. Therefore, when [[spoiler: a bomb appears in their living room]] it isn't a matter of surprise, but a matter of "what took you so long".
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* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: One of the greatest problems with the novel is that this question is never answered. Number 4 casually murders someone in Poirot's flat in the very first chapter, has effectively unfettered access to him at any time, and shows that even together the pair have no chance against him alone, much less the army the Four commands. The Big Four go through significant expense to try to bribe, threaten, or capture the detective and even Hastings. Therefore, when [[spoiler: a bomb appears in their living room]] it isn't a matter of surprise, but a matter of "what took you so long".you.
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* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: One of the greatest problems with the novel is that this question is never answered. Number 4 casually murders someone in Poirot's flat in the very first chapter, has effectively unfettered access to him at any time, and shows that even together the pair have no chance against him alone, much less the army the Four commands. The Big Four go through significant expense to try to bribe, threaten, or capture the detective and even Hastings. Therefore, when [[spoiler: a bomb appears in their living room]] it isn't a matter of surprise, but a matter of "what took you so long".you.
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* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: One of the greatest problems with the novel is that this question is never answered. Number 4 casually murders someone in Poirot's flat in the very first chapter, has effectively unfettered access to him at any time, and shows that even together the pair have no chance against him alone, much less the army the Four commands. The Big Four go through significant expense to try to bribe, threaten, or capture the detective and even Hastings. Therefore, when [[spoiler: a bomb appears in their living room]] it isn't a matter of surprise, but a matter of "what took you so long".you.
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* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: The big four are: a brilliant Chinese warlord who has effectively made himself emperor of China and has agents throughout the world; an American multi-millionaire with near limitless resources; a French Scientist who has developed amazing new weapons and atomic energy; and a really good hitman.
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''The Big Four'' is a 1927 novel by Agatha Christie. Almost immediately after [[TheWatson Captain Hastings']] return to England on business and to visit his friend Literature/HerculePoirot, an uninvited guest appeared in Poirot's apartment coated from head to foot in dust. The man's gaunt face stared for a moment, then he swayed and fell.
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''The Big Four'' is a 1927 novel by Agatha Christie. Almost immediately after [[TheWatson Captain Hastings']] return to England on business and to visit his friend Literature/HerculePoirot, Franchise/HerculePoirot, an uninvited guest appeared in Poirot's apartment coated from head to foot in dust. The man's gaunt face stared for a moment, then he swayed and fell.
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* SupervillainLair: Poirot and Hastings finally confront (three of) the Big Four in their massive lair in the Italian Alps. [[spoiler: The lair is even blown up in the end, Film/DrNo style]]
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* SupervillainLair: Poirot and Hastings finally confront (three of) the Big Four in their massive lair in the Italian Alps. [[spoiler: The lair is even blown up in the end, Film/DrNo style]]style]].
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* TheUnfought: [[spoiler:Li Chang Yen]] never appears on-page.
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1927 novel by Agatha Christie. Almost immediately after [[TheWatson Captain Hastings']] return to England on business and to visit his friend Literature/HerculePoirot, an uninvited guest appeared in Poirot's apartment coated from head to foot in dust. The man's gaunt face stared for a moment, then he swayed and fell.
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''The Big Four'' is a 1927 novel by Agatha Christie. Almost immediately after [[TheWatson Captain Hastings']] return to England on business and to visit his friend Literature/HerculePoirot, an uninvited guest appeared in Poirot's apartment coated from head to foot in dust. The man's gaunt face stared for a moment, then he swayed and fell.
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* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Poirot asks Hastings to summarize the latest case, and Hastings does so in such a clear and precise manner that Poirot says "I say to myself, it is a book that talks, not my friend Hastings."
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* BitterAlmonds: Cited by Poirot as evidence that the dead man in his apartment was murdered. When Poirot and Hastings got back home and found the man dead, Poirot concludes that the man was killed by cyanide and the windows were opened by the killer to dissipate the smell of bitter almonds.
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* FunetikAksent: Christie enjoyed making fun of American accents. In this novel, Ryland the American millionaire talks about the "dooks" that may be visiting his mansion.
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* BrainFever: Discussed, and debunked. The incoherent man talking about the Big Four is still mumbling when Hastings suggests "brain fever" as the problem. Dr. Ridgeway is contemptuous.
-->The doctor immediately snorted with contempt.\\
"Brain fever! Brain fever! No such thing as brain fever. An invention of novelists."
-->The doctor immediately snorted with contempt.\\
"Brain fever! Brain fever! No such thing as brain fever. An invention of novelists."
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* InadvertentEntranceCue: Poirot has been given a job in South America, and he says that, despite Hastings' appeal to stick around, he, Poirot, has to keep his word. Hastings jokes that only "an unexpected guest" could delay Poirot's departure. The very next paragraph has the duo hearing a noise coming from the next room, that noise soon being revealed as a strange, mostly incoherent man who brings news of the "Big Four".
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* CreatorsOddball: Hercule unravels a conspiracy to take over the world.
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* OddballInTheSeries: An easy way to explain this novel is "Hercule Poirot hijacks a [[Literature/JamesBond Bond]] novel".
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* OddballInTheSeries: An easy way to explain this novel is "Hercule Poirot hijacks a [[Literature/JamesBond Bond]] novel". Christie wrote several SpyFiction and "nefarious secret society" novels, but they were either in the Literature/TommyAndTuppence series or one-offs like ''Literature/TheSecretOfChimneys'' or ''Literature/TheyCameToBaghdad''. This is the only Hercule Poirot SpyFiction novel, as opposed to Poirot's more regular work solving murders.
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* CreatorsOddball: Hercule unravels a conspiracy to take over the world.
