The big four is billed as a Hercule Poirot mystery, but it's less of a mystery than a spy novel. It was pulled together from a series of short stories that had been previously published. They all surround the effort of Poirot and Hastings to identify and capture four international criminal masterminds who not only conduct their crimes on a worldwide scale, but also try to influence world events; in fact, Poirot attributes several major international disturbances to the Big Four, including the Bolshevik revolution. The Big Four includes a wealthy American, a French woman scientist, a Chinese man, and a nondescript Englishman who is a master of disguise. In chapter after chapter, Poirot and Hastings learn about the Big Four and get closer to catching them. Because the book was composed of a bunch of short stories that were slightly altered so they fit together as a novel, it doesn't have the same type of story arc as a typical Christie mystery; instead, it comes across as a series of vignettes that are loosely related. That's not a criticism, though; the book was still a very enjoyable read.
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