::READERS REVIEWS::

Satisfaction - The book was as promised. It arrived on time, in good condition and I am completely satisfied with my purchase.

Sometimes things are what they seem -
I've always liked this one. Christie does a quality job of fooling the reader when the answer is pretty straight forward. Most mystery readers, myself included, fall into the habit of over thinking the story and trying to apply traditional conventions to these stories and when the answer is well-covered by superfluous details and I get fooled, well I'll admit, I get a kick out of it. The answer to this one is right up front, but Christie does a great job of confusing the issue with a number of suspects and a solid plot.

Kindle edition has "e-book extras" - I had probably read "After the Funeral" before, but I often use whodunits as bedtime escape fiction reading and forget the details not long after finishing them. So I was happy to pay a few bucks to read this one on my Kindle.

I agree with the reviewers who think this is neither the best nor the worst of the Poirot novels. I enjoyed the way the British class system played into the plot, and appreciated Christie's way with the different characters in the extended family at the heart of the book.

My Kindle edition of "After the Funeral" came with extra content. I didn't find this mentioned on the product description page, so it was a pleasant surprise.

The first bonus item - an "E-book extra" is an annotated list of all of Christie's Poirot novels and stories. I found it very helpful.

The other extra was an essay by Charles Osborne which was adapted, somewhat awkwardly I thought, from his book The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie: A Biographical Companion to the Works of Agatha Christie.

The book displays nicely on the Kindle; I no longer take this for granted after looking at a poorly formatted nonfiction book that displayed much more white space than words and being grateful I'd only acquired the sample and hadn't paid for the thing.

WILL SOMEONE LET THE WOMAN SPEAK? - What "improvements" have been made for the Bantam edition? There are already major differences in punctuation, word choices, and scene breaks between the original Collins (AFTER THE FUNERAL) and Dodd Mead editions of this novel. There are further differences between the Dodd Mead editions republished by Random House/Avenel and the Dodd Mead editions republished by Simon & Shuster/Pocket. There are further additions still in the Signet, Berkley, and Black Dog & Leventhal editions. For every publishing house putting out her works, there seem to be a new batch of editors altering Agatha Christie's words and the sound of her voice. What's the matter with these publishers? Whose voice do they think we want to hear when we sit down to a novel by Agatha Christie? And what will she sound like twenty years from now? It's frightening that her estate has failed to see the importance of guarding her words as she wrote them. Please tell me I'm not the only one here who senses that a crime has been committed.

A GOOD MYSTERY, - I'M AN AVID CHRISTIE FAN AND I COULD NOT WAIT TO DEVOUR THIS BOOK. WHAT GOT ME WAS THE TITLE AND AS I READ ON THE BOOK DID NOT DISAPPOINT UNTIL CLOSE THE END WHEN THE KILLER WAS EXPOSED.IN THE USUAL STYLE OF AGATHA CHRISTIE IT WAS A TOTAL SUPRISE! IF YOU LIKE A GOOD MYSTERY WITH LOTS OF SUSPECT THEN YOU WILL ENJOY THIS BOOK

Bleh...what's the use of guessing...really? - My first Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express was a terrible success for me. I enjoyed it immensely. And for that, I high-handedly believed that it was just luck - a one-hit wonder, so to speak.

(I find that keeping a healthy dose of pessimism is sometimes advisable so as to make my enjoyment of the same author's other work more rewarding.)

And really, After the Funeral is a mystery that latches onto you a few paragraphs in from the first page. Latches on and refuses to let go.

The sudden death of the head of the family, Richard Abernethie, has forced the rest of the brood to come together in the hopes of receiving good news of being left a huge chunk of the inheritance. It was only later after the reading of the will that one of the more cuckoo characters, Cora Lansquenet, makes a slip of the tongue and exclaims, "But he was murdered, wasn't he?"

One more turn of events and then the story begins to unfold in an unhurried, but unmistakably steady pace. The arrival of the estimable Hercule Poirot certainly upped the stakes, making it clear to the reader that Christie has taken the gloves off. Now the hunt begins.

The bevy of characters and their respective something-is-not-quite-right veneer keeps the reader on tenterhooks as to who might have done the deed. Snatches of well-placed hints about an object or an unrelenting memory from a past conversation all have the indubitable signature of this renowned crime-detective author.

This is certainly a novel that proves the adage, You think you know...but you really have no idea...

When Poirot was in the stage of giving his `speech' revealing who the culprit was, I still thought that I may have a handle as to who it could be...and so I was complacent.

But the revelation was such that I literally had to straighten up. I was like, "Eh, wha--? Huh?"

After that, I had not choice but to (again!) bow at this wicked talent of Christie.

If you were able to guess who the murderer was and how the deed was done, my hat's off to you.

For me, though, this short story was definitely effective in keeping my eye on this author. Impressed. And also despairing at my slow wits when it comes to 'solving crime' ",)

Brilliant and Charming - Agatha Christie was a genius, unmatched in the cozy mystery genre. In this book, one "murder" is committed, then a second, then another person is poisoned and a fourth is "coshed" on the head. Hercule Poirot arrives on the scene quite late in the book and solves the mystery by observing, listening, and waiting for people to come to him with stories and explanations. Not only is the mystery intricate, with many clues and red herrings, her style of writing is mesmerizing -- extensive vocabulary, bits of philosophy, charming settings and social interactions, cozy and comfortable. No wonder she has sold over 2 billion books and continues to sell thirty years after her death. I have read most of her books at least once, some several times, and I think this is one of her best.