AFTER THE FUNERAL
US title: FUNERALS ARE FATAL
Other titles: MURDER AT THE GALLOP (in UK reprint, Fontana, 1963)
UK publication: 1953 (Collins)
US publication: 1953 (Dodd, Mead)
Detective: Hercule Poirot
Genre: Novel
Plot summary and comments: The family of the late Richard Abernethie, a wealthy old man, is gathered to hear his will when one of the family remarks that he must have been murdered. When this relative (Cora Lansquenet) is herself murdered, the family solicitor, Mr. Entwhistle, called in Poirot. The Abernethie family is so complicated that a tree is provided, and the mystifications of the plot are among Christie's most convoluted. Mr. Goby, an eccentric investigator who last assisted Poirot in the 1926 Mystery of the Blue Train, comes out of retirement to help him again. An awful 1963 film, "Murder at the Gallop", was based loosely on this story, with Miss Marple substituted for Poirot and the action shifted to a riding school.
Courtesey of: http://stout.physics.ucla.edu/%7eyoder/mystery/christie.html
::READERS REVIEWS::
"It's no surprise that Agatha Christie is one of the most widely sold authors in the world. Unlike many other detective novels, "After the Funeral" kept me guessing down to the end. Ms. Christie's choice of murderer and motive turned out to be quite clever. All of her characters are richly drawn and well rounded. I loved this book and can't wait to read another."
"Well, it was a good book (just as I find most Agatha Christie novels), but I've read many of her books and it didn't even compare with, say, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd." That title, in my opinion, is a work of genius, and this one I didn't find one of the more exciting ones. But it's worth your time nonetheless, and the solution is clever. "
"My favorite Christie novel is 'The ABC murders' where the reader is left totally perplexed. This one is good, but definitely not of the same class. Richard Abernethie and his sister Cora Abernethie are dead and Poirot comes in to handle the case. The variety of characters is greater than in most christie novels. The plot also reveals the deep (and sometimes trivial) motivations of humans. If you have never read Christie, start with 'The ABC murders', & 'The murder of Roger Ackroyd'.If you are already a fan, add it to your collection."
"This book has got to be one of Agatha Christie's great ones. The charactes are extremly well developed and the plot is very intriguing. Everytime you think you know who did it, something unexpected happens. I really loved it But the ending kind of disappointed me. The solution is very clever and igneious, nobody can probably ever guess it but she should have picked another. Read this one however because it is excellent."
::YOUR OPINION::
