A review by baibhabi
After the Funeral by Agatha Christie

adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Winters are incomplete without some spine-chilling murder. In literature, I mean.

After The Funeral had been lying in my bookshelf for months now. I decided in the beginning of this month that it was time for some murder (again, in terms of reading) now that winter is here.
The book won't disappoint you, trust me Christie is never out of ideas. It is short in length compared to other Poirot stories. I took some time to finish reading this one, not the usual in case of other murder novels, mostly because school.

Double murder, shady family members, a will and it's solicitor, arsenic poisoning, car garages and obsessive love will keep you hooked till the end.

Throughout the narration, I kept on guessing who the real murderer and their motive might be. We all do that, don't we? I swear I did not have any idea of who the true murderer was, let alone the execution of the murder and the motive behind it. I was just left dumbstruck when I flipped the last pages. An enjoyable read, I must admit (murders are always enjoyable). The way Mr. Entwhistle attempts to try and understand the case, His interrogations with the family, his conversations with Poirot and Poirot's continuous quest to truth; never failed to entertain till the last page. The book also ponders the changes Britain's society undergoes at the time, giving an insight into the opinion of the upper-class towards the one's who serve them, their degree of gratitude towards household helps, etc.
Enjoyed reading this.

Here goes a 'reader-attracting insight', publisher style:

When the old and wealthy Abernethie patriarch dies, his family gathers at the large Victorian estate for his funeral. The family sits in the library discussing Richard's will which fairly divides wealth amongst all. Everyone believes that Richard has died a natural death of old age and from the sorrow of his son Mortimer's death until his sister Cora -infamous for speaking truths when it is best left unspoken-says "But he was murdered, wasn't he?"
A few days later, Mrs. Cora Lansquent is found dead in her cottage, brutally killed with a hatchet.