REVIEW: After the Funeral

 After the Funeral
Author: Agatha Christie. 

This is another Christie mystery published underneath different titles. The book was first published in the US in 1953 as Funerals are Fatal. The first UK publishing as After the Funeral was also in 1953. 

My paperback copy is very very old and in terrible shape (Pocket Books, 1969, 224 pages). I remember getting it at a used book shop at some point (and it was in bad condition at that time already) and it has been on my bookshelves for years. I remember laughing that I was paying more for the book at a used bookstore than it cost when it was purchased new (50 cents is on the front cover). I'm sure the only reason I bought the poor thing was because it was one of Christie's novels I didn't have. I have considered throwing it away many many times. I'm glad I didn't. 

The front cover is incredibly ugly. It's just not an attractive book at all. It's also wider and shorter than the other more standard size Agatha Christie paperbacks I have on my shelves. I like all my paperbacks to be the same size so my shelves look nice, and this one just messed up the whole look. :) The odd, dark mystery liquid stain on it didn't help the matter one bit! This book obviously had a hard existence! I read it this one time, and then put it in the recycling. [Now -- finally! -- all my paperbacks are the same size!]

Now on to the story! 

The Basics: Richard Abernethie has died. Following his funeral, the family and Richard's lawyer gather at the house for the reading of the will. When a family member speaks up, saying she thinks he was murdered, nobody really pays attention -- until she gets murdered in her bed. Hacked to death with an axe. And, that violent incident is just the first. More strange happenings follow. Can Hercule Poirot discover the killer's identity before more people are hurt?  

Adaptations: 

1963 Movie: This film (Murder at the Gallop) is only loosely based on this novel. There are significant changes made to the plot. Poirot is replaced with Miss Marple -- played by Margaret Rutherford. The changes get more bizarre from there. All of these Margaret Rutherford movies are basically comedies, and

much as I really enjoy Margaret Rutherford's comedic timing, I don't like these Agatha Christie adaptations. There were 4 of them -- and when I think of them as Christie adaptations, they are just terrible. But, if I can ignore the knowledge of the original stories these were sort of based on, I can enjoy them as light hearted comedies rather than Christie adaptations.  I have seen all 4 of these movies in the past, but didn't rewatch them. It costs $3.99 - $10 each to buy streaming copies, as no streaming service has them included in their free package. And, I'm just not going to pay for movies that I really didn't like all that much. 

Radio play: BBC Radio 4 broadcast an audio drama based on this novel in 1999. John Moffat starred as Poirot. I really enjoy these full-cast audio dramas of Christie's books! They even have music and sound effects. Always very well done!  

Television:  The long-running show Poirot adapted this novel in 2005. [Season 10, ep 3]. There are some minor changes in plot but the basic story holds pretty closely to the novel. There were some odd sexual angles added in this episode that I didn't think were necessary, but I still enjoyed watching. 

Just as an ode to my very hideous copy of this book that has now progressed on to it's eternal slumber....  The paperback was ugly and in really very bad condition. Yellowed tape held many of the pages together, and the front cover and spine of the book were taped. But -- it was 57 years old. That's pretty old for a paperback book, so understandable that it was in poor condition. When I read an old book, I always find myself wondering how many people owned and read the book before I did. How did it get the odd, dark stain on the lower left? Lots of history and quiet hours spent reading. I hope everyone who read the book enjoyed the story. And,with the passing of its usefulness, the paper and ink return to the universe to become something else. Fitting end for a classic murder mystery, I think.  

Moving on!