After the Funeral (Hercule Poirot, #33)
by Agatha Christie
4 out of 5 stars

(Also published as “Funerals are Fatal”)
Strange old Aunt Cora shocks everyone at her brother’s funeral when she lets it slip that she thinks he must have been murdered. The family tries to hush it up, but when Cora herself is murdered the very next day, only Hercule Poirot can unravel the clues that led to her death. Did she know too much? As Poirot investigates, one person is nearly poisoned, and another is “coshed” on the head. Can Poirot catch the murderer before more people are attacked?

I loved reading this cozy mystery! I had already watched the TV episode of this mystery with David Suchet playing the part of Poirot, so I already knew the “who dun it.” But that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book at all. In fact, it was fascinating to see how cleverly the little clues and red herrings were laid in place, and then it was a delight to see how Poirot reveals the truth at the end.

Poirot says in the book that he is “studying people”. He focuses on the personalities and little idiosyncrasies of each person, pondering which of them might be capable of murder. It was so interesting to see all the characters analyzed!

Of course, I love Christie’s writing style. She really draws you into the story, and paints a picture in each scene. There is plenty of suspense and moodiness!