In Funerals Are Fatal, also known as After the Funeral, a wealthy man dies at home. At his funeral, his sister Cora says that he was murdered. The family tries to hush it up, but Cora is murdered in her sleep the next day.

The book features Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Poirot spends time with the Abernathies, asking questions and observing them, to learn whether Richard was murdered.