A Colder War vs The Vanished Messenger: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Espionage, Spy Fiction, Fiction
A Colder War
Internationally acclaimed as “a premier writer of espionage thrillers” (USA Today), Charles Cumming is “among the most skillful spy novelists” (Washington Post) and “a worthy successor to the masters…like John le Carré…
vs
The Vanished Messenger
“There were very few people upon Platform Number Twenty-one of Liverpool Street Station at a quarter to nine on the evening of April 2 - possibly because the platform in question is one of the most remote and least used in the great terminus.”
There were very few people upon Platform Number Twenty one of Liverpool Street Station at a quarter to nine on the evening of April 2 possibly because the platform in question is one of the most remote and least used in…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Vanished Messenger is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for A Colder War.
- A Colder War has the widest readership — 5785 ratings behind its score.
- A Colder War runs the darker storyline; The Vanished Messenger stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Vanished Messenger
≈ 4h vs 7h for A Colder War
New to the genre?
A Colder War
Moderate vs Challenging for The Vanished Messenger
In the mood for something dark?
A Colder War
a darker storyline than The Vanished Messenger
Want something lighter?
The Vanished Messenger
an easier tone than A Colder War
Scores by source
| A Colder War | The Vanished Messenger | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (5785) | 3.8 (69) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (5) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (163) | 4.5 (16) |
Reception
| A Colder War | The Vanished Messenger | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 5785 | 69 |
| Editions | 9 | 241 |
| Want to read | 2959 | 85 |
| Reading it now | 730 | 21 |
| Written reviews | 476 | 8 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1128 | — |
| Pages | 400 | 245 |