A Death in the Small Hours vs The Beetle. A Mystery: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Politicians, London, Fiction
A Death in the Small Hours
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Visiting his uncle's estate in Somerset for what he hopes will be a quiet working vacation, politician and new father Charles Lenox investigates a series of seemingly small acts of vandalism only to uncover a sinister…
The Beetle. A Mystery
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The Beetle, written in 1897 by British author Richard Marsh, is a classic gothic horror story set in Victorian London. The book follows the characters of Paul Lessingham, Robert Holt, Sydney Atherton, Marjorie Lindon…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate A Death in the Small Hours highest: A Death in the Small Hours 4.4 · The Beetle. A Mystery 3.5.
- The Beetle. A Mystery has the widest readership — 4302 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| A Death in the Small Hours | The Beetle. A Mystery | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.5 (4302) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (8) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (216) | 4.0 (17) |
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Reception
| A Death in the Small Hours | The Beetle. A Mystery | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 216 | 4302 |
| Editions | 3 | 211 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 16 | — |
| Pages | 323 | 364 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Death in the Small Hours or The Beetle. A Mystery?
A Death in the Small Hours has the higher combined reader rating across sources (A Death in the Small Hours 4.4/5, The Beetle. A Mystery 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Death in the Small Hours or The Beetle. A Mystery?
A Death in the Small Hours is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: A Death in the Small Hours (323 pages, ≈ 5 h 59 m); The Beetle. A Mystery (364 pages, ≈ 6 h 44 m).
Which is harder to read: A Death in the Small Hours or The Beetle. A Mystery?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Death in the Small Hours: Moderate; The Beetle. A Mystery: Challenging.