A Death in the Small Hours vs This Was a Man: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Politicians, England, 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…
This Was a Man
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"This Was a Man opens with a shot being fired, but who pulled the trigger, and who lives and who dies? In Whitehall, Giles Barrington discovers the truth about his wife Karin from the Cabinet Secretary. Is she a spy or…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- A Death in the Small Hours is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 10 for This Was a Man.
- This Was a Man has the widest readership — 684 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| A Death in the Small Hours | This Was a Man | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 3.0 (8) | 4.2 (18) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (216) | 4.5 (684) |
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Reception
| A Death in the Small Hours | This Was a Man | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 216 | 684 |
| Editions | 3 | 18 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 16 | 51 |
| Pages | 323 | 560 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Death in the Small Hours or This Was a Man?
This Was a Man has the higher combined reader rating across sources (This Was a Man 4.5/5, A Death in the Small Hours 4.4/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Death in the Small Hours or This Was a Man?
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); This Was a Man (560 pages, ≈ 10 h 22 m).
Which is harder to read: A Death in the Small Hours or This Was a Man?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Death in the Small Hours: Moderate; This Was a Man: Moderate.