A Ruse of Shadows vs Dead Men Tell No Tales: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
A Ruse of Shadows
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"I cannot recommend this series enough."—#1 New York Times bestselling author Ali HazelwoodCharlotte Holmes finds herself in a dreadfully precarious position when she’s accused of murder—a crime she’s accustomed to…
Dead Men Tell No Tales
“Nothing is so easy as falling in love on a long sea voyage, except falling out of love.”
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The classic story ties together themes of adventure and romance. Hornung's traditional writing style is incredibly descriptive and can be often relaxing to read. The story of Dead Men Tell No Tales doesn't rush but…
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The verdict
- Readers rate A Ruse of Shadows highest: A Ruse of Shadows 4.3 · Dead Men Tell No Tales 3.2.
- Dead Men Tell No Tales is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 6 for A Ruse of Shadows.
- Dead Men Tell No Tales has the widest readership — 157 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| A Ruse of Shadows | Dead Men Tell No Tales | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.1 (157) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (13) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (72) | — |
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Reception
| A Ruse of Shadows | Dead Men Tell No Tales | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 72 | 157 |
| Editions | — | 128 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 151 |
| Reading it now | — | 18 |
| Written reviews | — | 26 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 109 |
| Pages | 353 | 217 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Ruse of Shadows or Dead Men Tell No Tales?
A Ruse of Shadows has the higher combined reader rating across sources (A Ruse of Shadows 4.3/5, Dead Men Tell No Tales 3.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Ruse of Shadows or Dead Men Tell No Tales?
Dead Men Tell No Tales is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Dead Men Tell No Tales (217 pages, ≈ 4 h 01 m); A Ruse of Shadows (353 pages, ≈ 6 h 32 m).
Which is harder to read: A Ruse of Shadows or Dead Men Tell No Tales?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Ruse of Shadows: Moderate; Dead Men Tell No Tales: Challenging.