A Stranger in Mayfair vs City of Stairs: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Investigation, Crime, Murder, Fiction
A Stranger in Mayfair
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In Charles Finch's A Stranger in Mayfair, the next enthralling installment in the Charles Lenox Mysteries, detective Lenox tries to resist the lure of a case and focus on his new career in Parliament. Returning from a…
City of Stairs
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The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions — until its divine protectors were killed. Now, Bulikov’s history has been censored and erased, its…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate City of Stairs highest: City of Stairs 4.3 · A Stranger in Mayfair 4.0.
- A Stranger in Mayfair is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 8 for City of Stairs.
- City of Stairs has the widest readership — 409 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| A Stranger in Mayfair | City of Stairs | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 3.6 (8) | 4.1 (409) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (195) | 4.5 (257) |
Reception
| A Stranger in Mayfair | City of Stairs | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 195 | 409 |
| Editions | 2 | 1 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 31 | 1864 |
| Pages | 336 | 452 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Stranger in Mayfair or City of Stairs?
City of Stairs has the higher combined reader rating across sources (City of Stairs 4.3/5, A Stranger in Mayfair 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Stranger in Mayfair or City of Stairs?
A Stranger in Mayfair is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: A Stranger in Mayfair (336 pages, ≈ 6 h 13 m); City of Stairs (452 pages, ≈ 8 h 22 m).
Which is harder to read: A Stranger in Mayfair or City of Stairs?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Stranger in Mayfair: Moderate; City of Stairs: Moderate.