Beau Death vs The vanishing box: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Police Procedural, Mystery & Detective, Police, Investigation, England, Murder

Beau Death P Lovesey · 2018 ★★★★☆ 3.9 416 pages · ≈ 7 h 42 m · Moderate

The vanishing box Elly Griffiths · 2018 ★★★★☆ 4.1 357 pages · ≈ 6 h 37 m · Moderate

"In a nail-biting hunt for a missing loved one, DI Edgar Stephens and the magician Max Mephisto discover once again that the line between art, life, and death is all too easily blurred"--

Magicians Criminal investigation Historical Homicide

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
The vanishing box has the widest readership — 6762 ratings behind its score.
The vanishing box runs the darker storyline; Beau Death stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want the crowd-tested pick? The vanishing box 6762 ratings vs 1843 for Beau Death In the mood for something dark? The vanishing box a darker storyline than Beau Death Want something lighter? Beau Death an easier tone than The vanishing box

Scores by source

	Beau Death	The vanishing box
Goodreads	3.9 (1843)	4.0 (6762)
Hardcover	—	3.7 (10)
Apple Books	—	4.5 (63)

Reception

	Beau Death	The vanishing box
Ratings	1843	6762
Editions	1	1
Want to read	828	2617
Reading it now	229	736
Written reviews	219	539
Pages	416	357

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Beau Death or The vanishing box?

The vanishing box has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The vanishing box 4.1/5, Beau Death 3.9/5).

Which is shorter to read: Beau Death or The vanishing box?

The vanishing box is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The vanishing box (357 pages, ≈ 6 h 37 m); Beau Death (416 pages, ≈ 7 h 42 m).

Which is harder to read: Beau Death or The vanishing box?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Beau Death: Moderate; The vanishing box: Moderate.