Dead Men Tell No Tales vs Deadly Remains: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Mystery

Dead Men Tell No Tales E. W. Hornung · 1899 ★★★☆☆ 3.2 217 pages · ≈ 4 h 01 m · Challenging

“Nothing is so easy as falling in love on a long sea voyage, except falling out of love.”

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…

Fiction

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Deadly Remains Kate Ellis · 2025 ★★★★☆ 4.2 368 pages · ≈ 6 h 49 m · Moderate

Million-copy bestselling author Kate Ellis returns with the new mystery in the DI Wesley Peterson crime series.When a body is discovered in a picturesque South Devon village, DI Wesley Peterson is called in to…

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate Deadly Remains highest: Deadly Remains 4.2 · Dead Men Tell No Tales 3.2.
Dead Men Tell No Tales is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 6 for Deadly Remains.
Deadly Remains has the widest readership — 438 ratings behind its score.
Dead Men Tell No Tales runs the darker storyline; Deadly Remains stays the lighter read.

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Dead Men Tell No Tales ≈ 4h vs 6h for Deadly Remains Just want the better-reviewed one? Deadly Remains 4.2 vs 3.2 from readers New to the genre? Deadly Remains Moderate vs Challenging for Dead Men Tell No Tales In the mood for something dark? Dead Men Tell No Tales a darker storyline than Deadly Remains Want something lighter? Deadly Remains an easier tone than Dead Men Tell No Tales

Scores by source

	Dead Men Tell No Tales	Deadly Remains
Goodreads	3.1 (157)	4.2 (438)
Apple Books	—	4.5 (16)
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Reception

	Dead Men Tell No Tales	Deadly Remains
Ratings	157	438
Editions	128	1
Film adaptations	1	—
Want to read	151	96
Reading it now	18	64
Written reviews	26	25
Wikipedia attention	109	—
Pages	217	368
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Dead Men Tell No Tales or Deadly Remains?

Deadly Remains has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Deadly Remains 4.2/5, Dead Men Tell No Tales 3.2/5).

Which is shorter to read: Dead Men Tell No Tales or Deadly Remains?

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); Deadly Remains (368 pages, ≈ 6 h 49 m).

Which is harder to read: Dead Men Tell No Tales or Deadly Remains?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Dead Men Tell No Tales: Challenging; Deadly Remains: Moderate.