Dead Men Tell No Tales vs The Hidden City: 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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The Hidden City Charles Finch ★★★★☆ 4.1 234 pages · ≈ 4 h 20 m · Moderate

NAMED ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S TEN BEST MYSTERY NOVELS OF 2025 and THE LOS ANGELES TIMES' BEST FALL MYSTERIES!Against the vividly drawn backdrop of Victorian London, amateur sleuth Charles Lenox must unlock a…

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The Hidden City highest: The Hidden City 4.1 · Dead Men Tell No Tales 3.2.
The Hidden City has the widest readership — 2269 ratings behind its score.

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How to choose

Just want the better-reviewed one? The Hidden City 4.1 vs 3.2 from readers New to the genre? The Hidden City Moderate vs Challenging for Dead Men Tell No Tales

Scores by source

	Dead Men Tell No Tales	The Hidden City
Goodreads	3.1 (157)	4.1 (2269)
Hardcover	—	4.2 (3)
Apple Books	—	4.5 (115)
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Reception

	Dead Men Tell No Tales	The Hidden City
Ratings	157	2269
Editions	128	—
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	151	7518
Reading it now	18	232
Written reviews	26	416
Wikipedia attention	109	46
Pages	217	234
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Dead Men Tell No Tales or The Hidden City?

The Hidden City has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Hidden City 4.1/5, Dead Men Tell No Tales 3.2/5).

Which is shorter to read: Dead Men Tell No Tales or The Hidden City?

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); The Hidden City (234 pages, ≈ 4 h 20 m).

Which is harder to read: Dead Men Tell No Tales or The Hidden City?

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