Death at Charity's Point vs Defending Billy Ryan: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Massachusetts, Lawyers, Legal stories, Fiction
Death at Charity's Point
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A Boston lawyer investigates a prep school teacher's suspicious suicide in this debut for "one of the most likeable sleuths to appear on the crime scene" (The Washington Post Book World).   Brady Coyne never meant…
Defending Billy Ryan
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Twelve years ago Jerry Kennedy delivered his first report, Kennedy for the Defense, on being the classiest sleazy criminal lawyer in Boston, as Mack, his then-wife, called him. Seven years ago, Jerry called in again,…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Death at Charity's Point has the widest readership — 628 ratings behind its score.
- Defending Billy Ryan runs the darker storyline; Death at Charity's Point stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Death at Charity's Point | Defending Billy Ryan | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (628) | 3.8 (100) |
| Hardcover | — | 4.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (22) | 4.5 (6) |
Reception
| Death at Charity's Point | Defending Billy Ryan | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 628 | 100 |
| Editions | 5 | 10 |
| Want to read | 366 | 75 |
| Reading it now | 130 | 9 |
| Written reviews | 80 | 9 |
| Pages | 213 | 250 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Death at Charity's Point or Defending Billy Ryan?
Defending Billy Ryan has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Defending Billy Ryan 3.8/5, Death at Charity's Point 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Death at Charity's Point or Defending Billy Ryan?
Death at Charity's Point is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Death at Charity's Point (213 pages, ≈ 3 h 57 m); Defending Billy Ryan (250 pages, ≈ 4 h 38 m).
Which is harder to read: Death at Charity's Point or Defending Billy Ryan?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Death at Charity's Point: Moderate; Defending Billy Ryan: Moderate.