If you can't be good vs The Whip Hand: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Spy Fiction, Fiction
If you can't be good
More
An old CIA connection brings trouble for a Washington, DC, barman in this thriller from "America's best storyteller" (The New York Times Book Review).   As the saying goes, you can't pick your friends. If you…
The Whip Hand
More
A 1960s London PI's search for a missing au pair leads to sinister evil in this classic spy series opener by the author of The Rainbird Pattern.Meet Rex Carver, the suave and laconic private investigator.His job is to…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate If you can't be good highest: If you can't be good 4.0 · The Whip Hand 3.8.
- If you can't be good has the widest readership — 201 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| If you can't be good | The Whip Hand | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (201) | — |
Reception
| If you can't be good | The Whip Hand | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 201 | 1 |
| Editions | 8 | 13 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 47 |
| Pages | 249 | 271 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: If you can't be good or The Whip Hand?
If you can't be good has the higher combined reader rating across sources (If you can't be good 4.0/5, The Whip Hand 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: If you can't be good or The Whip Hand?
If you can't be good is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: If you can't be good (249 pages, ≈ 4 h 37 m); The Whip Hand (271 pages, ≈ 5 h 01 m).
Which is harder to read: If you can't be good or The Whip Hand?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — If you can't be good: Moderate; The Whip Hand: Moderate.