If you can't be good vs Yellow-dog contract: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Spy Fiction, Fiction
If you can't be good
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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…
Yellow-dog contract
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An ex-political operative is a master of dirty tricks, but now he's mixed up in something far worse: "Ross Thomas is without peer in American suspense" (Los Angeles Times).   There are few jobs that Harvey…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Yellow-dog contract has the widest readership — 352 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| If you can't be good | Yellow-dog contract | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (201) | 4.0 (352) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (14) |
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Reception
| If you can't be good | Yellow-dog contract | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 201 | 352 |
| Editions | 8 | 16 |
| Citations | — | 1 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 113 |
| Reading it now | — | 51 |
| Written reviews | — | 20 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 633 |
| Pages | 249 | 264 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: If you can't be good or Yellow-dog contract?
If you can't be good has the higher combined reader rating across sources (If you can't be good 4.0/5, Yellow-dog contract 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: If you can't be good or Yellow-dog contract?
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); Yellow-dog contract (264 pages, ≈ 4 h 53 m).
Which is harder to read: If you can't be good or Yellow-dog contract?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — If you can't be good: Moderate; Yellow-dog contract: Moderate.