L'affaire Lerouge vs The Hidden City: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Mystery

L'affaire Lerouge Émile Gaboriau · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.8 478 pages · ≈ 8 h 51 m · Challenging

“ON Thursday, the 6th of March, 1862, two days after Shrove Tuesday, five women of the village of Jonchere presented themselves at the bureau of police at Bougival.”

Le jeudi 6 mars 1862, surlendemain du Mardi gras, cinq femmes du village de La Jonchere se presentaient au bureau de police de Bougival.

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 · L'affaire Lerouge 3.8.
The Hidden City is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 8 for L'affaire Lerouge.
The Hidden City has the widest readership — 2269 ratings behind its score.

L'affaire Lerouge: Check price →The Hidden City: Check price →

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The Hidden City ≈ 4h vs 8h for L'affaire Lerouge Just want the better-reviewed one? The Hidden City 4.1 vs 3.8 from readers New to the genre? The Hidden City Moderate vs Challenging for L'affaire Lerouge

Scores by source

	L'affaire Lerouge	The Hidden City
Goodreads	3.8 (635)	4.1 (2269)
Hardcover	—	4.2 (3)
Apple Books	—	4.5 (115)
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Reception

	L'affaire Lerouge	The Hidden City
Ratings	635	2269
Editions	148	—
Film adaptations	—	1
Want to read	1038	7518
Reading it now	—	232
Written reviews	106	416
Wikipedia attention	—	46
Pages	478	234
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: L'affaire Lerouge or The Hidden City?

The Hidden City has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Hidden City 4.1/5, L'affaire Lerouge 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: L'affaire Lerouge or The Hidden City?

The Hidden City is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Hidden City (234 pages, ≈ 4 h 20 m); L'affaire Lerouge (478 pages, ≈ 8 h 51 m).

Which is harder to read: L'affaire Lerouge or The Hidden City?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — L'affaire Lerouge: Challenging; The Hidden City: Moderate.