Murder in the Library vs The Talleyrand Maxim: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
Murder in the Library
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A body in a hospital isn’t so unusual. Unless they’ve been murdered!1916, London: Keen to support the war effort, bookshop manager and sometime amateur sleuth Hannah Merrill has taken a volunteer role in the library of…
The Talleyrand Maxim
“Linford Pratt, senior clerk to Eldrick & Pascoe, solicitors, of Barford, a young man who earnestly desired to get on in life, by hook or by crook, with no objection whatever to crookedness, so long as it could be performed in safety and secrecy, had once during one of his periodical visit to the town Reference Library, lighted on a maxim of that other unscrupulous person, Prince Talleyrand, which”
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The “Talleyrand Maxim” holds that “With time and patience, the mulberry leaf is turned into satin.” The adage has the character of guidance for life for an ambitious legal clerk, Linford Pratt. Unlike most people, he…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Murder in the Library has the widest readership — 553 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Murder in the Library | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (553) | 3.9 (180) |
| Hardcover | 3.3 (3) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (19) | 4.5 (13) |
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Reception
| Murder in the Library | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 553 | 180 |
| Editions | — | 115 |
| Want to read | — | 102 |
| Reading it now | — | 28 |
| Written reviews | — | 30 |
| Wikipedia attention | 52 | — |
| Pages | 261 | 195 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Murder in the Library or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Murder in the Library has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Murder in the Library 4.0/5, The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: Murder in the Library or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Talleyrand Maxim is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Talleyrand Maxim (195 pages, ≈ 3 h 37 m); Murder in the Library (261 pages, ≈ 4 h 50 m).
Which is harder to read: Murder in the Library or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Murder in the Library: Moderate; The Talleyrand Maxim: Challenging.