Portrait of a Killer vs The Lodger: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Jack, Serial murders, London, History
Portrait of a Killer
“Monday, August 6, 1888, was a bank holiday in London.”
"Between August and November 1888, at least seven women were murdered in London's Whitechapel area. The gruesome nature of their deaths caused panic and fear in the East End for months, and gave rise to the sobriquet…
vs
The Lodger
The Lodger is the first known novelization of the Jack the Ripper story. It follows the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Bunting, a maid and butler. An eccentric lodger, Mr. Sleuth, arrives at their lodging-house just as a wave of…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Lodger highest: The Lodger 4.1 · Portrait of a Killer 3.5.
- Portrait of a Killer has the widest readership — 36446 ratings behind its score.
- The Lodger runs the darker storyline; Portrait of a Killer stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want the crowd-tested pick?
Portrait of a Killer
36446 ratings vs 9545 for The Lodger
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Lodger
4.1 vs 3.5 from readers
New to the genre?
Portrait of a Killer
Moderate vs Challenging for The Lodger
In the mood for something dark?
The Lodger
a darker storyline than Portrait of a Killer
Want something lighter?
Portrait of a Killer
an easier tone than The Lodger
Scores by source
| Portrait of a Killer | The Lodger | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (36446) | 4.1 (9545) |
| Hardcover | 2.8 (39) | 3.1 (10) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (375) |
Reception
| Portrait of a Killer | The Lodger | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 36446 | 9545 |
| Editions | 37 | 163 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 20488 | 4756 |
| Reading it now | 442 | 387 |
| Written reviews | 1719 | 555 |
| Wikipedia attention | 469 | 1376 |
| Pages | 391 | 286 |