Sacred Evil vs The Talleyrand Maxim: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
Sacred Evil
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When the body of an aspiring starlet is discovered between two of Manhattan's oldest graveyards, Detective Jude Crosby goes up against a supernatural killer who is recreating Jack the Ripper's gruesome work and turns to…
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.
- The Talleyrand Maxim is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 6 for Sacred Evil.
- Sacred Evil has the widest readership — 6661 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Sacred Evil | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (6661) | 3.9 (180) |
| Hardcover | 4.3 (9) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (57) | 4.5 (13) |
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Reception
| Sacred Evil | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 6661 | 180 |
| Editions | 9 | 115 |
| Want to read | 3237 | 102 |
| Reading it now | 811 | 28 |
| Written reviews | 404 | 30 |
| Wikipedia attention | 285 | — |
| Pages | 374 | 195 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Sacred Evil or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Sacred Evil has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Sacred Evil 4.1/5, The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: Sacred Evil 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); Sacred Evil (374 pages, ≈ 6 h 56 m).
Which is harder to read: Sacred Evil or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Sacred Evil: Moderate; The Talleyrand Maxim: Challenging.