The Big Clock vs The Word Is Murder: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Crimes against, Women, Investigation, Crime, Murder, Thriller

The Big Clock Kenneth Fearing · 1946 ★★★★☆ 3.8 175 pages · ≈ 3 h 14 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The Word Is Murder

The Word Is Murder Anthony Horowitz · 2017 ★★★★☆ 3.9 400 pages · ≈ 7 h 24 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.8 vs 3.9 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Big Clock is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 7 for The Word Is Murder.
The Word Is Murder is the easier read (Moderate), The Big Clock more demanding (Challenging).