The Blue Flame vs The Color of Death: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Thriller
The Blue Flame
Private investigator Derek Strange returns in a riveting drama about revenge, greed, and redemption—from bestselling author and Emmy-nominated writer for HBO’s The Wire and Treme, George Pelecanos. He was curious. It…
vs
The Color of Death
Bruce Alexander Cook (1932 – November 9, 2003) was an American journalist and author who also wrote under the pseudonym Bruce Alexander, creating historical novels about a blind 18th-century Englishman and also a…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Blue Flame is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 5 for The Color of Death.
- The Color of Death has the widest readership — 418 ratings behind its score.
- The Blue Flame runs the darker storyline; The Color of Death stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Blue Flame | The Color of Death | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (191) | — |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (1) | 3.2 (2) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (47) | 4.5 (418) |
Reception
| The Blue Flame | The Color of Death | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 191 | 418 |
| Editions | — | 5 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 4301 | — |
| Pages | 176 | 288 |