The caller vs The drowned boy: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Norway, Police Procedural, Mystery & Detective, Police, Fiction
The caller
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"Pranks can have lethal consequences, even when they seem harmless to start with. . . . A poison bonbon that ranks with the best of Ruth Rendell." —Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly One mild…
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The drowned boy
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"A new addition to the captivating Inspector Sejer series, the first since The Caller, from Norway's finest crime writer Carmen and Nicolai failed to resuscitate their son, Tommy, after finding him floating in their…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The caller has the widest readership — 5199 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| The caller | The drowned boy | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (5199) | 2.0 (4) |
| Hardcover | 3.4 (7) | 3.8 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (7) | 3.5 (11) |
Reception
| The caller | The drowned boy | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 5199 | 11 |
| Editions | 1 | 1 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 2043 | — |
| Reading it now | 400 | — |
| Written reviews | 489 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 30 | — |
| Pages | — | 223 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The caller or The drowned boy?
The caller has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The caller 3.7/5, The drowned boy 3.6/5).
Which is harder to read: The caller or The drowned boy?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The caller: Moderate; The drowned boy: Moderate.