The door with seven locks vs The House Without a Key: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Adventure, Fiction

The door with seven locks Edgar Wallace · 1926 ★★★★☆ 3.6 184 pages · ≈ 3 h 24 m · Challenging

As a practical joke, Sub-Inspector Dick Martin, about to retire, is asked to find a stolen library book. Before long, Dick finds himself intrigued by the nature of the book—and the attractiveness of Sybil, the…

Mystery

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The House Without a Key Earl Derr Biggers · 2015 ★★★★☆ 3.8 248 pages · ≈ 4 h 36 m · Moderate

Published in 1925, The House Without a Key introduces the kindly detective Charlie Chan, conceived by Earl Derr Biggers as a counter to the “Yellow Peril” stereotypes common in the era’s society. John Quincy Winterslip,…

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The House Without a Key highest: The House Without a Key 3.8 · The door with seven locks 3.6.
The House Without a Key has the widest readership — 2452 ratings behind its score.
The door with seven locks runs the darker storyline; The House Without a Key stays the lighter read.

How to choose

New to the genre? The House Without a Key Moderate vs Challenging for The door with seven locks In the mood for something dark? The door with seven locks a darker storyline than The House Without a Key Want something lighter? The House Without a Key an easier tone than The door with seven locks

Scores by source

	The door with seven locks	The House Without a Key
Goodreads	3.5 (718)	3.8 (2452)
Hardcover	3.5 (2)	3.8 (5)
Apple Books	4.5 (30)	4.5 (6)

Reception

	The door with seven locks	The House Without a Key
Ratings	718	2452
Editions	119	14
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	504	1693
Reading it now	41	275
Written reviews	87	328
Wikipedia attention	377	621
Pages	184	248

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: The door with seven locks or The House Without a Key?

The House Without a Key has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The House Without a Key 3.8/5, The door with seven locks 3.6/5).

Which is shorter to read: The door with seven locks or The House Without a Key?

The door with seven locks is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The door with seven locks (184 pages, ≈ 3 h 24 m); The House Without a Key (248 pages, ≈ 4 h 36 m).

Which is harder to read: The door with seven locks or The House Without a Key?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The door with seven locks: Challenging; The House Without a Key: Moderate.