The Dove of Death vs The Talleyrand Maxim: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
The Dove of Death
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AD 670. An Irish merchant ship is attacked by a pirate vessel off the coast of the Breton peninsular. Murchad, the captain, and a prince from the kingdom of Muman, are killed in cold blood after they have surrendered.…
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 The Dove of Death.
- The Talleyrand Maxim has the widest readership — 180 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Dove of Death | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.9 (180) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (15) | 4.5 (13) |
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Reception
| The Dove of Death | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 15 | 180 |
| Editions | 8 | 115 |
| Want to read | — | 102 |
| Reading it now | — | 28 |
| Written reviews | — | 30 |
| Pages | 376 | 195 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Dove of Death or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Dove of Death has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Dove of Death 4.1/5, The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Dove of Death 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); The Dove of Death (376 pages, ≈ 6 h 58 m).
Which is harder to read: The Dove of Death or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Dove of Death: Moderate; The Talleyrand Maxim: Challenging.