The Friends of Eddie Coyle vs The Judas Goat: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Massachusetts, Boston, Fiction
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
"Eddie Coyle is a small-time punk with a big-time problem - who to sell out to avoid being sent up again. Eddie works for Jimmy Scalisi, supplying him with guns for a couple of bank jobs. But a cop named Foley is onto…
vs
The Judas Goat
Private eye Spenser returns to take on the terrorists who killed his client's wife and daughters in a London bombing, chasing them across Europe to the Montreal Olympics and a devastating climax.
The verdict
- Readers rate The Judas Goat highest: The Judas Goat 4.4 · The Friends of Eddie Coyle 4.0.
- The Friends of Eddie Coyle has the widest readership — 11456 ratings behind its score.
- The Friends of Eddie Coyle reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 5 times.
- The Friends of Eddie Coyle runs the darker storyline; The Judas Goat stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Judas Goat
4.4 vs 4.0 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
a darker storyline than The Judas Goat
Want something lighter?
The Judas Goat
an easier tone than The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Want the literary heavyweight?
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
cited 5 times vs 1 for The Judas Goat
Scores by source
| The Friends of Eddie Coyle | The Judas Goat | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (11456) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (31) | 4.0 (22) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (276) | 4.5 (377) |
Reception
| The Friends of Eddie Coyle | The Judas Goat | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 11456 | 377 |
| Editions | 25 | 5 |
| Citations | 5 | 1 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 12790 | — |
| Reading it now | 833 | — |
| Written reviews | 1148 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 6936 | 120 |
| Pages | 192 | 181 |