The Hidden City vs The Talleyrand Maxim: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
The Hidden City
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NAMED ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S TEN BEST MYSTERY NOVELS OF 2025 and THE LOS ANGELES TIMES' BEST FALL MYSTERIES!Against the vividly drawn backdrop of Victorian London, amateur sleuth Charles Lenox must unlock a…
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 Hidden City has the widest readership — 2269 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| The Hidden City | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (2269) | 3.9 (180) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (3) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (115) | 4.5 (13) |
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Reception
| The Hidden City | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2269 | 180 |
| Editions | — | 115 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 7518 | 102 |
| Reading it now | 232 | 28 |
| Written reviews | 416 | 30 |
| Wikipedia attention | 46 | — |
| Pages | 234 | 195 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Hidden City or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Hidden City has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Hidden City 4.1/5, The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Hidden City 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 Hidden City (234 pages, ≈ 4 h 20 m).
Which is harder to read: The Hidden City or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Hidden City: Moderate; The Talleyrand Maxim: Challenging.