The Nine Tailors vs Unnatural Death: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Lord Wimsey, Wimsey, Private investigators, England, Mystery, Fiction
The Nine Tailors
“plunged down the side of the dyke into the deep ditch beyond, where the black spikes of a thorn hedge stood bleak and unwelcoming in the glare of the headlights. Right and left, before and behind, the fen lay shrouded.”
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When his sexton finds a corpse in the wrong grave, the rector of Fenchurch St Paul asks Lord Peter Wimsey to find out who the dead man was and how he came to be there. The lore of bell-ringing and a brilliantly-evoked…
Unnatural Death
“But if he thought the woman was being murdered-" "My dear charles," said the young man with the monocle, "it doesn't do for people, especially doctors, to go about 'thinking' things.”
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Unnatural Death, published in 1927, is the third novel written by Dorothy L. Sayers featuring her aristocratic detective Lord Peter Wimsey. The story begins with a conversation in a restaurant between Wimsey, his friend…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Nine Tailors has the widest readership — 1859 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| The Nine Tailors | Unnatural Death | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (1859) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (43) | 3.7 (52) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (23) | 4.0 (16) |
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Reception
| The Nine Tailors | Unnatural Death | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1859 | 52 |
| Editions | 69 | 73 |
| Citations | 22 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 13484 | — |
| Written reviews | 1859 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 1375 | 723 |
| Pages | 287 | 285 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Nine Tailors or Unnatural Death?
The Nine Tailors has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Nine Tailors 4.0/5, Unnatural Death 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Nine Tailors or Unnatural Death?
Unnatural Death is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Unnatural Death (285 pages, ≈ 5 h 17 m); The Nine Tailors (287 pages, ≈ 5 h 19 m).
Which is harder to read: The Nine Tailors or Unnatural Death?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Nine Tailors: Moderate; Unnatural Death: Challenging.