The Pale Horse vs Third Girl: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Ariadne Oliver, English Novelists, English Detective and mystery stories, England, English literature, Mystery
The Pale Horse
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To understand the strange events at The Pale Horse inn, Mark Easterbrook knew he had to begin at the beginning. But where exactly was the beginning? Was it the savage blow to the back of Father Gorman's head? Or the…
Third Girl
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Three young women share a London flat. The first is a coolly efficient personal secretary; the second an artist. The third interrupts Hercule Poirot's breakfast of 'Brioche' and 'Chocolat' insisting she is a murderer –…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Third Girl highest: Third Girl 4.1 · The Pale Horse 3.9.
- The Pale Horse has the widest readership — 177 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| The Pale Horse | Third Girl | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 3.5 (78) | 3.4 (88) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (177) | 4.5 (150) |
Reception
| The Pale Horse | Third Girl | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 177 | 150 |
| Editions | 73 | 99 |
| Citations | 15 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 7921 | 2172 |
| Pages | 272 | 262 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Pale Horse or Third Girl?
Third Girl has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Third Girl 4.1/5, The Pale Horse 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Pale Horse or Third Girl?
Third Girl is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Third Girl (262 pages, ≈ 4 h 51 m); The Pale Horse (272 pages, ≈ 5 h 02 m).
Which is harder to read: The Pale Horse or Third Girl?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Pale Horse: Moderate; Third Girl: Moderate.