[3] is a good newbie book. It explains basic problem solving techniques and introduces the basic problems/algorithms that many questions are derived or built on

[3] is a good newbie book. It explains basic problem solving techniques and introduces the basic problems/algorithms that many questions are derived or built on top of. [2] has a good soft skills section and is a medium difficulty workbook. I felt that Gayle did a poor job explaining the solution to the problems. I used the book in a guess and check manner. [1] wastes little time explaining the basics and ramps up very quickly. It does a very good job of explaining the problems, although there is an assumption that the reader is advanced. Some problems are so difficult that they would never appear on interviews. If you're starting out fresh, I recommend the sequence: [3] -> easy leetcode -> [2] -> medium leetcode -> [1]