TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of April 12, 1981

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
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1
THE COVENANT
James A. Michener
Cover of THE COVENANT

THE COVENANT

by James A. Michener · Random House

25 wks at #1 · 25 on list
6
ANSWER AS A MAN
Taylor Caldwell
Cover of ANSWER AS A MAN

ANSWER AS A MAN

by Taylor Caldwell · Putnam's

16 wks on list

"The powerful odyssey of a man of passionate principles in a decadent age ... A valiant man, haunted by forbidden yearnings. An innocent Pennsylvania town, under siege by the forces of corruption, a widening net of scandal and tragedy, threatening both the good and the evil alike.

8
NEW
REFLEX
Dick Francis
Cover of REFLEX

REFLEX

by Dick Francis · Putnam's

1 wks on list

A jockey unravels nasty secrets of corruption, blackmail, and murder in this mystery from grand master of crime fiction Dick Francis. Longtime jockey Philip Nore is no hero. But when he begins to suspect that a racetrack photographer’s fatal accident was really murder, he sets out to discover the truth and trap the killer. Slowly, he unravels some nasty secrets of corruption, blackmail and murder—and unwittingly sets himself up as the killer’s next target... “Reflex enthralls.”—The New York Times

9
2
THE KEY TO REBECCA
Ken Follett
Cover of THE KEY TO REBECCA
10
3
FIRESTARTER
Stephen King
Cover of FIRESTARTER

FIRESTARTER

by Stephen King · Viking Press

34 wks on list

Master storyteller Stephen King presents the classic #1 New York Times bestseller—now a major motion picture! Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson were once college students looking to make some extra cash, volunteering as test subjects for an experiment orchestrated by the clandestine government organization known as The Shop. But the outcome unlocked exceptional latent psychic talents for the two of them—manifesting in even more terrifying ways when they fell in love and had a child. Their daughter, Charlie, has been gifted with the most extraordinary and uncontrollable power ever seen—pyrokinesis, the ability to create fire with her mind. Now the merciless agents of The Shop are in hot pursuit to apprehend this unexpected genetic anomaly for their own diabolical ends by any means necessary...including violent actions that may well ignite the entire world around them as Charlie retaliates with a fury of her own...

11
NEW
GORKY PARK
Martin Cruz Smith
Cover of GORKY PARK

GORKY PARK

by Martin Cruz Smith · Random House

1 wks on list

A triple murder in a Moscow amusement center: three corpses found frozen in the snow, faces and fingers missing. Chief homicide investigator Arkady Renko is brilliant, sensitive, honest, and cynical about everything except his profession. To identify the victims and uncover the truth, he must battle the KGB, FBI, and the New York City police as he pursues a rich, ruthless, and well-connected American fur dealer. Meanwhile, Renko is falling in love with a beautiful, headstrong dissident for whom he may risk everything. -- Book Description.

12
3
RAGE OF ANGELS
Sidney Sheldon
Cover of RAGE OF ANGELS

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.