TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of February 25, 1990

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
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1
DEVICES AND DESIRES
P. D. James

DEVICES AND DESIRES

by P. D. James · Knopf

3 wks at #1 · 5 on list
2
THE BAD PLACE
Dean R. Koontz
Cover of THE BAD PLACE

THE BAD PLACE

by Dean R. Koontz · Putnam

5 wks on list

When Frank Pollard begs husband-and-wife team, Bobby and Julie Dakota, to get to the bottom of his mysterious amnesiac fugues, it seems like a simple job. But they are drawn into ever darkening realms where they encounter the nightmare, hate-filled figure stalking Frank, and their lives are threatened, as is that of Julie's gentle, Down's-syndrome brother, Thomas.

3
NEW
OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
Dr. Seuss
Cover of OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

by Dr. Seuss · Random House

1 wks on list

An interactive board book adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic—featuring 12 different sounds! Perfect for celebrating little ones' milestone moments, from first steps to preschool graduation! Introduce little ones to the world of Dr. Seuss with this super simple interactive adaptation of Oh, the Places You'll Go! that's just right for babies and toddlers. From the sound of clomping shoes and trumpeting elephants to howling Hacken-Kraks and cheering crowds, the twelve sounds featured in the story bring to life the Great Places a child's feet will carry them! This book includes colorful sound buttons, a handy on/off switch, and batteries that can be easily replaced.

5
3
COUNTERATTACK
W. E. B. Griffin
Cover of COUNTERATTACK

COUNTERATTACK

by W. E. B. Griffin · Putnam

4 wks on list

No one captures the drama of war as brilliantly as bestselling author W.E.B. Griffin. The Corps is his multi-volume portrait of the Marine Corps, the brave men and women who fought, loved and died in the sweeping turmoil of WW II.

8
2
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
Tom Clancy
Cover of CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER

by Tom Clancy · Putnam

26 wks on list

At the end of the prologue to Clear and Present Danger, Clancy writes, "And so began something that had not quite begun and would not soon end, with many people in many places moving off in directions and on missions which they all mistakenly thought they understood. That was just as well. The future was too fearful for contemplation, and beyond the expected, illusory finish lines were things fated by the decisions made this morning--and, once decided, best unseen." In Clear and Present Danger nothing is as clear as it may seem.The president, unsatisfied with the success of his "war on drugs," decides that he wants some immediate success. But after John Clark's covert strike team is deployed to Colombia for Operation Showboat, the drug lords strike back taking several civilian casualties. The chief executive's polls plummet. He orders Ritter to terminate their unofficial plan and leave no traces. Jack Ryan, who has just been named CIA deputy director of intelligence is enraged when he discovers that has been left out of the loop of Colombian operations. Several of America's most highly trained soldiers are stranded in an unfinished mission that, according to all records, never existed. Ryan decides to get the men out.

9
2
DADDY
Danielle Steel
Cover of DADDY

DADDY

by Danielle Steel · Delacorte Press

15 wks on list

Through the portrait of a caring family, young readers are reassured that continuity and love need not end when a parent remarries.

10
1
HOLLYWOOD
Gore Vidal
Cover of HOLLYWOOD

HOLLYWOOD

by Gore Vidal · Random House

2 wks on list

"Wicked and provocative...Vidal's purview of Hollywood in one of its golden ages is fascinating." --"Chicago Tribune" In his brilliant and dazzling new novel, Gore Vidal sweeps us into one of the most fascinating periods of American political and social change. The time is 1917. In Washington, President Wilson is about to lead the United States into the Great War. In California, a new industry is born that will transform America: moving pictures. Here is history as only Gore Vidal can re-create it: brimming with intrigue and scandal, peopled by the greats of the silver screen and American politics, from Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks to Franklin D. Roosevelt and the author's own grandfather, the blind Senator Gore. With Hollywood, Vidal once again proves himself a superb storyteller and a perceptive chronicler of human nature's endless deceptions. "From the Paperback edition."

11
CARIBBEAN
James A. Michener
Cover of CARIBBEAN

CARIBBEAN

by James A. Michener · Random House

15 wks on list

A fictional account of the history of the Caribbean area includes the racial, political, and economic struggles from the arrival of Columbus and Spanish control to present day problems.

12
2
WHITE NINJA
Eric V. Lustbader
Cover of WHITE NINJA
14
4
HARMFUL INTENT
Robin Cook
Cover of HARMFUL INTENT

HARMFUL INTENT

by Robin Cook · Putnam

7 wks on list

A physician turned fugitive must save himself and stop a lethal drug-tampering plot in Robin Cook's most disturbing techno-chiller yet. Anesthesiologist Dr. Jeffrey Rhodes's nightmare begins with nerve-shattering swiftness, but it will haunt him always: he administers routine anesthesia during a normal birth. Suddenly the young, healthy mother goes into inexplicable seizures and dies; her infant survives but is severely disabled and brain damaged. But the living nightmare is only beginning: sued first for malpractice, then brought up on criminal charges, Jeffrey is convicted of malpractice—to the tune of $11 million—then of harmful intent and reckless disregard for human life...second-degree murder carrying a mandatory prison term. A ruined man, Jeffrey must pull himself from the depths of despair to try to salvage the wreckage of his life. A subtle clue puts him and Nurse Kelly Everson on the trail of a crazed killer. With Kelly's aid, Jeffrey remains in hiding in order to find the truth and gain the evidence he needs to prevent more "malpractice" deaths and to clear his name. But that truth is even more shocking than Jeffrey imagined. For there is a third dimension to the whole affair that neither he nor Kelly could have anticipated...

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