TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of September 21, 1997

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
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1
COLD MOUNTAIN
Charles Frazier
Cover of COLD MOUNTAIN

COLD MOUNTAIN

by Charles Frazier · Atlantic Monthly Press

18 wks at #1 · 11 on list

The impact of the Civil War on lovers. Inman is not the man he used to be, as wounded in battle he slowly makes his way home to North Carolina. His sweetheart, Ada, too has changed, no longer a flighty belle but a hard-working farm woman. Will love be the same?

4
1
SPECIAL DELIVERY
Danielle Steel
Cover of SPECIAL DELIVERY

SPECIAL DELIVERY

by Danielle Steel · Delacorte Press

11 wks on list

The playboy owner of a successful Beverly Hills boutique, Jack Watson is unexpectedly drawn to Amanda Robbins, the widowed mother of his grown son's wife, in a story of two mismatched, middle-aged people who find happiness and romance despite the confusion, obstacles, and opposition around them.

6
1
PLUM ISLAND
Nelson DeMille
Cover of PLUM ISLAND

PLUM ISLAND

by Nelson DeMille · Warner

16 wks on list

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER CELEBRATING THE 20th ANNIVERSARY WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR Wounded in the line of duty, NYPD homicide detective John Corey convalesces in the Long Island township of Southold, home to farmers, fishermen -- and at least one killer. Tom and Judy Gordon, a young, attractive couple Corey knows, have been found on their patio, each with a bullet in the head. The local police chief, Sylvester Maxwell, wants Corey's big-city expertise, but Maxwell gets more than he bargained for. John Corey doesn't like mysteries, which is why he likes to solve them. His investigations lead him into the lore, legends, and ancient secrets of northern Long Island -- more deadly and more dangerous than he could ever have imagined. During his journey of discovery, he meets two remarkable women, Detective Beth Penrose and Mayflower descendant Emma Whitestone, both of whom change his life irrevocably. Ultimately, through his understanding of the murders, John Corey comes to understand himself. Fast-paced and atmospheric, marked by entrancing characters, incandescent storytelling, and brilliant comic touches, Plum Island is Nelson DeMille at his thrill-inducing best.

7
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS
Arundhati Roy
Cover of THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

by Arundhati Roy · Random House

6 wks on list

The story of an Indian family during the 1969 Communist disturbances in Kerala province. It is told through the eyes of a boy and his sister who are the children of a rich rubber planter. Politics, family drama, illicit love. A debut in fiction.

9
1
THE PARTNER
John Grisham
Cover of THE PARTNER

THE PARTNER

by John Grisham · Doubleday

28 wks on list

Large Print Edition of a John Grisham Suspense Thriller.

11
2
LONDON
Edward Rutherfurd
Cover of LONDON

LONDON

by Edward Rutherfurd · Crown

16 wks on list
13
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UP ISLAND
Anne Rivers Siddons
Cover of UP ISLAND

UP ISLAND

by Anne Rivers Siddons · HarperCollins

15 wks on list

When her husband drops her for a younger woman, Molly Redwine of Atlanta - mother of two adult children and a woman accustomed to comfort - thinks it is the end of the world. But as she recuperates in Martha's Vineyard, Molly discovers other reasons for living - lots of people need her - and gradually she regains her confidence and happiness.

14
3
DEAD IN THE WATER
Stuart Woods
Cover of DEAD IN THE WATER

DEAD IN THE WATER

by Stuart Woods · HarperCollins

4 wks on list

New York lawyer and private investigator Stone Barrington comes to the aid of a lovely woman accused of the murder of her missing, wealthy husband

15
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SERPENT'S TOOTH
Faye Kellerman
Cover of SERPENT'S TOOTH

SERPENT'S TOOTH

by Faye Kellerman · Morrow

A busy night in a fashionable restaurant. Minutes later, carnage. 13 people dead and dozens wounded. As Lieutenant Decker, in charge of the police on the scene says, it's your worst nightmare. But at least the culprit seems clear - an embittered ex-employee, Harlan Manz, who ambled up to the bar and opened fire, finally turning the gun on himself. But why did Manz do it? Deck finds that things don't quite add up. Then he questions Jeanine Garrison, daughter of millionaire parents killed in the outrage, and find himself slapped with a sexual harassment suit. Now Decker knows she's involved, and after her brother, who shared the inheritance, is found dead he's sure. But he's not allowed near the woman. Meantime, he can feel her slipping through his fingers and getting away, quite literally, with murder.

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