TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of October 20, 2002

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THE LOVELY BONES
Alice Sebold
Cover of THE LOVELY BONES

THE LOVELY BONES

by Alice Sebold · Little, Brown

10 wks at #1 · 15 on list

Susie Salmon is just like any other young American girl. She wants to be beautiful, adores her charm bracelet and has a crush on a boy from school. There's one big difference though – Susie is dead. Add: Now she can only observe while her family manage their grief in their different ways. Susie is desperate to help them and there might be a way of reaching them... Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones is a unique coming-of-age tale that captured the hearts of readers throughout the world. Award-winning playwright Bryony Lavery has adapted it for this unforgettable play about life after loss.

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FROM A BUICK 8
Stephen King
Cover of FROM A BUICK 8
4
BLESSINGS
Anna Quindlen
Cover of BLESSINGS

BLESSINGS

by Anna Quindlen · Random House

3 wks on list

A young couple sneak onto the estate of wealthy Lydia Blessing and leave a box in the driveway. The box contains a baby and Skip Cuddy, the caretaker who finds her, decides to keep her. The secrets of the past, what makes a person, a life, and who decides, are at the centre of this story.

5
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THE MURDER BOOK
Jonathan Kellerman
Cover of THE MURDER BOOK

THE MURDER BOOK

by Jonathan Kellerman · Ballantine

1 wks on list

Jonathan Kellerman has distinguished himself as the master of the psychological thriller. Now L.A. psychologist-detective Alex Delaware confronts a long-unsolved murder of unspeakable brutality—an ice-cold case whose resolution threatens his survival, and that of longtime friend, homicide detective, Milo Sturgis. The nightmare begins when Alex receives a strange package in the mail with no return address. Inside is an ornate album filled with gruesome crime scene photos—a homicide scrapbook entitled The Murder Book. Alex can find no reason for anyone to send him this compendium of death, but when Milo views the book, he is immediately shaken by one of the images: a young woman, tortured, strangled, and dumped near a freeway ramp. This was one of Milo’s first cases as a rookie homicide cop: a vicious killing that he failed to solve, because just as he and his training partner began to make headway, the department closed them down. Being forced to abandon the young victim tormented Milo. But his fears prevented him from pursuing the truth, and over the years he managed to forget. Or so he thought. Now, two decades later, someone has chosen to stir up the past. As Alex and Milo set out to uncover what really happened twenty years ago, their every move is followed and their lives are placed in jeopardy. The relentless investigation reaches deep into L.A.’s nerve-centers of power and wealth—past and present. While peeling back layer after layer of ugly secrets, they discover that the murder of one forgotten girl has chilling ramifications that extend far beyond the tragic loss of a single life. A classic story of good and evil, sacrifice and sin, The Murder Book is a gripping page-turner that illuminates the darkest corridors of the human mind. It is a stunning tour de force. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Jonathan Kellerman's Victims.

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RED RABBIT
Tom Clancy
Cover of RED RABBIT

RED RABBIT

by Tom Clancy · Putnam

9 wks on list

Der Historiker Jack Ryan wird vom amerikanischen Geheimdienst gebeten, einen russischen Überläufer zu befragen und stösst dabei auf eine hochbrisante Story. Russische Politfunktionäre planen die Ermordung des Papstes. Für Jack Ryan beginnt ein Wettlauf mit der Zeit.

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THE NEW JEDI ORDER: DESTINY'S WAY
Walter Jon Williams
Cover of THE NEW JEDI ORDER: DESTINY'S WAY

THE NEW JEDI ORDER: DESTINY'S WAY

by Walter Jon Williams · Lucas/Del Rey/Ballantine

1 wks on list

In the war against the ruthless Yuuzhan Vong, the fall of Coruscant leaves the New Republic divided by internal strife, and on the verge of bowing to conquest. But those who steadfastly refuse to consider surrender-Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, and their children and comrades-in-arms-are determined to seize victory against overwhelming odds. And now, finally, there are signs that the tide may be turning in the New Republic's favor.After capturing crucial Yuuzhan Vong intelligence, Jedi fighter-pilot Jaina Solo prepares to lead a daring surprise strike against an enemy flagship. Meanwhile, Jaina's brother Jacen-liberated from the hands of the enemy and newly schooled in an even greater mastery of the Force by the Jedi Knight Vergere-is eagerly poised to bring his unique skills to bear against the invaders. And on Mon Calamari, the New Republic's provisional capital, the retired, ailing hero Admiral Ackbar has conceived a major tactical plan that could spell the beginning of a swift end for the Yuuzhan Vong.Yet even as opposing squadrons face off in the depths of space, intrigue runs rampant: in the heated political race for Chief of State . . . in the shadows where Yuuzhan Vong spies plot assassinations . . . and in the inscrutable creature Vergere, a Jedi Knight whose allegiance is impossible to predict.

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WAR OF HONOR
David Weber
Cover of WAR OF HONOR

WAR OF HONOR

by David Weber · Baen

NO ONE WANTED ANOTHER WAR Thomas Theisman didn't. After risking his life and a fresh round of civil war to overthrow the Committee of Public Safety's reign of terror and restore the Republic of Haven's ancient Constitution, an interstellar war was the last thing he wanted. Baron High Ridge didn't. The Prime Minister of Manticore was perfectly happy with the war he had. No one was shooting anyone else at the moment, and as long as he could spin out negotiations on the formal treaty of peace, his government could continue to milk all those "hostilities only" tax measures for their own partisan projects. His Imperial Majesty Gustav didn't. Now that the fighting between the Star Kingdom and the Havenites had ended, the Andermani Emperor had his own plans for Silesia, and he was confident he could achieve them without a war of his own. Protector Benjamin didn't. His people had made too deep a commitment to the Manticoran Alliance, in blood as well as treasure, for him to want to risk seeing it all thrown away. And Honor Harrington certainly didn't. The "Salamander" had seen the inside of too many furnaces already, knew too much about how much war cost. Unfortunately, what they wanted didn't matter.... At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

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