TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of May 4, 2003

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2
NEW
THE SECOND TIME AROUND
Mary Higgins Clark
Cover of THE SECOND TIME AROUND

THE SECOND TIME AROUND

by Mary Higgins Clark · Simon & Schuster

1 wks on list

When a corporate scandal leads to a boy's mysterious disappearance, the wife of a fugitive businessman assumes that her husband is accountable, only to learn that the consequences of corporate misdeeds can be a matter of life and death.

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THE GUARDIAN
Nicholas Sparks
Cover of THE GUARDIAN

THE GUARDIAN

by Nicholas Sparks · Warner

2 wks on list

After her husband's death, a young widow with a faithful Great Dane must decide between two men -- but as new love blossoms, jealousy turns deadly in this suspenseful New York Times bestseller. Julie Barenson's young husband left her two unexpected gifts before he died - a Great Dane puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now four years have passed. Still living in the small town of Swansboro, North Carolina, twenty-nine-year-old Julie is emotionally ready to make a commitment to someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the handsome, sophisticated engineer who treats her like a queen? Or Mike Harris, the down-to-earth nice guy who was her husband's best friend? Choosing one of them should bring her more happiness than she's had in years. Instead, Julie is soon fighting for her life in a nightmare spawned by a chilling deception and jealousy so poisonous that it has become a murderous desire...

4
THE DA VINCI CODE
Dan Brown
Cover of THE DA VINCI CODE

THE DA VINCI CODE

by Dan Brown · Doubleday

5 wks on list

THE #1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLING PHENOMENON, WITH MORE THAN 85 MILLION COPIES SOLD “Blockbuster perfection . . . a gleefully erudite suspense novel.” —The New York Times “A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure.” —People While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion, a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever. Robert Langdon returns in The Lost Symbol, Inferno, Origin, and The Secret of Secrets (coming soon)!

5
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DIRTY WORK
Stuart Woods
Cover of DIRTY WORK

DIRTY WORK

by Stuart Woods · Putnam

1 wks on list

Stone Barrington hits the streets of Manhattan in search of a dangerous woman and the circumstances behind the death of a very rich husband in this new thriller.

6
3
BIRTHRIGHT
Nora Roberts
Cover of BIRTHRIGHT

BIRTHRIGHT

by Nora Roberts · Putnam

3 wks on list

When 5,000-year-old human bones are found at a construction site in the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Woodsboro, the news draws archaeologist Callie Dunbrook out of her sabbatical and into a whirlwind of adventure, danger and romance.

7
1
THE KING OF TORTS
John Grisham
Cover of THE KING OF TORTS

THE KING OF TORTS

by John Grisham · Doubleday

11 wks on list

A case against one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and a settlement that would change his life, may make Clay Carter the newest king of torts.

9
NEW
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Lauren Weisberger
Cover of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

by Lauren Weisberger · Doubleday

1 wks on list

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • THE INSPIRATION FOR THE HIT MOVIE STARRING MERYL STREEP AND ANNE HATHAWAY • DON’T MISS THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2, COMING SOON TO THEATERS! “The degree to which The Devil Wears Prada has penetrated pop culture needs no explanation.”—Vanity Fair A gloriously wicked story about the ultimate Boss from Hell and the deals we make with the devil to get to the top Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million girls would die for.” Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace! at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child. Andrea is sorely tested each and every day—and often late into the night—with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get her a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not it’s worth the price of her soul.

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5
LOST LIGHT
Michael Connelly
Cover of LOST LIGHT

LOST LIGHT

by Michael Connelly · Little, Brown

3 wks on list

In this New York Times bestseller, retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch wants justice for a murdered production assistant -- but without his police badge, can he take down a powerful and ruthless killer? The vision has haunted him for four years -- a young woman lying crumpled in death, her hand outstretched in silent supplication. Harry Bosch was taken off the Angella Benton murder case when the production assistant's death was linked with the violent theft of two million dollars from a movie set. Both files were never closed. Now retired from the L.A.P.D., Bosch is determined to find justice for Angella. Without a badge to open doors and strike fear into the guilty, he's on his own. And even in the face of an opponent more powerful and ruthless than any he's ever encountered, Bosch is not backing down.

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THE LOVELY BONES
Alice Sebold
Cover of THE LOVELY BONES

THE LOVELY BONES

by Alice Sebold · Little, Brown

43 wks 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.

12
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SHUTTER ISLAND
Dennis Lehane
Cover of SHUTTER ISLAND

SHUTTER ISLAND

by Dennis Lehane · Morrow

1 wks on list

Dennis Lehane's masterpiece of mystery and suspense—brought to life for the first time as a graphic novel In 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, are sent to Shutter Island to find a mass murderer who has escaped from Ashecliffe Hospital, a fortress-like federal institution for the criminally insane. As an intense hurricane bears relentlessly down on the island, the marshals are forced to piece together clues to a shocking puzzle hidden within Shutter Island, taking them on a dark, twisted journey, where paranoia assumes an air of cool rationality and the line between sanity and madness disappears... Filled with his trademark grit, insight, and pathos, Shutter Island is vintage Dennis Lehane. Now adapted for the first time as a graphic novel by internationally renowned artist Christian De Metter, this riveting story brilliantly captures our capacity for depravity and deliverance.

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CERULEAN SINS
Laurell K. Hamilton
Cover of CERULEAN SINS

CERULEAN SINS

by Laurell K. Hamilton · Berkley

3 wks on list

'People don't like dealing with people who raise the dead. Don't ask me why, but we make them nervous.' There's something about Leo Harlan that I don't like. He's asked me to reanimate his long-dead ancestor, and it seems like a perfectly ordinary case for someone like me: Anita Blake, preternatural expert, vampire hunter and raiser of the dead. So I agree - sometimes you deal with the devil not because you want to, but because if you don't, someone else will. But what he hasn't told me is that the corpse may hold the secret to an ancient crime that not everyone wants to be remembered.

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DEAD AIM
Iris Johansen
Cover of DEAD AIM

DEAD AIM

by Iris Johansen · Bantam

3 wks on list

A photographer witnesses death through the eye of her camera and now the killer is in relentless pursuit.

15
NEW
THE JESTER
James Patterson and Andrew Gross

THE JESTER

by James Patterson and Andrew Gross · Little, Brown

Hugh De Luc, a poor innkeeper, returns home from the First Crusade wearied from battle and disillusioned by carnage. After journeying from the Holy Land back to his own small village, he finds his nightmare is just beginning. In his absence, Hugh's son has been killed and his beloved wife, Sophie, abducted by a ruthless duke in search of a priceless relic dating back to the Crucifision. Taking on the role of a jester, Hugh infiltrates the court where he believes Sophie is held captive.

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