TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of May 18, 2003

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
Jump to
2
1
THE SECOND TIME AROUND
Mary Higgins Clark
Cover of THE SECOND TIME AROUND

THE SECOND TIME AROUND

by Mary Higgins Clark · Simon & Schuster

3 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.

3
1
THE DA VINCI CODE
Dan Brown
Cover of THE DA VINCI CODE

THE DA VINCI CODE

by Dan Brown · Doubleday

7 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)!

4
2
THE GUARDIAN
Nicholas Sparks
Cover of THE GUARDIAN

THE GUARDIAN

by Nicholas Sparks · Warner

4 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...

5
NEW
NO SECOND CHANCE
Harlan Coben
Cover of NO SECOND CHANCE

NO SECOND CHANCE

by Harlan Coben · Dutton

1 wks on list

When the first bullet hit my chest, I thought of my daughter.' Dr Marc Seidman is living in a classic American suburb in New Jersey with his new wife, Monica, and their baby daughter, Tara, when the shocking attack occurs. Marc is left barely clinging to life. When he wakes up at the hospital, he learns that Monica is dead - and that their daughter Tara is missing from her crib. For two weeks there is no word. Then a ransom demand is made for Tara's return. But Marc makes a mistake. Something goes terribly wrong during the money drop. The ransom money vanishes. The kidnappers get away. Crushed, Marc waits by the phone for another call. Days turn to weeks as Marc remembers the ransom note's ominous warning: THERE WILL BE NO SECOND CHANCE. The police, believing that Tara is probably dead, start to move on. An agonizing eighteen months passes with no word and no new clues. And then, when Marc has just about given up all hope of seeing his daughter again, he gets a package with a chilling note attached: WANT A SECOND CHANCE? And inside the package the kidnapper provides proof that Tara is still alive...

6
NEW
A COLD HEART
Jonathan Kellerman
Cover of A COLD HEART

A COLD HEART

by Jonathan Kellerman · Ballantine

1 wks on list

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Jonathan Kellerman's Guilt. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis summons his friend psychologist-sleuth Alex Delaware to a trendy gallery where a promising young artist has been brutally garroted on the night of her first major showing. The details of the murder scene immediately suggest to Alex not an impulsive crime of passion but the meticulous and taunting modus operandi of a serial killer. “No one does psychological suspense as well as Jonathan Kellerman.”—Detroit Free Press Delaware’s suspicions are borne out when he and Milo find a link between the artist’s death and the murder of a noted blues guitarist. The twisting trail leads from halfway houses to palatial mansions, from a college campus to the last place Alex ever expected: the doorstep of his ex-lover Robin Castagna. As more killings are discovered, unraveling the maddening puzzle assumes a chilling new importance—stopping a vicious psychopath who’s made cold-blooded murder his chosen art form.

7
2
THE KING OF TORTS
John Grisham
Cover of THE KING OF TORTS

THE KING OF TORTS

by John Grisham · Doubleday

13 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.

8
1
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Lauren Weisberger
Cover of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

by Lauren Weisberger · Doubleday

3 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.

9
NEW
LATE FOR THE WEDDING
Amanda Quick
Cover of LATE FOR THE WEDDING

LATE FOR THE WEDDING

by Amanda Quick · Bantam

1 wks on list

New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick returns with a thrilling new venture into romance and mystery, featuring the most unusual, highly compatible--undeniably combustible--pairing of Tobias March and his mesmerizing partner, Lavinia Lake. An invitation to a country house party at Beaumont Castle provides a perfect solution to Tobias and Lavinia’s most exasperating challenge: how to escape the chaos of London for a remote, relaxing--and above all romantic--retreat from prying eyes and wagging tongues. But the lovers’ plans are foiled when their first cozy interlude of the weekend is disrupted by the appearance of a stunning woman from Tobias’s past. Aspasia Gray’s beauty is as haunting as her connection to Tobias. Her long-deceased fiancé was a friend of his--in addition to being an eccentric assassin. The mysterious nature of the bond between Tobias and Aspasia makes Lavinia more than a little uncomfortable. Especially as her first encounter with Aspasia occurs when she finds her in Tobias’s bedchamber... It seems Aspasia is seeking protection--and solace--after receiving an ominous message that eerily recalls the past. Suddenly the obstacles standing betweenTobias and Lavinia appear greater than just a little London gossip--and far more deadly.When events at the castle suggest someone is imitating the dead killer’s methods, the team of Lake and March fervently pursue the investigation--and each other--as their leads take them from Society’s most elegant haunts--and most discreet hideaways--to London’s shadiest backstreets. As their relationship heats up, so does the intrigue. Soon Lavinia will have to employ all her talents to flummox the scoundrel who so rudely interrupted her rendezvous. And then she and Tobias can get back to more pleasurable affairs.

10
2
THE LOVELY BONES
Alice Sebold
Cover of THE LOVELY BONES

THE LOVELY BONES

by Alice Sebold · Little, Brown

45 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.

11
5
WILD ORCHIDS
Jude Deveraux
Cover of WILD ORCHIDS

WILD ORCHIDS

by Jude Deveraux · Atria

2 wks on list

Have you ever lost someone who meant more to you than your own soul? Ford Newcombe has. For years he loved his wife, Pat, more than anyone -- and anything -- in the world. She came into his life when he was just an inexperienced college student with big dreams of becoming a published author. With love and humour, she guided him down the path that would eventually lead him to more success than he ever dreamed possible. Since Pat's death six years ago, Ford has lived a life of solitude, barely able to put pen to paper, and rumours are flying that it was Pat who actually created the books the world so loved. If there's one thing that Ford needs it's inspiration, and it finally comes in the guise of Jackie Maxwell -- a smart, sassy university researcher with just enough attitude to match Ford's sharp intellect. But it's her intimate knowledge of the story of a young woman's friendship with the devil -- and what the townspeople did to her -- that persuades Ford to hire Jackie as his assistant and to move to Cole Creek, North Carolina, where the story is said to have taken place. They soon learn that even though the inhabitants of Cole Creek try to deny it, they are still plagued by the consequences of the otherworldly tale of passion and death. As Ford and Jackie work to unravel the truth, they discover a connection between their lives and the past, a connection that not only helps them solve a long-ago crime but offers the promise of new love.

12
3
DIRTY WORK
Stuart Woods
Cover of DIRTY WORK

DIRTY WORK

by Stuart Woods · Putnam

3 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.

13
SHUTTER ISLAND
Dennis Lehane
Cover of SHUTTER ISLAND

SHUTTER ISLAND

by Dennis Lehane · Morrow

3 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.

14
4
LOST LIGHT
Michael Connelly
Cover of LOST LIGHT

LOST LIGHT

by Michael Connelly · Little, Brown

5 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.

15
NEW
THE KALAHARI TYPING SCHOOL FOR MEN
Alexander McCall Smith
Cover of THE KALAHARI TYPING SCHOOL FOR MEN

THE KALAHARI TYPING SCHOOL FOR MEN

by Alexander McCall Smith · Pantheon

1 wks on list

The fourth book in the multi-million copy bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series The one with the rival detective Mma Ramotswe faces the unexpected and unwelcome appearance in town of a new private detective, Mr Cephas Buthelezi. To ensure she does not lose clients to him, she takes on several cases at once, including those of an errant husband and of a man targeted by ostrich rustlers. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi has decided to set up a typing school to teach men some useful skills - but Mma Ramotswe fears her secretary is falling under the spell of a man who does not have her best interests at heart... 'A glorious creation' Mail on Sunday 'Happiness and quiet wisdom' Daily Telegraph 'Sparkles with African sunshine and Mma Ramotswe's wit' Dallas Morning News 'It's hard to find fault with such good-natured and pleasurable optimism' Observer

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