TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of July 13, 2003

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

THE DA VINCI CODE

by Dan Brown · Doubleday

59 wks at #1 · 15 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)!

3
WHITE DEATH
Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos

WHITE DEATH

by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos · Putnam

2 wks on list

Critics and fans everywhere have welcomed the entertaining new series from Cussler: the adventures of Kurt Austin, taken from the NUMA( Files. "Cussler is in top form, " said "Publishers Weekly" of "Fire Ice." Rich with all the hair-raising adventure and endless imagination unique to Cussler, this newest entry is an exceptional thriller from the grand master of adventure fiction.

5
THE LOVELY BONES
Alice Sebold
Cover of THE LOVELY BONES

THE LOVELY BONES

by Alice Sebold · Little, Brown

53 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.

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2
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Lauren Weisberger
Cover of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

by Lauren Weisberger · Doubleday

11 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.

7
1
THE FACE
Dean Koontz
Cover of THE FACE

THE FACE

by Dean Koontz · Bantam

5 wks on list

When a Hollywood star becomes the target of a twisted killer, ex-cop Ethan Truman confronts the secrets of his tragic past and premonitions of his own impending violent death as he struggles to solve the macabre riddles of a killer.

8
THE GUARDIAN
Nicholas Sparks
Cover of THE GUARDIAN

THE GUARDIAN

by Nicholas Sparks · Warner

12 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...

9
THE KING OF TORTS
John Grisham
Cover of THE KING OF TORTS

THE KING OF TORTS

by John Grisham · Doubleday

21 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.

12
1
NAKED PREY
John Sandford
Cover of NAKED PREY

NAKED PREY

by John Sandford · Putnam

7 wks on list

The past presents a harrowing case and an unsettling dilemma for Lucas Davenport in a spellbinding new "Prey". Abridged.

13
NEW
ISLE OF PALMS
Dorothea Benton Frank
Cover of ISLE OF PALMS

ISLE OF PALMS

by Dorothea Benton Frank · Berkley

1 wks on list

A hot summer turns into a steaming one in this long-awaited hardcover debut featuring characters from Dorothea Benton Frank's previous bestsellers, "Sullivan's Island" and "Plantation."

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DIE IN PLAIN SIGHT
Elizabeth Lowell
Cover of DIE IN PLAIN SIGHT

DIE IN PLAIN SIGHT

by Elizabeth Lowell · Morrow

2 wks on list

The phenomenal author of "Running Scared" and "Moving Target" is back with her latest "New York Times" bestseller--a sizzling novel of nail-biting suspense about paintings that are really a message from the grave.

15
NEW
THE PROBABLE FUTURE
Alice Hoffman
Cover of THE PROBABLE FUTURE

THE PROBABLE FUTURE

by Alice Hoffman · Doubleday

Upon turning eighteen, Esther the Black plans to escape from her hateful grandmother, Esther the White, who lives in seclusion on Long Island, where each summer her son Phillip tries to kill himself by walking into the ocean.

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