TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of June 13, 2004

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
Jump to
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 · 63 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)!

2
1
THE RULE OF FOUR
Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
Cover of THE RULE OF FOUR

THE RULE OF FOUR

by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason · Dial Press

3 wks on list

Tom Sullivan, about to graduate from Princeton, is haunted by the violent death of his father, an academic who devoted his life to studying one of the rarest, most complex and most valuable books in the world. Coded in seven languages, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, an intricate mathematical mystery and a tale of love and arcane brutality, has baffled scholars since 1499. Tom's friend Paul is similarly obsessed and when a long-lost diary surfaces, they finally seem to make a breakthrough. But only hours later, a fellow researcher is murdered and the two friends suddenly find themselves in great danger. Working desperately to expose the book's secret, they slowly uncover a Renaissance tale of passion and blood, a hidden crypt and a secret worth dying to protect.

3
1
THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN
Mitch Albom
Cover of THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN

THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN

by Mitch Albom · Hyperion

36 wks on list

Plot Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him, as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here" Personal Details Collection Status In Collection Index 10 Read It Yes Links Amazon US Product Details LoC Classification PS3601.L335F59 2003 Dewey 813/.6

4
NEW
THE TAKING
Dean Koontz
Cover of THE TAKING

THE TAKING

by Dean Koontz · Bantam

1 wks on list
5
ANGELS & DEMONS
Dan Brown
Cover of ANGELS & DEMONS

ANGELS & DEMONS

by Dan Brown · Atria

22 wks on list

World renowned harvard symbologist Robert Langdon must uncover clues that point to the resurgance of an ancient secret society.

6
2
HIDDEN PREY
John Sandford
Cover of HIDDEN PREY

HIDDEN PREY

by John Sandford · Putnam

3 wks on list

Now a statewide troubleshooter, Detective Lucas Davenport is plunged into a murder investigation that involves a Russian corpse, 50-year-old bullets, and some high-level government connections.

7
1
THE NARROWS
Michael Connelly
Cover of THE NARROWS

THE NARROWS

by Michael Connelly · Little, Brown

4 wks on list

Former FBI agent Rachel Walling is working a dead-end stint in South Dakota when she gets the call she's been dreading for four years. The Poet is back. And he has not forgotten Rachel. He has a special present for her. Harry Bosch is adjusting to life in Las Vegas as a private investigator and as a new father. He gets a call, too, from the widow of a friend who died recently. Previously in his FBI career, the friend worked on the famous case tracking the killer known as The Poet. This fact alone makes some of the elements of his death doubly suspicious. And Harry Bosch is heading straight into the path of the most ruthless and inventive murderer he has ever encountered...

8
1
GLORIOUS APPEARING
Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
Cover of GLORIOUS APPEARING

GLORIOUS APPEARING

by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins · Tyndale

9 wks on list

After seven years, the remaining members of the Tribulation Force are gathered at Petra, trying to find a way to stop Nicolae Carpathia, the Antichrist, and his forces, while awaiting the return of Christ.

9
1
MEMORIAL DAY
Vince Flynn
Cover of MEMORIAL DAY

MEMORIAL DAY

by Vince Flynn · Atria

4 wks on list

A New York Times Bestseller Fearless counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp is called upon to fight against the world's most deadly terrorists in this harrowing political thriller. It's seven days before Memorial Day, and the nation's capital is buzzing with last-minute preparations for the unveiling of the magnificent new World War II memorial. Despite the hopeful energy of the city, Mitch Rapp senses trouble. A spike in CIA intelligence has pointed to a major terrorist attack on the United States. Now it's up to Rapp to pull out all the stops. Leaving immediately for Afghanistan, Rapp leads a special forces unit on a daring commando raid into a remote Pakistani village. Their target: an al Qaeda stronghold, where they intercept the plans for a catastrophic attack on Washington D.C. But Rapp can't shake the feeling that the whole operation seemed just a bit too easy . . . Vince Flynn lives in the Twin Cities Vince Flynn is the author of the bestselling novels Term Limits and Transfer of Power

10
NEW
DOUBLE PLAY
Robert B. Parker
Cover of DOUBLE PLAY

DOUBLE PLAY

by Robert B. Parker · Putnam

1 wks on list

Thriller featuring the gumshoe Spenser and his cohort Hawk who are hired by the tenants of a gang-plagued Boston housing project known as D̀ouble deuce'. By the author of S̀tardust' and P̀astime'.

11
2
BERGDORF BLONDES
Plum Sykes
Cover of BERGDORF BLONDES

BERGDORF BLONDES

by Plum Sykes · Miramax/ Hyperion

8 wks on list

This sparkling, "New York Times" bestseller captures the nuances of the rich and spoiled in a heartwarming social satire, featuring a lovable "champagne bubble girl" who's just looking for love.

12
NEW
TAMPA BURN
Randy Wayne White
Cover of TAMPA BURN

TAMPA BURN

by Randy Wayne White · Putnam

1 wks on list

The abduction of Doc Ford's son pulls the former assassin back into business--and into the trap of an avenging politico with a twisted and violent plan of revenge.

13
3
THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB
Karen Joy Fowler
Cover of THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB

THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB

by Karen Joy Fowler · Marian Wood/Putnam

4 wks on list

Nothing ever moves in a straight line in Fowler's fiction, and in her latest, the complex dance of modern love has never been so devious or so much fun. In this newest work, six Californians join to discuss Jane Austen's novels. Over the six months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens.

14
2
JUST ONE LOOK
Harlan Coben
Cover of JUST ONE LOOK

JUST ONE LOOK

by Harlan Coben · Dutton

5 wks on list

When Grace Lawson picks up a newly developed set of family photographs, there is a picture that doesn't belong--"a photo from at least 20 years ago with a man in it who looks strikingly like her husband, Jack. And though Jack denies it, he disappears that night, taking the photo with him. Now, to save her family from a fierce, silent killer who will stop at nothing to get the photo, Grace must confront the dark corners of her own tragic past.

15
NEW
NIGHTTIME IS MY TIME
Mary Higgins Clark
Cover of NIGHTTIME IS MY TIME

NIGHTTIME IS MY TIME

by Mary Higgins Clark · Simon & Schuster

The undisputed "Queen of Suspense" delivers a chilling new thriller, set during the 20th high school reunion of a "tragedy-ridden" class, as a murderer sets out on a mission of vengeance against the women who once humiliated him.

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