TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of May 11, 2008

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1
NEW
THE WHOLE TRUTH
David Baldacci
Cover of THE WHOLE TRUTH

THE WHOLE TRUTH

by David Baldacci · Grand Central

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

A powerful defense contractor, a reluctant intelligence agent, and an ambitious journalist race to contain and control an international crisis that could destroy the world in this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller. "Dick, I need a war." Nicolas Creel is a man on a mission. He heads the world's largest defense contractor, The Ares Corporation. Dick Pender is the man Creel retains to "perception manage" his company to even more riches by manipulating international conflicts. But Creel may have an even grander plan in mind. Shaw, a man with no first name and a truly unique past, has a different agenda. Reluctantly doing the bidding of a secret multi-national intelligence agency, he travels the globe to keep it safe and at peace. Desperate to get back to the top of her profession, Katie James gets the break of a lifetime: the chance to interview the sole survivor of a massacre that has left every nation stunned. In David Baldacci's first international thriller, these characters face a catastrophic threat that could change the world as we know it.

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HOLD TIGHT
Harlan Coben
Cover of HOLD TIGHT

HOLD TIGHT

by Harlan Coben · Dutton

2 wks on list

NOW A NETFLIX SERIES! The bestselling author and creator of the hit Netflix dramas Stay Close and The Stranger delivers a #1 New York Times bestseller that asks how well parents really know their children—and puts them on a technological roller coaster of their worst fears. “We’re losing him.” With those words, Mike and Tia Baye decide to spy on their sixteen-year-old son Adam, who has become increasingly moody and withdrawn since the suicide of his best friend. The software they install on his computer shows them every Web site visited, every e-mail sent or received, every instant message. And each keystroke draws them deeper and deeper into a maze of mayhem and violence that could destroy them all....

3
THE MIRACLE AT SPEEDY MOTORS
Alexander McCall Smith
Cover of THE MIRACLE AT SPEEDY MOTORS

THE MIRACLE AT SPEEDY MOTORS

by Alexander McCall Smith · Pantheon

2 wks on list

Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma Ramotswe—with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi—navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea. Under the endless skies of Botswana, there is always something Mma Ramotswe can do to help someone and here she finds herself assisting a woman looking for her family. The problem is the woman doesn't know her real name or whether any of her family members are still alive. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi is the recipient of a beautiful new bed that causes more than a few sleepless nights. And, at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has come under the influence of a doctor promising a miracle cure for his daughter's medical condition, which Mma Ramotswe finds hard to accept. Nonetheless, Precious Ramotswe handles these things in her usual compassionate and good-natured way, while always finding time for a cup of red bush tea.

4
UNACCUSTOMED EARTH
Jhumpa Lahiri
Cover of UNACCUSTOMED EARTH

UNACCUSTOMED EARTH

by Jhumpa Lahiri · Knopf

4 wks on list

The Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Namesake has written eight superbly crafted short stories.

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3
WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
Mary Higgins Clark
Cover of WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

by Mary Higgins Clark · Simon & Schuster

3 wks on list

How far would you go to keep a secret? It has been ten years since 21-year-old Mack went missing. A Columbia University senior, he walked out of his room and has not been seen since. Every year he calls his mother on her birthday, on his birthday, and on Mother's Day. He assures her he is fine, refuses to answer her frenzied questions, then hangs up. Even the death of his father on 9/11 does not bring him home. Mack's sister, Caroline, has now endured two family tragedies. Determined to solve the mystery surrounding her brother's disappearance, she sets out to discover the truth. But with it comes a secret that someone will do anything to protect, leading her to a deadly confrontation with an unexpected enemy…

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CERTAIN GIRLS
Jennifer Weiner
Cover of CERTAIN GIRLS

CERTAIN GIRLS

by Jennifer Weiner · Atria

3 wks on list

Cannie Shapiro returns in the acclaimed novel from the author of Good in Bed,All Fall Downand the forthcoming Who Do You Love! It's been almost thirteen years since we last saw Cannie Shapiro, the heroine of Good in Bed, whose journey towards happy-ever-after made millions of women the world over laugh, cry and recognise themselves. The last decade of Cannie's life has brought some surprises. Her life story, in fictional form, became an unexpected bestseller, and Cannie has since retreated from fame's fallout, writing science-fiction under a pen name and praying that all her daughter inherited from her father, Cannie's ex-boyfriend Bruce Guberman, are her curls and her eye-colour, and not his predilection for smoking pot. Meanwhile Cannie's best friend, Samantha, is looking for love in all the wrong places, and Cannie's husband, Peter, has decided that he'd like to have a baby, and the family's first choice for a surrogate is none other than Cannie's flamboyant kid sister ...

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QUICKSAND
Iris Johansen
Cover of QUICKSAND

QUICKSAND

by Iris Johansen · St. Martin’s Press

1 wks on list

Eve Duncan is still reeling from the disappearance of her daughter, Bonnie, and enlists the psychic abilities of Dr. Megan Blaire to find her. But is Bonnie still alive--and can they reach her in time? Martin's Press.

8
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DEAD HEAT
Joel C. Rosenberg
Cover of DEAD HEAT

DEAD HEAT

by Joel C. Rosenberg · Tyndale

5 wks on list

Book 5 in the bestselling 5-book thriller series that has sold over 1.2 million copies "His novels seem to be ripped from the headlines—next year's headlines." — Washington Times "For many adults Joel Rosenberg is the it author right now. Inside and outside the Beltway in Washington, people are snatching up copies of his almost lifelike terrorist suspense novels." — CNN Headline News The stage is set for war: Oil prices are surging to record highs A new dictator is rising in Iraq China is threatening Taiwan North Korean forces are ready to strike south Israel is feverishly trying to complete the Third Temple And in the midst of a world ready to explode, American president James MacPherson's second term is ending. The battle to succeed him is heating up into the most fiercely contested presidential election in American history. Who will lead a bitterly divided country over the next four years? And just what role—if any—does the US play in history's last days? As the presidential campaign narrows to a dead heat, the Secret Service learns of a catastrophic terrorist plot to assassinate one of the candidates—but which one? Whom do they want dead? And can US forces stop the terrorists before millions lose their lives? From New York Times bestselling novelist Joel C. Rosenberg comes an explosive new political thriller released amid the drama of the 2008 presidential campaign . . . and God forbid it should ever come true.

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THE APPEAL
John Grisham
Cover of THE APPEAL

THE APPEAL

by John Grisham · Doubleday

13 wks on list

In Grishams first legal thriller since "The Broker," justice is for sale--andonly the rich can afford it.

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SANTA FE DEAD
Stuart Woods
Cover of SANTA FE DEAD

SANTA FE DEAD

by Stuart Woods · Putnam

1 wks on list

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods returns with the third fast-paced thriller featuring Santa Fe, New Mexico’s take-no-prisoners attorney Ed Eagle... When his black widow wife failed to take him out in her murder for hire plot, Ed Eagle figured he was in the clear. But now that Barbara has escaped from police custody, Ed knows that his life, the life of his new girlfriend and, of course, any rich man unlucky enough to be lured into Barbara’s web, is in extreme danger. To add to his troubles, Ed has taken on a new client, Don Wells, who may or may not have murdered his own wife and son. From the posh resorts of southern California to the New Mexico desert and the seedy hotels of Tijuana, Ed Eagle will follow every lead—and hope that he doesn’t wind up Santa Fe dead.

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THE THIRD CIRCLE
Amanda Quick

THE THIRD CIRCLE

by Amanda Quick · Putnam

1 wks on list

Leona Hewitt, disguised in men's formal evening clothes, has secretly made her way into Lord Delbridge's private museum to find a relic stolen from her family. But someone else is in the dimly lit gallery on the same errand: a tall, black-cloaked man whose very voice is enough to put her in a trance. Thaddeus Ware, a mesmerist with psychic gifts, is accustomed to fearful reactions from others - women in particular. But Leona shows no trace of hysteria in his presence. A gifted crystal worker, she exerts a rather hypnotic power over the hypnotist himself. And she is determined to keep the crystal they recovered. Thaddeus, on assignment for the Arcane Society, knows the menace Leona is courting by absconding with the crystal. A source of remarkable energy, it holds the potential for great destruction. Lord Delbridge has already killed to acquire it, for it is his key to membership in the elite, shadowy group known as the Third Circle. And, with the help of a ruthless hunter of preternatural skill, dubbed the Midnight Monster by the press, Delbridge intends to find her. With the stolen crystal in their possession, the danger is only beginning...

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COMPULSION
Jonathan Kellerman
Cover of COMPULSION

COMPULSION

by Jonathan Kellerman · Ballantine

5 wks on list

A young woman who disappeared into the inky black night... A retired schoolteacher stabbed to death in broad daylight...Two women butchered in a small-town beauty parlor... Three baffling murder cases, linked only by a perplexing lack of motive... Until LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Delaware are called to the scene of a bizarre 'crime'. A stolen car has been anonymously returned to its owner, undamaged and unblemished - except for a tiny, solitary bloodstain. This miniscule clue is enough to set the pair on a hunt for a multiple killer, from the well-heeled centre of LA society to its desperate edges, even as far as New York where their search thaws out a long-cold case. However this killer proves to be a fleeting shape-shifter, defying identification - and to unmask him, Alex and Milo will have to confront the true face of murderous compulsion...

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BELONG TO ME
Marisa de los Santos
Cover of BELONG TO ME

BELONG TO ME

by Marisa de los Santos · Morrow

4 wks on list

“Marisa de los Santos’s Belong to Me is my favorite discovery of the past years: a terrific page-turner that’s also poignant, funny, surprising and deeply heartfelt.” —Harlan Coben “Complex, engaging, and surprisingly moving.” —Boston Globe The sensational New York Times bestseller from Marisa de los Santos, Belong to Me is a gift for readers, an enchanting, luminous novel about the accidents, both big and small, that affect our choice of friend, lover, and spouse. A story centered around three very different suburban neighbors and what it truly means to “belong” to someone, this eye-opening, unforgettable book is the perfect book club selection—beautifully written, smart and sophisticated women’s fiction that invites discussion as it touches the heart—and the ideal companion to de los Santos’s previous blockbuster, Love Walked In.

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3
BULLS ISLAND
Dorothea Benton Frank
Cover of BULLS ISLAND

BULLS ISLAND

by Dorothea Benton Frank · Morrow

3 wks on list

Betts hasn't been back to Bulls Island since the tragic night that ended her engagement to Charleston's golden boy. Twenty years later, she leaves her comfortable life and is back in contact with everything she's tried to hard to forget.

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A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
Khaled Hosseini
Cover of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

by Khaled Hosseini · Riverhead

49 wks on list

1 New York Times bestselling author. Main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and Literary Guild. Both born in Afghanistan a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family Mariam and Laila are brought together by war by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them - in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul - they form a bond that will ultimately alter the course of their lives and the lives of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice and that in the end it is love or even the memory of love that is often the key to survival. "Searing ... forceful ... harrowing." - Publishers Weekly starred. "Unimaginably tragic Hosseini's magnificent second novel is a sad and beautiful testament to both Afghani suffering and strength. Readers who lost themselves in The Kite Runner will not want to miss this unforgettable follow-up." - Booklist starred

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CHANGE OF HEART
Jodi Picoult
Cover of CHANGE OF HEART

CHANGE OF HEART

by Jodi Picoult · Atria

Her life shattered by a devastating act of violence, June Nealson is forced to make a pivotal choice that involves her twelve-year-old daughter and a salvation-seeking criminal. By the author of Nineteen Minutes. 1,000,000 first printing.

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