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Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of June 7, 2009

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1
NEW
GONE TOMORROW
Lee Child
Cover of GONE TOMORROW

GONE TOMORROW

by Lee Child · Delacorte Press

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

'Enhances his status as a mythic avenger. . .You'll be left with a thumping heart and a racing pulse but, be warned, Chapter 63 will give you nightmares' Evening Standard Suicide bombers are easy to spot. They give out all kinds of tell-tale signs. There are twelve things to look for. No one who has worked in law enforcement will ever forget them. New York City. The subway, two o'clock in the morning. Jack Reacher studies his fellow passengers. Four are OK. The fifth isn't. The train brakes for Grand Central Station. Will Reacher intervene, and save lives? Or is he wrong? Will his intervention cost lives - including his own? _________ Although the Jack Reacher novels can be read in any order, Gone Tomorrow is 13th in the series. And don’t miss Reacher's newest adventure, No.30, Exit Strategy! ***OUT NOW***

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WICKED PREY
John Sandford
Cover of WICKED PREY

WICKED PREY

by John Sandford · Putnam

2 wks on list

For twenty years, John Sandford's novels have been beloved for their "ingenious plots, vivid characters, crisp dialogue and endless surprises" (The Washington Post), and nowhere are those more in evidence than in the sudden twists and shocks of Wicked Prey.Out of Lucas Davenport's past comes a psycho nursing a violent grudge. But why go after Davenport for revenge when Davenport's young daughter is so close-and so vulnerable?

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THE 8TH CONFESSION
James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Cover of THE 8TH CONFESSION

THE 8TH CONFESSION

by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro · Little, Brown

4 wks on list

As San Francisco's most glamorous millionaires mingle at the party of the year, someone is watching--waiting for a chance to take vengeance on Isa and Ethan Bailey, the city's most celebrated couple. Finally, the killer pinpoints the ideal moment, and it's the perfect murder. Not a trace of evidence is left behind in their glamorous home. As Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile murder, someone else is found brutally executed--a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless. His death nearly falls through the cracks, but when reporter Cindy Thomas hears about it, she knows the story could be huge. Probing deeper into the victim's history, she discovers he may not have been quite as saintly as everyone thought. As the hunt for two criminals tests the limits of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and her partner, Detective Rich Conklin. The Women's Murder Club now faces its toughest challenge: will love destroy all that four friends have built? The exhilarating new chapter in the Women's Murder Club series, The 8th Confession serves up a double dose of speed-charged twists and shocking revelations as only James Patterson can. And remember, this is the only Murder Club episode of the year.

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1
DEAD AND GONE
Charlaine Harris
Cover of DEAD AND GONE

DEAD AND GONE

by Charlaine Harris · Ace

3 wks on list

Now it's the turn of the weres and shifters to follow the lead of the undead and reveal their existence to the ordinary world. Sookie Stackhouse already knows about them, of course - her brother turns into a panther at the full moon, she's friend to the local Were pack and Sam, her boss at Merlotte's bar, is a shifter. At first the great Were revelation seems to go well - then the horribly mutilated body of a were-panther is found outside Merlotte's. Though Sookie never cared that much for the victim, no one deserves such a horrible death, so she agrees to use her telepathic talent to track down the murderer. But what Sookie doesn't realise is that there is a far greater danger than this killer threatening Bon Temps: a race of unhuman beings, older, more powerful and far more secretive than the vampires or the werewolves is preparing for war ...

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CEMETERY DANCE
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Cover of CEMETERY DANCE

CEMETERY DANCE

by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child · Grand Central

2 wks on list

A New York Times reporter is murdered, and his wife is injured, supposedly by a man who was dead and buried ten days previous. FBI Special Agent Pendergast must discover the truth.

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1
FIRST FAMILY
David Baldacci
Cover of FIRST FAMILY

FIRST FAMILY

by David Baldacci · Grand Central

5 wks on list

David Baldacci's First Family is the fourth gripping New York Times bestseller in the King and Maxwell series. The President’s niece is missing. Former secret service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell return to the White House. Camp David, USA. A children’s birthday party at the presidential retreat turns into a nightmare when a child is snatched after the celebrations. First Lady. The FBI doesn’t want private investigators King and Maxwell anywhere near the case. Regardless, they are enlisted by the First Lady to bring the child home safely. A shared history. The First Lady trusts King, for years ago he saved her then-senator husband from political disaster. But is there a greater secret in their past? With Maxwell battling her own demons, and forces aligned on all sides against her and King, the two are pushed to the absolute limit. In the race to save an innocent victim, the line between friend and foe will become impossible to define . . . or defend. David Baldacci's smash-hit series continues with The Sixth Man and King and Maxwell.

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THE HOST
Stephenie Meyer
Cover of THE HOST

THE HOST

by Stephenie Meyer · Little, Brown

54 wks on list

The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. But Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves--Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.--From publisher description.

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PYGMY
Chuck Palahniuk
Cover of PYGMY

PYGMY

by Chuck Palahniuk · Doubleday

3 wks on list

Agent Number 67, nicknamed Pygmy for his diminutive size, arrives in the United States from his totalitarian homeland. An 'exchange student' he is welcomed with open arms by his Midwestern host family. Simpsons-spinoffs, they introduce him into the rituals of postmodern American life, which he views with utter contempt. Along with his fellow operatives, he is planning something big, something truly, truly awful, to bring this big dumb country's fat inhabitants to their knees.

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NEW
THE SIGN
Raymond Khoury
Cover of THE SIGN

THE SIGN

by Raymond Khoury · Dutton

1 wks on list

What event could unite the world in peace - or in war? From the bestselling author of THE LAST TEMPLAR. A remote shelf in the Arctic circle. A small TV crew is braving the harsh conditions to film the breaking off of a major ice shelf - yet another nail in the planet's eco-coffin. Then someone calls out, pointing at something up in the sky overhead. The camera pans up and they look up to see a blazing symbol clear, burning high over the bleak, deserted terrain. Thus begins a series of strange events worldwide as the mysterious sign appears over the sites of conflict, natural disasters and terrorist atrocities. What can it portend? The world is wracked with both fear and hope. Suddenly, all this is focused onto one man. An obscure monk who recognises the symbol from the past and understands what it means for the future of humanity. But as he becomes the most sought-after man on the planet, the questions have to be asked: could this be the real deal? Or the most elaborate fake in world history? And - either way - what happens to the world now?

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NEW
SEDUCING AN ANGEL
Mary Balogh
Cover of SEDUCING AN ANGEL

SEDUCING AN ANGEL

by Mary Balogh · Delacorte Press

1 wks on list

He must be wealthy, well-born and want her more than he wants any other woman. Those are the conditions that must be met by the man Cassandra Belmont chooses for her lover. Marriage is out of the question for the scandalous widow who must now barter her beauty in order to survive. With seduction in mind, she sets her sights on Stephen Huxtable, the irresistibly attractive Earl of Merton and London's most eligible bachelor. But at first glance, Stephen is convinced the alluring Lady Paget is the ideal woman to share his bed. There is only one caveat: this relationship must be on his terms. But a single night of passion alters all the rules. Cassandra is now in danger of losing the one thing she vowed never to give. And Stephen, who wants Cassandra more than he has ever wanted any woman, won't rest until she has surrendered everything - not as his mistress - but as his lover and wife...

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TEA TIME FOR THE TRADITIONALLY BUILT
Alexander McCall Smith
Cover of TEA TIME FOR THE TRADITIONALLY BUILT

TEA TIME FOR THE TRADITIONALLY BUILT

by Alexander McCall Smith · Pantheon

5 wks on list

BOOK 10 IN THE BELOVED NO.1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY SERIES The one where Mma Makutsi has a love rival . . . Mma Makutsi's engagement to Phuti Radiphuti has progressed smoothly so far, but suddenly there is trouble in the form of her glamorous, empty-headed rival Violet Sephotho. While solving the amorous problems of her neighbours and clients is where Mma Ramotswe excels, the world of football is decidedly less familiar - however, when the owner of the Kalahari Swoopers comes to the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, she promises to find the traitor among the team's ranks. 'Brims with good humor and compassion' Entertainment Weekly 'Totally addictive' Daily Mail 'McCall Smith has done it again' Washington Times 'These stories are a balm for readers' Irish Independent

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1
ROAD DOGS
Elmore Leonard
Cover of ROAD DOGS

ROAD DOGS

by Elmore Leonard · William Morrow and Company

2 wks on list

Three canine friends, including fading movie star Buddy, rough-and-tumble loner Antwan, and pampered Miss Betty, who privately envy each other's lives of comfort, wild freedom, and family, find out about friendship and life.

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NEW
JUST TAKE MY HEART
Mary Higgins Clark
Cover of JUST TAKE MY HEART

JUST TAKE MY HEART

by Mary Higgins Clark · Simon & Schuster

When Natalie Raines, famous Broadway star, is found in her home in Closter, New Jersey, dying from a gunshot wound, her former husband, Gregg Aldrich, whom she was in the process of divorcing, is the chief suspect. What no one knows is that, only days before she was murdered, Natalie accidentally came face to face with the man who killed her former roommate, Jamie Evans. Two years later, career criminal Jimmy Easton, comes forward to claim that Aldrich hired him to kill his wife, but he turned the job down. Based on Easton's testimony, Gregg is charged with the murder of his wife. Handling the case is Emily Wallace, an attractive thirty-two-year-old widowed assistant prosecutor. As Aldrich's trial is making headlines, Emily's boss, Ted Wesley, warns her that this high-profile case will reveal personal matters about her, such as the fact that she had a heart transplant. And, during the trial, Emily experiences sentiments which defy all reason and continue after Gregg Aldrich's fate is decided by the jury. In the meantime, she does not realize that her own life is now at risk.

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