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Hardcover Fiction

Week of April 17, 2011

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1
NEW
THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES
Jean M. Auel
Cover of THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES

THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES

by Jean M. Auel · Crown

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

This Enhanced Edition contains exclusive content including the first chapter of the unabridged audiobook and eight videos. These videos include footage from 'Jean M. Auel in conversation with Chris Stringer' a sell-out event which took place on the 28th February 2011 at London's Natural History Museum, as well as videos about the eighteen lucky competition winners who influenced the making of the limited edition Augmented Reality hardback. Please note this a large file that will take time to download over slower connections. Europe is in the grip of the Ice Age. Its harsh but spectacularly beautiful terrain supports many varieties of animals but few people. They are Cro-Magnons - the first anatomically modern people - and Neanderthals, the other race with whom we shared that cold, ancient land. Ayla is a Cro-Magnon child who lost her parents in an earthquake and was adopted by a tribe of Neanderthal, the Clan. The Clan's wary suspicion was gradually transformed into acceptance of this girl, so different from them, under the guidance of its medicine woman Iza and its wise holy man Creb. But Broud, the Clan's future leader, becomes an implacable enemy, and causes her exile. Forced into dangerous isolation, she eventually finds her soul mate and fellow Cro-Magnon, Jondalar. Their epic journey across Europe is complete and Ayla and Jondalar join his people in the region now known as south-west France. Settling into the rhythm of life in the Ninth Cave, the couple find much pleasure in their baby daughter and in being reunited with friends and family. Ayla plays a vital role in the area of healing: her knowledge of plants and herbs, gleaned from her days with the Clan, strike awe in her new tribe. They are also both impressed by and wary of her uncanny affinity with long-time companions, the mare Whinney and Wolf. But, torn between her desire to concentrate on her new child and the rigours of her training as a Zelandoni acolyte, Ayla finds her relationship with Jondalar moving into stormy waters. Can she manage to balance her sense of destiny with her heart?

2
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LOVER UNLEASHED
J. R. Ward
Cover of LOVER UNLEASHED

LOVER UNLEASHED

by J. R. Ward · New American Library

1 wks on list

#1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward's thrilling new novel in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

3
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MYSTERY
Jonathan Kellerman
Cover of MYSTERY

MYSTERY

by Jonathan Kellerman · Ballantine

1 wks on list

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Jonathan Kellerman's Victims. The closing of the grand old Fauborg Hotel in Beverly Hills is a sad occasion for longtime patrons Alex Delaware and Robin Castagna, who go there one last time for cocktails. But even more poignant—and curious—is a striking young woman in elegant attire and dark glasses, alone there and waiting in vain. Two days later, police detective Milo Sturgis comes seeking his psychologist comrade’s insights about a grisly homicide. To Alex’s shock, the brutalized victim is the same beautiful woman whose lonely hours sipping champagne at the Fauborg may have been her last. But when a sordid revelation finally cracks the case open, the secrets that spill out could make Alex and Milo’s best efforts to close this crime not just impossible but fatal.

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LIVE WIRE
Harlan Coben
Cover of LIVE WIRE

LIVE WIRE

by Harlan Coben · Dutton

2 wks on list

Over the years, Myron Bolitar has walked a tight rope between sports agent, friend, problem solver and private eye, his big heart quick to defend his clients' interests so fiercely that he can't help but jump in to save them, no matter the cost to his own happiness. So when former tennis star Suzze T and her rock star husband, Lex, encounter an anonymous Facebook post questioning the paternity of their unborn child, Lex runs off, and Suzze - at eight months pregnant - asks Myron to save her marriage, and perhaps her husband's life. But when he finds Lex, he also finds two people he wasn't looking for: his sister-in-law, Kitty, wife of Myron's estranged brother, and her teenage son, Mickey, who is achingly familiar. But this boy that he has never met blames Myron for everything that has happened to his parents¿ As Myron races to locate his missing brother while their father clings to life after a savage heart-attack, he must face the lies that led to the estrangement long ago - including the ones told by Myron himself. He must also answer the questions that Mickey's arrival has thrown up. Who is Myron Bolitar really? And can he heal the damage of the past? We thought we knew Myron, but Harlan Coben now shows us we never did. An electric, stay-up-all night thriller that unfolds at a breakneck pace, Live Wire proves that Coben still has the ability to shock us anew.

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TOYS
James Patterson and Neil McMahon
Cover of TOYS

TOYS

by James Patterson and Neil McMahon · Little, Brown

3 wks on list

Hays Baker and his wife, Lizbeth, possess superhuman strength, extraordinary intelligence, stunning looks, a sex life to die for, and two beautiful children. Of course they do-they're Elites, endowed at birth with the very best that the world has to offer. The only problem in their perfect life: humans and their toys! The top operative for the Agency of Change, Hays has just won the fiercest battle of his career. He has been praised by the president and is a national hero. But before he can savor his triumph, he receives an unbelievable shock that overturns everything he thought was true. Suddenly, Hays is on the other side of the gun, forced to leave his perfect family and fight for his life. Now a hunted fugitive, Hays is thrown into an existence he never dreamed possible-fighting to save humans everywhere from extinction. He enlists all of his training to uncover the truth that will save millions of lives-maybe even his own. James Patterson's Toys is a thriller on a hyperplane-with a hero who rivals both James Bond and Jason Bourne.

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THE TROUBLED MAN
Henning Mankell
Cover of THE TROUBLED MAN

THE TROUBLED MAN

by Henning Mankell · Knopf

1 wks on list

Every morning Håkan von Enke takes a walk in the forest near his apartment in Stockholm. Then, one day he fails to come home. Detective Kurt Wallander is not officially involved but Håkan's son is engaged to his daughter Linda. A few months earlier Håkan was eager to talk to Kurt about a controversial incident from his past. Could this be connected to his disappearance? When Håkan's wife also goes missing, Wallander is determined to uncover the truth but the investigation will force him to look back over his own past, as he comes to the unsettling realisation that even those we love the most can remain strangers to us...

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SING YOU HOME
Jodi Picoult
Cover of SING YOU HOME

SING YOU HOME

by Jodi Picoult · Atria

5 wks on list

Zoe Baxter finds unexpected love with a younger woman after she and her husband divorce, and when the couple wants to use the embryos Zoe and her ex-husband had frozen when they were trying to get pregnant, it sparks a legal battle over the rights of gay couples and whether an embryo is considered a life or a piece of property.

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THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY
Alexander McCall Smith
Cover of THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY

THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY

by Alexander McCall Smith · Pantheon

2 wks on list

THE TWELFTH BOOK IN THE BELOVED NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY SERIES The one where Mma Makutsi gets married . . . As the countdown to Mma Makutsi's big day begins, Violet Sephotho, her former rival for the affections of Phuti Radiphuti, is up to no good as usual. And will Mma Makutsi bury her differences with pushy Mma Potokwani, who has offered to help with the wedding feast? Meanwhile Mma Ramotswe is called away on a case at a southern cattle post, and Charlie has again got himself in a bit of bother with a young lady. At least they all have the happy occasion to look forward to . . .

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THE JUNGLE
Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul
Cover of THE JUNGLE

THE JUNGLE

by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul · Putnam

4 wks on list

Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon take on another covert mission and confront a weapon rooted in thirteenth-century China and the treacherous jungles of northern Myanmar to overcome the greatest threat to U.S. security ever known.

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NIGHT ROAD
Kristin Hannah
Cover of NIGHT ROAD

NIGHT ROAD

by Kristin Hannah · St. Martin's

2 wks on list

‘One of the greatest storytellers of our time’ – Delia Owens, bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing From the number one bestselling author of The Women, in Kristin Hannah’s Night Road, the consequence of one terrible night changes a group of young people’s lives forever. 'There was a beauty in chaos, a wildness that hinted at things gone wrong and mistakes overcome' Lexi and Mia are inseparable from the moment they start high school. Though different in so many ways – Lexi is an orphan and lives with her aunt on a trailer park, while Mia is a golden girl blessed with a loving family and a beautiful home – they nonetheless recognize something in each other, and Mia comes to rely heavily on Lexi’s steadfast friendship. The summer they graduate is a time they’ll never forget; a summer of love, best friends and shared confidences. But then one night changes them forever. As hearts are broken, loyalties challenged and hopes dashed, the time has come to leave childhood behind and learn to face a new future . . . Praise for Kristin Hannah: ‘Utterly absorbing . . . A triumph’ – Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six ‘Stuns with sacrifice. Uplifts with heroism’ – Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry ‘Moving and unforgettable’ – Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo ‘A classic storyteller’ – Matt Haig, bestselling author of The Midnight Library

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THE PARIS WIFE
Paula McLain
Cover of THE PARIS WIFE

THE PARIS WIFE

by Paula McLain · Ballantine

6 wks on list

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A deeply evocative novel of ambition and betrayal that captures the love affair between two unforgettable people, Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley—from the author of Love and Ruin and When the Stars Go Dark “A beautiful portrait of being in Paris in the glittering 1920s—as a wife and as one’s own woman.”—Entertainment Weekly NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People • Chicago Tribune • NPR • The Philadelphia Inquirer • Kirkus Reviews • The Toronto Sun • BookPage Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking, fast-living, and free-loving life of Jazz Age Paris. As Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history and pours himself into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises, Hadley strives to hold on to her sense of self as her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Eventually they find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for. A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.

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SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL
Francine Pascal
Cover of SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL

SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL

by Francine Pascal · St. Martin's

1 wks on list

A New York Times Bestseller! “Before there was Gossip Girl, there was Sweet Valley High...Sweet Valley Confidential makes a compelling enough companion that we actually missed two subway stops because we were caught up in its frothy fun.” —Wall Street Journal Iconic and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are all grown up, and navigating the very complicated world of work, love and betrayal in Francine Pascal's long-awaited return to Sweet Valley. What terrible secret has torn Jessica and Elizabeth apart? Ten years after Sweet Valley High, the Wakefield twins have had a falling out of epic proportions. When Jessica commits a complete and utter betrayal, Elizabeth flees to New York to escape the pain. Jessica remains in California, dealing with the fallout of her heart-wrenching choices. But with Elizabeth as her enemy, Sweet Valley is no longer the idyllic town of their youth. Elizabeth soon decides the only way to heal her broken heart is to get revenge for Jessica's duplicity. Always the "good" twin, Elizabeth about to turn the tables... Francine Pascal finally unfolds the continuing story of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield—and the whole gang from Sweet Valley—that will delight and surprise the millions of fans of these beloved characters.

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A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES
Deborah Harkness
Cover of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

by Deborah Harkness · Viking Press

8 wks on list

Discovering a magical manuscript in Oxford's library, scholar Diana Bishop, a descendant of witches who has rejected her heritage, inadvertently unleashes a fantastical underworld of daemons, witches and vampires whose activities center around an enchanted treasure.

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THE PALE KING
David Foster Wallace
Cover of THE PALE KING

THE PALE KING

by David Foster Wallace · Little, Brown

The "breathtakingly brilliant" novel by the author of Infinite Jest (New York Times) is a deeply compelling and satisfying story, as hilarious and fearless and original as anything Wallace ever wrote. The agents at the IRS Regional Examination Center in Peoria, Illinois, appear ordinary enough to newly arrived trainee David Foster Wallace. But as he immerses himself in a routine so tedious and repetitive that new employees receive boredom-survival training, he learns of the extraordinary variety of personalities drawn to this strange calling. And he has arrived at a moment when forces within the IRS are plotting to eliminate even what little humanity and dignity the work still has. The Pale King remained unfinished at the time of David Foster Wallace's death, but it is a deeply compelling and satisfying novel, hilarious and fearless and as original as anything Wallace ever undertook. It grapples directly with ultimate questions -- questions of life's meaning and of the value of work and society -- through characters imagined with the interior force and generosity that were Wallace's unique gifts. Along the way it suggests a new idea of heroism and commands infinite respect for one of the most daring writers of our time. "The Pale King is by turns funny, shrewd, suspenseful, piercing, smart, terrifying, and rousing." --Laura Miller, Salon

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