TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of July 10, 2011

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1
NEW
SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN
Janet Evanovich
Cover of SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN

SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN

by Janet Evanovich · Bantam

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich: Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum! “The most popular mystery writer alive.”—The New York Times Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list. Short on time to find evidence proving the killer’s identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it’s time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Grandma Bella, Morelli’s old-world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts “the eye” on Stephanie. With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke.

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AGAINST ALL ENEMIES
Tom Clancy with Peter Telep
Cover of AGAINST ALL ENEMIES

AGAINST ALL ENEMIES

by Tom Clancy with Peter Telep · Putnam

2 wks on list

Racing from the remote, war-scarred landscapes of the Middle East to the blood-soaked chaos of the U.S.-Mexico border, #1 New York Times bestselling author Tom Clancy delivers a heart-stopping thriller that is frighteningly close to reality. Working behind the scenes for the CIA, ex-Navy SEAL Maxwell Moore arrives at a rendezvous to take charge of a high-ranking Taliban captive and barely escapes with his life. Undaunted, Moore is relentless in his quest to find the terrorist cell responsible, but what he discovers leads him to a much darker conspiracy in an unexpected part of the globe... After years of planning, the Taliban have come to terms with a vicious Mexican drug cartel and agreed to supply them with opium. For the cartel, the deal means money, power, and ultimate control of the drug trade. But for the Taliban, it is a long awaited opportunity: to exploit the cartels and bring the fire of the jihad to the hearts of the infidels, striking against the very heart of America.

3
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THE DEVIL COLONY
James Rollins
Cover of THE DEVIL COLONY

THE DEVIL COLONY

by James Rollins · Morrow/HarperCollins

1 wks on list

Could the founding of America be based on a lie? The truth is hidden within the ruins of a cursed lost colony... An exhilarating Sigma Force thriller. In the Rocky Mountains, a horrible massacre ensues. Bodies are found purposefully positioned to form two symbols. One man recognises the warning behind the gruesome murders: Painter Crowe, director of SIGMA, has seen these symbols before and knows the deaths were a personal threat. One of the victims was his beloved cousin. Crowe joins forces with Commander Grayson Pierce to penetrate the shadowy heart of a dark cabal that has been manipulating American history. But can he discover the truth before it destroys all he holds dear? The truth lies hidden within the ruins of a cursed lost colony - a place known only as The Devil Colony.

5
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ONE SUMMER
David Baldacci
Cover of ONE SUMMER

ONE SUMMER

by David Baldacci · Grand Central

2 wks on list

One Summer by bestselling author, David Baldacci, is a tender and absorbing portrait of a family rebuilding itself after being torn apart by grief. Now an Original Movie on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries When thirty-four-year-old ex-war veteran Jack Armstrong is told he has only weeks to live, his first concern is for his beloved wife Lizzie, and their children: baby Jackie, twelve-year-old would-be actor Cory and rebellious teenage daughter Mikki. It seems so cruel that an apparently fatal illness should claim him, a survivor of Afghanistan and Iraq, when he still has so much left to live for. On Christmas Eve, as Jack prepares to say goodbye to his family, unthinkable tragedy strikes again and Lizzie is killed in a car accident. Just when Jack thought living was far harder than dying, and the children's future looked so bleak, something remarkable happens which gives Jack the valuable second chance he'd only dreamed of. Unexpectedly, the family inherits Lizzie's beautiful childhood home on the oceanfront in South Carolina. During one unforgettable summer Jack and the children struggle to rebuild their lives. They learn to live again – and to love again. And they learn the biggest lesson of all – the importance of family.

6
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SILVER GIRL
Elin Hilderbrand
Cover of SILVER GIRL

SILVER GIRL

by Elin Hilderbrand · Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown

1 wks on list

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE PERFECT COUPLE, NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES *** 'Hilderbrand's books keep getting better and better' Bookreporter 'The queen regent of the easy-breezy summer novel' New York Post *** Who would you run to if your life fell apart? Meredith had a perfect life. Until her husband was arrested for defrauding everyone they knew out of millions. Hounded by the press, shunned by society, there's only one person she can turn to: her childhood best friend Connie, who she hasn't spoken to in years. But as they retreat to Connie's holiday home on a glamorous island, it seems that some of Meredith's ghosts may have followed her. What are Connie's real motives for wanting her there? Who is the mysterious figure out at sea, photographing the two women? And does Meredith know more about her husband's dealings than she's prepared to admit to anyone - even herself? One thing's for sure, before the summer is out, everyone's lives will have changed beyond recognition . . . ************** Praise for Silver Girl 'Reminiscent of Jodi Picoult's work, this is an engaging, intricate read I didn't want to end' - The Bookbag 'It provides a pacey read, with colourful characters that have fascinating motivations. I couldn't get them out of my head for days' - Sunday Express 'Hilderbrand captivates with racy narrative, topical references, and characters who are both familiar and memorable' - People ************** Further praise for Elin Hilderbrand 'A gritty and moving read that oozes plenty of drama' - Heat 'A gem of a summer read with a glamorous location, elite lifestyle, and Hilderbrand's appealing take on the constant stress that fills the lives of women everywhere' - Booklist 'This book was a great read - you really care what happens to the characters. Perfect holiday reading. I didn't want to put it down' - Candis 'Touching and uplifting' - U Magazine

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CARTE BLANCHE
Jeffery Deaver
Cover of CARTE BLANCHE

CARTE BLANCHE

by Jeffery Deaver · Simon & Schuster

2 wks on list

The face of war is changing. The other side doesn't play by the rules much any more. There's thinking, in some circles, that we need to play by a different set of rules too . . .' Fresh from Afghanistan, James Bond has been recruited to a new agency. Conceived in the post-9/11 world, it operates independent of Five, Six and the MoD, its very existence deniable. Its aim: to protect the Realm, by any means necessary. The Night Action alert calls Bond from dinner with a beautiful woman. GCHQ has decrypted an electronic whisper about an attack scheduled for later in the week: casualties estimated in the thousands, British interests adversely affected. And 007 has been given carte blanche to do whatever it takes to fulfil his mission.

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FALLEN
Karin Slaughter
Cover of FALLEN

FALLEN

by Karin Slaughter · Delacorte Press

1 wks on list

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A complex, gripping and deadly serious novel that reflects anew Slaughter's abundant talent.”—The Washington Post “An amazing effort . . . This is [Karin] Slaughter’s best book to date, and readers unfamiliar with her work will find this one a perfect place to begin.”—Associated Press There’s no police training stronger than a cop’s instinct. Faith Mitchell’s mother isn’t answering her phone. Her front door is open. There’s a bloodstain above the knob. Everything Faith learned in the academy goes out the window when she charges into her mother’s house, gun drawn. She sees a man dead in the laundry room, a hostage situation in the bedroom. What she doesn’t see is her mother. When the hostage situation turns deadly, Faith is left with too many questions. She’ll need the help of her partner, Will Trent, and trauma doctor Sara Linton to get some answers. But Faith isn’t just a cop anymore, she’s a witness—and a suspect. To find her mother, Faith will have to cross the thin blue line and bring the truth to light—or bury it forever. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Karin Slaughter's Unseen. “An absolute master . . . Slaughter creates some wonderfully complex and mature female characters, a distinctive achievement in the world of thrillers.”—Chicago Tribune “Slaughter has always known how to pace the suspense in her stellar crime novels, but she really outdoes herself here. . . . [She] reveals the heart and soul of her characters within a highly choreographed, unrelentingly suspenseful plot.”—Booklist (starred review)

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SISTERHOOD EVERLASTING
Ann Brashares
Cover of SISTERHOOD EVERLASTING

SISTERHOOD EVERLASTING

by Ann Brashares · Random House

2 wks on list

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Four friends One sisterhood Ten years later, the story continues On the cusp of turning thirty, Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget are now living separate lives, out on their own. Yet despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness. Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected. Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.

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5
THE KINGDOM
Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood
Cover of THE KINGDOM

THE KINGDOM

by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood · Putnam

3 wks on list

Husband-and-wife team Sam and Remi Fargo must use their instinct for treasure-hunting to find a missing person in this novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series. The Fargos are used to hunting for fortune, not people. But then a Texas oil baron contacts them with a personal plea: an investigator friend of the Fargos' was on a mission to find the oil baron's missing father-and now the investigator is missing, too. Would Sam and Remi be willing to look for them both? Though something about the situation doesn't quite add up, the Fargos agree to go on the search. What they find will be beyond anything they could have imagined. On a journey that will take them to Tibet, Nepal, Bulgaria, India, and China, the Fargos will find themselves embroiled with black-market fossils, a centuries-old puzzle chest, the ancient Tibetan kingdom of Mustang, a balloon aircraft from a century before its time...and a skeleton that could turn the history of human evolution on its head. Packed with the endless imagination and breathtaking suspense that are his hallmarks, The Kingdom once again proves that Clive Cussler is "just about the best storyteller in the business" (New York Post).

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DEAD RECKONING
Charlaine Harris
Cover of DEAD RECKONING

DEAD RECKONING

by Charlaine Harris · Ace

8 wks on list

There's a reckoning on the way ... ... and Sookie has a knack for being in trouble's way; not least when she witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is known to be two-natured, suspicion immediately falls on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but before she can investigate something else - something even more dangerous - comes up. Sookie's lover Eric Northman and his 'child' Pam are plotting something in secret. Whatever it is, they seem determined to keep Sookie out of it; almost as determined as Sookie is to find out what's going on. She can't sit on the sidelines when both her work and her love life under threat - but as she's gradually drawn into their plans Sookie finds the situation is deadlier than she could ever have imagined.

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SUMMER RENTAL
Mary Kay Andrews
Cover of SUMMER RENTAL

SUMMER RENTAL

by Mary Kay Andrews · St. Martin's

3 wks on list

Sometimes, when you need a change in your life, the tide just happens to pull you in the right direction... Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she's made over the past decade of her life. Julia--whose caustic wit covers up her wounds--has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can't hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life. And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world...though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs. Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he's hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he's ever cared about. Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs just a few things in life: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity. Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs? Mary Kay Andrews' novel is the story of five people questioning everything they ever thought they knew about life. Five people on a journey that will uncover their secrets and point them on the path to forgiveness. Five people who each need a sea change, and one month in a summer rental that might just give it to them. Summer Rental is one of Library Journal's Best Women's Fiction Books of 2011

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MAINE
J. Courtney Sullivan
Cover of MAINE

MAINE

by J. Courtney Sullivan · Knopf

Three generations of women converge on the family beach house in this wickedly funny, emotionally resonant story of love and dysfunction.

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