TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of April 29, 2012

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1
NEW
CALICO JOE
John Grisham
Cover of CALICO JOE

CALICO JOE

by John Grisham · Doubleday

2 wks at #1 · 1 on list

This story, based on the Cubs and Mets 1973 season follows the divergent paths of Joe Castle, a rookie hitter for the Chicago Cubs, and Warren Tracey, a hard-throwing Mets pitcher.

2
GUILTY WIVES
James Patterson and David Ellis
Cover of GUILTY WIVES

GUILTY WIVES

by James Patterson and David Ellis · Little, Brown

3 wks on list

The vacation of a lifetime in Monte Carlo turns into a hellish nightmare when best friends Abbie, Winnie, Serena and Bryah are arrested aboard an unfamiliar yacht and accused of an unthinkable crime. 1 million first printing.

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2
THE LOST YEARS
Mary Higgins Clark
Cover of THE LOST YEARS

THE LOST YEARS

by Mary Higgins Clark · Simon & Schuster

2 wks on list

Now in mass market, the latest suspense from #1 New York Times bestselling author and Queen of Suspense Mary Higgins Clark, where a biblical scholar is found murdered shortly after discovering the most revered and holy document in human history, which has now gone missing... Dr. Jonathan Lyons, a seventy-year-old biblical scholar, believes he has found the rarest of parchments—a letter that may have been written by Jesus Christ. Stolen from the Vatican library in the fifteenth century, it was assumed to be lost forever. Under the promise of secrecy, Jonathan attempts to confirm his findings with several other biblical experts. But on the eve before his own murder, he confides to Father Aiden O’Brien, a family friend, that one of those whom he trusted most is determined to keep it from being returned to the Vatican. The next evening Jonathan Lyons is found shot to death in his New Jersey home. His daughter, twenty-seven year old Mariah, finds her father’s body sprawled over his desk in his study, a fatal bullet wound in the back of his neck, and her mother, Kathleen, an Alzheimer’s victim, hiding in the study closet, incoherent and clutching the murder weapon. The police suspect that Kathleen, who in her lucid moments knows that Jonathan was involved with a much younger woman Lily Stewart, has committed the murder. But Mariah believes that the key to her father’s death is tied to another question: Where is the missing parchment? Whom, among his close circle of friends, might he have consulted? And did one of them kill to keep possession of the letter? With all the elements that have made her a worldwide bestseller, Mary Higgins Clark’s The Lost Years is at once a breathless murder mystery and a hunt for what may be the most precious religious and archaeological treasure of all time.

4
NEW
COME HOME
Lisa Scottoline
Cover of COME HOME

COME HOME

by Lisa Scottoline · St. Martin’s Press

1 wks on list

From the New York Times –bestselling author of Think Twice comes an explosive novel about a woman faced with the ultimate choice: should she help someone from her past at the expense of her future? "The pace is relentless, the twists are jaw-dropping . . . Scottoline is a powerhouse." —David Baldacci Jill Farrow is a suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. She loves being a pediatrician and is about to remarry, while her daughter, Megan, is a happily over-scheduled thirteen-year-old. But Jill's life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up and delivers shocking news: Jill's ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered-and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries, and soon discovers that the story doesn't add up . . . As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet how can Jill turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own? What are the limits of love, loss, and family? "This thrilling testament to a mother's relentless love may well be Scottoline's best novel to date." — Library Journal (starred review)

5
THE SHOEMAKER'S WIFE
Adriana Trigiani
Cover of THE SHOEMAKER'S WIFE

THE SHOEMAKER'S WIFE

by Adriana Trigiani · Harper/HarperCollins

2 wks on list

‘Trigiani is a master of palpable and visual detail’ Washington Post A sweeping epic of risk and destiny, of family, and of the power of love to change lives forever At the turn of the last century, Ciro, a young dreamer raised in a convent orphanage, and Enza, a practical girl born into poverty, meet as teenagers in the Italian Alps. Stumbling onto a scandal, Ciro is sent to hide in America and work as apprentice in Little Italy. Enza is bereft, but her life too is about to change. Unbeknownst to one another, Ciro is later a shoemaker and Enza is working in a factory in nearby Hoboken when fate reunites them. But it is already too late: Ciro has volunteered to serve in the war, and Enza has a new job at the Metropolitan Opera House that will sweep her into the glamorous salons of Manhattan and into the life of international singing sensation Enrico Caruso. From the stately mansions of Carnegie Hill, to the cobblestone streets of Little Italy, over the perilous cliffs of northern Italy, to the white-capped lakes of northern Minnesota, The Shoemaker’s Wife defines an era with operatic scope and splendour, in this breathtaking multigenerational love story that spans decades and continents as two star-crossed lovers weave their paths to each other. ‘Gloriously romantic… exquisite writing and a story enriched by the power of abiding love’ USA Today ‘Completely wonderful: a rich, sweeping epic which tells the story of the women and men who built America dream by dream’ Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help ‘An old-fashioned, romantic tale of two star-tangled lovers... but also a paean to artisanal work, food, friendship and family’ Washington Post ‘Breathtaking’ Hufffington Post

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3
SACRÉ BLEU
Christopher Moore
Cover of SACRÉ BLEU

SACRÉ BLEU

by Christopher Moore · Morrow/HarperCollins

2 wks on list

1890. Vincent Van Gogh est assassiné à Auvers-sur-Oise par un mystérieux dealer de bleu, « l’Homme-aux-Couleurs ». Toulouse-Lautrec mène l’enquête. Il enrôle son ami Lucien Lessard, peintre-boulanger de la butte Montmartre. Mais Lucien n’a qu’une obsession : brosser le portrait de Juliette, muse magnétique, qui vient de lui offrir un tube de bleu très rare... De sa plume débridée, trempée à l’ultramarine, Christopher Moore signe une fabuleuse comédie qui revisite l’histoire et le Paris de l’impressionnisme. Renoir, Pissarro, Toulouse-Lautrec, Monet, Manet, les frères Van Gogh, Gauguin sont victimes d’un piège qui n’est peut-être que celui de l’inspiration. Comment savoir ? Surtout lorsque la muse sort du cadre pour asséner de façon peu académiques ses considérations sur l’art et la manière. Sacré Bleu dynamite tous les codes, du roman noir au rose, du livre d’art à la saga. Voici le premier roman bleu.

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1
BETRAYAL
Danielle Steel
Cover of BETRAYAL

BETRAYAL

by Danielle Steel · Delacorte Press

3 wks on list

Her life shattered by her boyfriend's infidelity, movie director Tallie Jones also discovers that one of her closest associates has been stealing from her for years, and partners with a dashing FBI agent to identify a hidden enemy.

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1
STAY CLOSE
Harlan Coben
Cover of STAY CLOSE

STAY CLOSE

by Harlan Coben · Dutton

4 wks on list

NOW A NETFLIX SERIES! The bestselling author and creator of the hit Netflix dramas Fool Me Once and The Stranger proves that the past never truly fades away in this shocking thriller. Megan is a suburban soccer mom who once upon a time walked on the wild side. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer but now finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo. Broome is a detective who can’t let go of a cold case. Each is hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect. When the terrible consequences of long-ago events threaten to ruin their quiet suburban lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all. As Megan, Ray, and Broome are faced with the excitement of temptation and the desperation and hunger that can lurk behind even the prettiest facades—they will discover a hard truth: the line between one kind of life and another can be as whisper-thin as a heartbeat.

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5
THE LIMPOPO ACADEMY OF PRIVATE DETECTION
Alexander McCall Smith
Cover of THE LIMPOPO ACADEMY OF PRIVATE DETECTION

THE LIMPOPO ACADEMY OF PRIVATE DETECTION

by Alexander McCall Smith · Pantheon

2 wks on list

THE THIRTEENTH BOOK IN THE BELOVED NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY SERIES The one where Mma Ramotswe meets her hero . . . Mma Ramotswe, normally a peaceful sleeper, finds her slumbers disturbed by dreams of a tall stranger - but she is not quite ready to learn what this vision portends. Soon even Mma Makutsi has to admit that untoward things are occurring around the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: at Speedy motors, Fanwell finds himself in trouble with the law, and the indomitable Mma Potokwani disappears from the orphan farm. Armed with courage, kindness and an instinct for the truth, Mma Ramotswe sets out to restore order . . .

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3
A DANCE WITH DRAGONS
George R. R. Martin
Cover of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

by George R. R. Martin · Bantam

37 wks on list

A latest installment of the popular series follows a showdown set in the north of the Seven Kingdoms and reveals the circumstances that shaped southern-region events. By the best-selling author of A Feast for Crows.

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3
THE BEGINNER'S GOODBYE
Anne Tyler
Cover of THE BEGINNER'S GOODBYE

THE BEGINNER'S GOODBYE

by Anne Tyler · Knopf

2 wks on list

When Dorothy came back from the dead, it seemed to Aaron that some people simply didn't notice. The accident that killed Dorothy - involving an oak tree, a sun porch and some elusive biscuits - leaves Aaron bereft and the house a wreck. As those around him fuss and flap and bring him casserole after casserole, Aaron ploughs on. But then Dorothy starts to materialise in the oddest places. At first, she only comes for a short while, leaving Aaron longing for more. Gradually she stays for longer, and as they talk, they also bicker and the cracks that were present in their perfectly ordinary marriage start to reappear... **ANNE TYLER HAS SOLD OVER 8 MILLION BOOKS WORLDWIDE** 'Anne Tyler takes the ordinary, the small, and makes them sing' Rachel Joyce 'She knows all the secrets of the human heart' Monica Ali 'A masterly author' Sebastian Faulks 'I love Anne Tyler. I've read every single book she's written' Jacqueline Wilson

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NEW
THE LIFEBOAT
Charlotte Rogan
Cover of THE LIFEBOAT

THE LIFEBOAT

by Charlotte Rogan · Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown

1 wks on list

I was to stand trial for my life. I was twenty-two years old. I had been married for ten weeks and a widow for six. It is 1914 and Europe is on the brink of war. When a magnificent ocean liner suffers a mysterious explosion en route to New York City, Henry Winter manages to secure a place in a lifeboat for his new wife Grace. But the survivors quickly realize the boat is over capacity and could sink at any moment. For any to live, some must die. Over the course of three perilous weeks, the passengers on the lifeboat plot, scheme, gossip and console one another while sitting inches apart. Their deepest beliefs are tested to the limit as they begin to discover what they will do in order to survive.

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4
LOVER REBORN
J.R. Ward
Cover of LOVER REBORN

LOVER REBORN

by J.R. Ward · New American Library

3 wks on list

#1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward’s “different, creative, dark, violent, and flat-out amazing” (All About Romance) Black Dagger Brotherhood series continues as a vampire warrior crosses the line between life and death…into a world of dark dreams and darker desires. Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment has been a heartbroken shadow of the vampire leader he once was. Brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel, he fights again with ruthless vengeance, unprepared for a new tragedy. Seeing his beloved in dreams—trapped in a cold, isolated netherworld—Tohr turns to the angel Lassiter to save his former mate. The only way to rescue her is for Tohr to love another. As war with the lessers rages, and a new clan of vampires vie for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between an unforgettable past and a hot, passion-filled future. But can his heart let go and set all of them free?

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2
LONE WOLF
Jodi Picoult
Cover of LONE WOLF

LONE WOLF

by Jodi Picoult · Emily Bestler/Atria

7 wks on list

When his father and sister are injured in an accident that has rendered his father comatose, estranged son Edward decides to stop his father's life support so that his organs can be donated, a choice his sister urges him to reconsider.

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1
KILL SHOT
Vince Flynn
Cover of KILL SHOT

KILL SHOT

by Vince Flynn · Emily Bestler/Atria

10 wks on list

THE NEW YORK TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER For months, Mitch Rapp has been steadily working his way - bullet by bullet - through a list of the men responsible for the slaughter of 270 civilians, including his own girlfriend, in the Pan Am Lockerbie bombing. His next target - a Libyan diplomat - should be easy. Prone to drink and currently in Paris without a bodyguard, Rapp quickly tracks the man down and sends a bullet into his skull while he's sleeping. But in the split second it takes the bullet to leave the silenced pistol, everything changes. The door to the hotel room is kicked open and gunfire erupts all around Rapp. When the news breaks that Libya's Oil Minister has been killed along with three innocent civilians and four unidentified men, the French authorities are certain that a wounded gunman is still on the loose in Paris. As the finger-pointing begins, Rapp's handlers have only one choice - deny any responsibility for the incident and race to do damage control. Rapp has become a liability, and he must not be taken alive by the French authorities. But alone in Paris, on the run from the authorities and from his own employers, Mitch Rapp must prepare to fight for his life. AMERICAN ASSASSIN, book one in the series, is soon to be a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE starring Dylan O'Brien (Maze Runner), Taylor Kitsch (True Detective) and Michael Keaton. Praise for the Mitch Rapp series 'Sizzles with inside information and CIA secrets' Dan Brown 'A cracking, uncompromising yarn that literally takes no prisoners' The Times 'Vince Flynn clearly has one eye on Lee Child's action thriller throne with this twist-laden story. . . instantly gripping' Shortlist 'Action-packed, in-your-face, adrenalin-pumped super-hero macho escapist fiction that does exactly what it says on the label' Irish Independent

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NEW
THE COVE
Ron Rash
Cover of THE COVE

THE COVE

by Ron Rash · Ecco/HarperCollins

It is 1918 and the world is at war. But this feels a million miles away for Laurel Shelton. In the house where her parents toiled and died, in the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains, Laurel aches for her life to begin. And then one day a stranger is discovered in the cove near her house. What follows is an unforgettable story of love, fate and divided loyalties.

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