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Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of September 30, 2012

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1
NEW
A WANTED MAN
Lee Child
Cover of A WANTED MAN

A WANTED MAN

by Lee Child · Delacorte Press

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

A masterpiece of suspense from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child Four people in a car, hoping to make Chicago by morning. One man driving, eyes on the road. Another man next to him, telling stories that don’t add up. A woman in the back, silent and worried. And next to her, a huge man with a broken nose, hitching a ride east to Virginia. An hour behind them, a man lies stabbed to death in an old pumping station. He was seen going in with two others, but he never came out. He has been executed, the knife work professional, the killers vanished. Within minutes, the police are notified. Within hours, the FBI descends, laying claim to the victim without ever saying who he was or why he was there. All Reacher wanted was a ride to Virginia. All he did was stick out his thumb. But he soon discovers he has hitched more than a ride. He has tied himself to a massive conspiracy that makes him a threat—to both sides at once. In Lee Child’s white-hot thriller, nothing is what it seems, and nobody is telling the truth. As the tension rises, the twists come fast and furious, keeping readers guessing and gasping until the explosive finale. Praise for #1 bestselling author Lee Child and his Reacher series “Child is a superb craftsman of suspense.”—Entertainment Weekly “The truth about Reacher gets better and better.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “Implausible, irresistible Reacher remains just about the best butt-kicker in thriller-lit.”—Kirkus Reviews “Like his hero Jack Reacher, Lee Child seems to make no wrong steps.”—Associated Press “Lee Child [is] the current poster-boy of American crime fiction.”—Los Angeles Times “Indisputably the best escape artist in this escapist genre.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times “Jack Reacher is much more like the heir to the Op and Marlowe than Spenser ever was.”—Esquire

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GONE GIRL
Gillian Flynn
Cover of GONE GIRL

GONE GIRL

by Gillian Flynn · Crown

15 wks on list

THE ADDICTIVE No.1 BESTSELLER AND INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE THE BOOK THAT DEFINES PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER Who are you? What have we done to each other? These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? 'Flynn is a brilliantly accomplished psychological crime writer and this latest book is so dark, so twisted and so utterly compelling that it actually messes with your mind' DAILY MAIL 'A near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of' SOPHIE HANNAH, Sunday Express 'You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunch' THE TIMES 'One of the most popular thrillers of the year is also one of the smartest... Flynn's book cleverly outpaces its neo-noir trappings and consistently surprises the reader.' FINANCIAL TIMES

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THE TIME KEEPER
Mitch Albom
Cover of THE TIME KEEPER

THE TIME KEEPER

by Mitch Albom · Hyperion

2 wks on list

FROM THE MASTER STORYTELLER WHOSE BOOKS HAVE TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF OVER 40 MILLION READERS 'Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary' Cecilia Ahern __________ Banished for centuries, as punishment for trying to measure time, the inventor of the world's first clock is finally granted his freedom, along with a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two people the true meaning of time. He embarks on a journey with two unlikely partners: a teenage girl who is about to give up on life and a wealthy, ageing businessman who wants to live for ever. To save himself, he must save them both. Gripping, and filled with deep human truth, this unforgettable story will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time and just how precious it truly is. __________ WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT THE TIME KEEPER 'As usual, Albom kept me completely captivated throughout this entire book. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer!' 'A touching story which everyone can relate to. This book is philosophical, touching and insightful - a true gem' 'Another awesome read . . . Wish his books went on forever' 'One of the best books I have ever read!' 'An absolute masterpiece! This one book provides much wisdom'

4
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DELUSION IN DEATH
J. D. Robb
Cover of DELUSION IN DEATH

DELUSION IN DEATH

by J. D. Robb · Putnam

1 wks on list

'What would cause someone to want so many people, surely many of them strangers, to slaughter each other?' The scene that greets Lieutenant Eve Dallas one terrible evening in New York is more shocking than she has ever witnessed. The downtown bar is strewn with bodies - office workers who have been sliced, bludgeoned or hacked to death with the nearest weapon available, turning on each other in a desperate blinding rage. As Eve and her husband Roarke - who owns the bar among his many properties - investigate the city, they link the attacks back to the Urban Wars and the chemical warfare used all those years ago. With another slaughter imminent, Eve must turn to unexpected sources to stop a killer pursuing revenge by creating mass carnage . . .

6
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THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER
Junot Díaz
Cover of THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER

THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER

by Junot Díaz · Riverhead

1 wks on list

Finalist for the 2012 National Book Award A Time and People Top 10 Book of 2012 Finalist for the 2012 Story Prize Chosen as a notable or best book of the year by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The LA Times, Newsday, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, the iTunes bookstore, and many more... "Electrifying." –The New York Times Book Review “Exhibits the potent blend of literary eloquence and street cred that earned him a Pulitzer Prize… Díaz’s prose is vulgar, brave, and poetic.” –O Magazine From the award-winning author, a stunning collection that celebrates the haunting, impossible power of love. On a beach in the Dominican Republic, a doomed relationship flounders. In a New Jersey laundry room, a woman does her lover’s washing and thinks about his wife. In Boston, a man buys his love child, his only son, a first baseball bat and glove. At the heart of these stories is the irrepressible, irresistible Yunior, a young hardhead whose longing for love is equaled only by his recklessness--and by the extraordinary women he loves and loses. In prose that is endlessly energetic, inventive, tender, and funny, these stories lay bare the infinite longing and inevitable weakness of the human heart. They remind us that passion always triumphs over experience, and that “the half-life of love is forever.”

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FROZEN HEAT
Richard Castle
Cover of FROZEN HEAT

FROZEN HEAT

by Richard Castle · Hyperion

1 wks on list

Hot on the heels of Richard Castle's #1 New York Times bestseller Heat Rises comes the fourth novel in the Nikki Heat series, Frozen Heat. Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook are together again, facing an unsolved murder mystery that has haunted Nikki for ten years. NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat arrives at her latest crime scene to find an unidentified woman stabbed to death and stuffed inside a suitcase left on a Manhattan street. Nikki is in for a big shock when this new homicide connects to the unsolved murder of her own mother. Paired once again with her romantic and investigative partner, top journalist Jameson Rook, Heat works to solve the mystery of the body in the suitcase while she is forced to confront unexplored areas of her mother's background. Facing relentless danger as someone targets her for the next kill, Nikki's search will unearth painful family truths, expose a startling hidden life, and cause Nikki to reexamine her own past. Heat's passionate quest takes her and Rook from the back alleys of Manhattan to the avenues of Paris, trying to catch a ruthless killer. The question is, now that her mother's cold case has unexpectedly thawed, will Nikki Heat finally be able to solve the dark mystery that has been her demon for ten years?

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THE TOMBS
Clive Cussler and Thomas Perry
Cover of THE TOMBS

THE TOMBS

by Clive Cussler and Thomas Perry · Putnam

2 wks on list

On orders from the Pentagon, marine explorer Dirk Pitt must salvage crucial material from the world's most infamous maritime disaster in this novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series. The President's secret task force has developed an unprecedented defensive weapon that relies on an extremely rare radioactive element—and Dirk Pitt has followed a twisted trail to a secret cache of the substance. Now, racing against brutal storms, Soviet spies, and a ticking clock, Pitt begins his most thrilling mission—to raise from its watery grave the shipwreck of the century...

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ROBERT B. PARKER'S FOOL ME TWICE
Michael Brandman
Cover of ROBERT B. PARKER'S FOOL ME TWICE

ROBERT B. PARKER'S FOOL ME TWICE

by Michael Brandman · Putnam

1 wks on list

Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone's investigation of a violent series of car thefts is complicated by political pressures, the summer tourist season, and the questionable goals of an ambitious PR executive.

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THE BLINDING KNIFE
Brent Weeks
Cover of THE BLINDING KNIFE

THE BLINDING KNIFE

by Brent Weeks · Orbit

1 wks on list

The second book in the Lightbringer series, the blockbuster fantasy epic from international bestseller Brent Weeks. Perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb and Joe Abercrombie. Gavin Guile is dying. He'd thought he had five years left - now he's got less than one. With fifty thousand refugees, a bastard son and an ex-fiancée who may have learned his darkest secret, Gavin's got problems on every side. As he loses control, the world's magic runs wild, threatening to destroy the Seven Satrapies. The old gods are being reborn and their army of colour wights is unstoppable. The only salvation may be the brother whose freedom and life Gavin stole sixteen years ago. 'Weeks has a style of immediacy and detail that pulls the reader relentlessly into the story. He doesn't allow you to look away' Robin Hobb 'Weeks writes in an inescapably engaging style' Andrea Stewart 'Weeks is a giant of the genre' Nicholas Eames 'Brent Weeks is so good it's beginning to tick me off' Peter V. Brett 'I was mesmerised from start to finish. Unforgettable characters, a plot that kept me guessing, non-stop action and the kind of in-depth storytelling that makes me admire a writers' work' Terry Brooks 'Weeks has truly cemented his place among the great epic fantasy writers of our time' British Fantasy Society Books by Brent Weeks Lightbringer The Black Prism The Blinding Knife The Broken Eye The Blood Mirror The Burning White Night Angel The Way of Shadows Shadow's Edge Beyond the Shadows The Kylar Chronicles Night Angel Nemesis Perfect Shadow: A Night Angel Novella The Way of Shadows: The Graphic Novel

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

A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

by George R. R. Martin · Bantam

58 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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THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS
M. L. Stedman
Cover of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS

by M. L. Stedman · Scribner

7 wks on list

A novel set on a remote Australian island, where a childless couple live quietly running a lighthouse, until a boat carrying a baby washes ashore.

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6
NW
Zadie Smith
Cover of NW

NW

by Zadie Smith · Penguin Press

2 wks on list

From the MAN BOOKER PRIZE- and WOMEN'S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED author of Swing Time, White Teeth and On Beauty - a masterful and intimate novel of modern London life 'A triumph. Every sentence sings' Guardian 'Intensely funny, richly varied, always unexpected. A joyous, optimistic, angry masterpiece' Daily Telegraph 'Smith's most satisfying novel. Funny, sexy, weird, full of acute social comedy. She's up there with the best around' Evening Standard Zadie Smith's brilliant tragicomic NW follows four Londoners - Leah, Natalie, Felix and Nathan - after they've left their childhood council estate, grown up and moved on to different lives. From private houses to public parks, at work and at play, their city is brutal, beautiful and complicated. Yet after a chance encounter they each find that the choices they've made, the people they once were and are now, can suddenly, rapidly unravel. Funny, poignant and vividly contemporary, NW is as brimming with vitality as the city itself.

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LAST TO DIE
Tess Gerritsen
Cover of LAST TO DIE

LAST TO DIE

by Tess Gerritsen · Ballantine

3 wks on list

'Suspense doesn't get much smarter than this' Lee Child Murder. That's what they all have in common. A high-security boarding school has been set up to provide a place of sanctuary for children who have lost their families in violent circumstances. But even locked gates and acres of forest cannot keep out a gathering threat. Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles find themselves locked inside the school along with the students. They are told it's for their own safety. But does the threat come from outside...or from within? 'Crime-writing at its unputdownable, nerve-tingling best' Harlan Coben The latest Rizzoli and Isles thriller by Tess Gerritsen, LISTEN TO ME, is out now.

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A FISTFUL OF COLLARS
Spencer Quinn
Cover of A FISTFUL OF COLLARS

A FISTFUL OF COLLARS

by Spencer Quinn · Atria

Private investigator Bernie and his canine partner Chet are picked to keep an eye on the notorious bad boy actor Thad Perry when people who may know a secret about the star start turning up dead.

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