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Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of May 19, 2013

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1
NEW
12TH OF NEVER
James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Cover of 12TH OF NEVER

12TH OF NEVER

by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro · Little, Brown

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

It's finally time! Detective Lindsay Boxer is in labor--while two killers are on the loose. Lindsay Boxer's beautiful baby is born! But after only a week at home with her new daughter, Lindsay is forced to return to work to face two of the biggest cases of her career. A rising star football player for the San Francisco 49ers is the prime suspect in a grisly murder. At the same time, Lindsay is confronted with the strangest story she's ever heard: An eccentric English professor has been having vivid nightmares about a violent murder and he's convinced is real. Lindsay doesn't believe him, but then a shooting is called in-and it fits the professor's description to the last detail. Lindsay doesn't have much time to stop a terrifying future from unfolding. But all the crimes in the world seem like nothing when Lindsay is suddenly faced with the possibility of the most devastating loss of her life.

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THE HIT
David Baldacci
Cover of THE HIT

THE HIT

by David Baldacci · Grand Central

2 wks on list

From David Baldacci--#1 bestselling author and one of the world's most popular, widely read storytellers--comes the most thrilling novel of the year. THE HIT Will Robie is a master of killing. A highly skilled assassin, Robie is the man the U.S. government calls on to eliminate the worst of the worst-enemies of the state, monsters committed to harming untold numbers of innocent victims. No one else can match Robie's talents as a hitman...no one, except Jessica Reel. A fellow assassin, equally professional and dangerous, Reel is every bit as lethal as Robie. And now, she's gone rogue, turning her gun sights on other members of their agency. To stop one of their own, the government looks again to Will Robie. His mission: bring in Reel, dead or alive. Only a killer can catch another killer, they tell him. But as Robie pursues Reel, he quickly finds that there is more to her betrayal than meets the eye. Her attacks on the agency conceal a larger threat, a threat that could send shockwaves through the U.S. government and around the world.

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WHISKEY BEACH
Nora Roberts
Cover of WHISKEY BEACH

WHISKEY BEACH

by Nora Roberts · Putnam

3 wks on list

Suffering an intense year of public and police scrutiny after being wrongly implicated in his fiance's murder, Boston lawyer Eli Landon takes sanctuary in a centuries-old family home and falls in love with resident housekeeper Abra Walsh, with whom he is entangled in an old, life-threatening mystery.

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BEST KEPT SECRET
Jeffrey Archer
Cover of BEST KEPT SECRET

BEST KEPT SECRET

by Jeffrey Archer · St. Martin's

1 wks on list

'If there were a Nobel Prize for storytelling, Archer would win' - The Daily Telegraph *** Captivating and suspenseful, Best Kept Secret is a gripping instalment in international bestseller Jeffrey Archer’s outstanding Clifton Chronicles. It sees our hero Harry Clifton and Giles Barrington, brother of Harry’s beloved wife Emma, become entwined in the fate of the Barrington family fortune. It is 1945 and the House of Lords vote on who should inherit the Barrington estate ends in a tie, casting a long shadow over the lives of those involved. Author Harry begins to promote his novel, whilst Emma, after her father’s mysterious death, searches for the girl found abandoned in his office on the night he died. Politician Giles defends his seat in the House of Commons and finds not only his future but his family’s fortune at stake. Ultimately his fate is dictated by Harry’s son Sebastian, even as Sebastian himself becomes embroiled in an international art fraud. As they move out of the shadows of war, a new generation of Cliftons and Barringtons comes to the fore, and a thrilling new episode in Jeffrey Archer’s captivating family saga begins. Continue the bestselling series with Be Careful What You Wish For and Mightier than the Sword. *** Praise for Jeffrey Archer: 'Probably the greatest storyteller of our age' – Mail on Sunday 'Archer has a gift for plot that can only be described as genius' – The Daily Telegraph 'Stylish, witty and constantly entertaining' – The Times

5
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NOS4A2
Joe Hill
Cover of NOS4A2

NOS4A2

by Joe Hill · Morrow/HarperCollins

1 wks on list

***NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES ON NETFLIX*** 'Genuinely scary' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'A big engine of entertainment' THE GUARDIAN 'Full of chills and cliffhangers' NEW YORK TIMES Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it's across Massachusetts or across the country. Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing - and terrifying - playground of amusements he calls "Christmasland." Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble-and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx's unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He's on the road again and he's picked up a new passenger: Vic's own son. NOS4A2 is a spine-tingling novel of supernatural suspense from master of horror Joe Hill, the New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box, Horns and King Sorrow. Praise for Sunday Times bestseller Joe Hill: 'Fantastically compelling' THE OBSERVER 'Absolutely fantastic' THE GUARDIAN 'Epic' DAILY MAIL 'A commanding, captivating read' FINANCIAL TIMES 'You won't be able to stop burning through the pages' PAUL TREMBLAY 'Epic, exhilarating and haunting in equal measures' DAILY EXPRESS 'Clever, gripping and packs a hell of a punch' JOANNE HARRIS 'Character-driven stories that enthral and thrill' DAILY MAIL 'Original and gripping' GEORGE R. R. MARTIN

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DADDY'S GONE A HUNTING
Mary Higgins Clark
Cover of DADDY'S GONE A HUNTING

DADDY'S GONE A HUNTING

by Mary Higgins Clark · Simon & Schuster

4 wks on list

In this "tantalizing" (Booklist) novel, Mary Higgins Clark, the #1 New York Times bestselling Queen of Suspense, exposes a dark secret from a family’s past that threatens the lives of two sisters. What was Kate Connelly—a tall, glamorous CPA—doing in her family’s antique furniture museum when it exploded into flames in the middle of the night? Why was Gus—a disgruntled retired employee—with her? Now Gus is dead, and Kate lies in a coma, unable to explain the tragedy’s mysterious link to a decades-old missing persons case. And unable to warn her sister what could happen next. In a novel of dazzling suspense and excitement, Mary Higgins Clark once again demonstrates the mastery of her craft that has made her books international bestsellers for years. She presents the reader with a perplexing mystery, a puzzling question of identity, and a fascinating cast of characters—one of whom may just be a ruthless killer.

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GONE GIRL
Gillian Flynn
Cover of GONE GIRL

GONE GIRL

by Gillian Flynn · Crown

48 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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FLY AWAY
Kristin Hannah
Cover of FLY AWAY

FLY AWAY

by Kristin Hannah · St. Martin's

2 wks on list

Three women bond over the feeling that they have lost their way. They rely on each other - and maybe a miracle - to find their way back to themselves

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LIFE AFTER LIFE
Kate Atkinson
Cover of LIFE AFTER LIFE

LIFE AFTER LIFE

by Kate Atkinson · Little, Brown

5 wks on list

WINNER OF THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath. During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale. What if there were second chances? And third chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would you even want to? Life After Life follows Ursula Todd as she lives through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. With wit and compassion, Kate Atkinson finds warmth even in life's bleakest moments, and shows an extraordinary ability to evoke the past. Here she is at her most profound and inventive, in a novel that celebrates the best and worst of ourselves.

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PARIS
Edward Rutherfurd
Cover of PARIS

PARIS

by Edward Rutherfurd · Doubleday

2 wks on list

From the grand master of the historical novel comes a dazzling epic portrait of Paris that leaps through centuries as it weaves the tales of families whose fates are forever entwined with the City of Lights. As he did so brilliantly in London: The Novel and New York: The Novel, Edward Rutherfurd brings to life the most magical city in the world: Paris. This breathtaking multigenerational saga takes readers on a journey through thousands of years of glorious Parisian history--from its founding under the Romans to the timeless love story of Abelard and Heloise against the backdrop of the building of Notre Dame; to the martyrdom of Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War; to the dangerous manipulations of Cardinal Richelieu and the bloody religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants; to the gilded glories of Versailles; to the horrors of the French Revolution and the conquests of Napoleon; to the beauty and optimism of the belle epoque when Impressionism swept the world; to the hotbed of cultural activity of the 1920s and '30s that included Picasso, Salvador Dali, Ernest Hemingway, and the writers of the Lost Generation; to the Nazi occupation and the incredible efforts of the French Resistance. Even more richly detailed, thrilling, and romantic then anything Rutherfurd has written before, Paris: The Novel illuminates thousands of years in the City of Lights through intimate and vivid tales of characters both fictional and true, and with them, the sights, scents, and tastes of Paris come to sumptuous life.

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THE BURGESS BOYS
Elizabeth Strout
Cover of THE BURGESS BOYS

THE BURGESS BOYS

by Elizabeth Strout · Random House

6 wks on list

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Olive Kitteridge and My Name is Lucy Barton comes “a portrait of an American community in turmoil that’s as ambitious as Philip Roth’s American Pastoral but more intimate in tone” (Time). “What truly makes Strout exceptional . . . is the perfect balance she achieves between the tides of story and depths of feeling.”—Chicago Tribune A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, NPR, Good Housekeeping Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his bighearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan—the Burgess sibling who stayed behind—urgently calls them home, where the long-buried tensions that have shaped and shadowed the brothers’ relationship begin to surface in unexpected ways that will change them forever. This edition includes an original essay by Elizabeth Strout about the origins of The Burgess Boys.

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THE APPLE ORCHARD
Susan Wiggs
Cover of THE APPLE ORCHARD

THE APPLE ORCHARD

by Susan Wiggs · Harlequin Mira

1 wks on list

"SOMETIMES YOU STUMBLE ACROSS A TREASURE WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY." #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs brings readers to the lush abundance of Sonoma county in a novel of sisters, friendship and how memories are woven like a spell around us. Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother's beloved necklace—despite Tess's advice. To Annelise, the jewel's value is in its memories. But Tess's own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel. The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half sister she's never heard of. Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep. And in a season filled with new experiences, Tess begins to see the truth in something Annelise once told her: if you don't believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you've not made the right kind of memories. From one of America's most beloved writers, The Apple Orchard is a story of family ties—both old and new—and of the moments that connect our hearts.

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THE INTERESTINGS
Meg Wolitzer
Cover of THE INTERESTINGS

THE INTERESTINGS

by Meg Wolitzer · Riverhead

4 wks on list

Discover the generation-defining American novel from the author of The Wife Whatever became of the most talented people you once knew? On a warm summer night in 1974, six teenagers play at being cool. They smoke pot, drink vodka, share their dreams and vow always to be interesting. Decades later, aspiring actress Jules has resigned herself to a more practical occupation; Cathy has stopped dancing; Jonah has laid down his guitar and Goodman has disappeared. Only Ethan and Ash, now married, have remained true to their adolescent dreams and have become shockingly successful too. As the group’s fortunes tilt precipitously, their friendships are put under the ultimate strain. ‘A truly great novel about friendship, and how it deepens and changes over the years’ David Sedaris, author of Me Talk Pretty One Day

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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

71 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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WEDDING NIGHT
Sophie Kinsella
Cover of WEDDING NIGHT

WEDDING NIGHT

by Sophie Kinsella · Dial Press

2 wks on list

When her old boyfriend Ben reappears and reminds her of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, Lottie jumps at the chance. But not everyone is thrilled with Lottie and Ben's rushed marriage, and family and friends are determined to intervene. Will Lottie and Ben have a wedding night to remember ... or one to forget?

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SOMEDAY, SOMEDAY, MAYBE
Lauren Graham
Cover of SOMEDAY, SOMEDAY, MAYBE

SOMEDAY, SOMEDAY, MAYBE

by Lauren Graham · Ballantine

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Lauren Graham, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, comes a witty, charming, and hilariously relatable debut novel about a struggling young actress trying to get ahead―and keep it together―in New York City. It’s January 1995, and Franny Banks has just six months left of the three-year deadline she set for herself when she came to New York, dreaming of Broadway and doing “important” work. But all she has to show for her efforts so far is a part in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters, and a gig waiting tables at a comedy club. Her roommates―her best friend Jane, and Dan, an aspiring sci-fi writer―are supportive, yet Franny knows a two-person fan club doesn’t exactly count as success. Everyone tells her she needs a backup plan, and though she can almost picture moving back home and settling down with her perfectly nice ex-boyfriend, she’s not ready to give up on her goal of having a career like her idols Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep. Not just yet. But while she dreams of filling their shoes, in the meantime, she’d happily settle for a speaking part in almost anything—and finding a hair product combination that works. Everything is riding on the upcoming showcase for her acting class, where she’ll finally have a chance to perform for people who could actually hire her. And she can’t let herself be distracted by James Franklin, a notorious flirt and the most successful actor in her class, even though he’s suddenly started paying attention. Meanwhile, her bank account is rapidly dwindling, her father wants her to come home, and her agent doesn’t return her calls. But for some reason, she keeps believing that she just might get what she came for. Someday, Someday, Maybe is a story about hopes and dreams, being young in a city, and wanting something deeply, madly, desperately. It’s about finding love, finding yourself, and perhaps most difficult of all in New York City, finding an acting job. Praise for Someday, Someday, Maybe “A winning, entertaining read . . . [Lauren Graham] has smartly mined just the right details from her own experience, infusing her work with crackling dialogue and observations about show business that ring funny and true.”—The Washington Post “A charmer of a first novel . . . [Graham] has an easy, unforced style and, when the situation calls for it, a keen sense of the ridiculous.”—The Wall Street Journal “With insight, care, and an abundance of humor . . . Graham demonstrates that her acting chops are not her only talent.”—Library Journal “Thoroughly charming.”—Entertainment Weekly “Sweet, funny, and full of heart . . . a dazzling debut.”—Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed and Where We Belong “Warm and funny, charming and smart.”—Diane Keaton, New York Times bestselling author of Then Again “Graham deftly captures what it’s like to be young, ambitious, and hopeful in New York City.”—Candace Bushnell, New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City and The Carrie Diaries “Fresh and funny and full of zingers, Lauren Graham’s charming writing style instantly drew me in.”—Meg Cabot, bestselling author of the Princess Diaries and Heather Wells Mystery series

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