TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of November 16, 2014

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1
GRAY MOUNTAIN
John Grisham
Cover of GRAY MOUNTAIN

GRAY MOUNTAIN

by John Grisham · Doubleday

6 wks at #1 · 2 on list

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • John Grisham has a new hero ... and she’s full of surprises. The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track—until the recession hits and she is downsized, furloughed, and escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, all for a slim chance of getting rehired. In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Samantha’s new job takes her into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack. But some of the locals aren’t so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town, and within weeks Samantha is engulfed in litigation that turns deadly. Because like most small towns, Brady harbors big secrets that some will kill to conceal.

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THE SLOW REGARD OF SILENT THINGS
Patrick Rothfuss
Cover of THE SLOW REGARD OF SILENT THINGS

THE SLOW REGARD OF SILENT THINGS

by Patrick Rothfuss · DAW

1 wks on list

Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place. Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries.

3
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PRINCE LESTAT
Anne Rice
Cover of PRINCE LESTAT

PRINCE LESTAT

by Anne Rice · Knopf

1 wks on list

After a 15 year wait LESTAT is back in Anne Rice's long awaited new Vampire Chronicles novel The vampire world is in crisis - their kind have been proliferating out of control and, thanks to technologies undreamed of in previous centuries, they can communicate as never before. Roused from their earth-bound slumber, ancient ones are in thrall to the Voice, which commands that they burn fledgling vampires in cities from Paris to Mumbai, Hong Kong to Kyoto and San Francisco. Immolations, huge massacres, have commenced all over the world. Who - or what - is the Voice? What does it desire, and why? There is only one vampire, only one blood drinker, truly known to the entire world of the Undead. Will the dazzling hero-wanderer, the dangerous rebel-outlaw Lestat heed the call to unite the Children of Darkness as they face this new twilight? Anne Rice's epic, luxuriant, fiercely ambitious new novel brings together all the worlds and beings of the legendary Vampire Chronicles, from present-day New York and Ancient Egypt to fourth-century Carthage and Renaissance Venice; from Louis de Pointe du Lac; Armand the eternally young; Mekare and Maharet; to Pandora and Flavius; David Talbot, vampire and ultimate fixer from the Secret Talamasca; and Marius, the true child of the Millennia. It also introduces many other seductive supernatural creatures, and heralds significant new blood.

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HAVANA STORM
Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler
Cover of HAVANA STORM

HAVANA STORM

by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler · Putnam

1 wks on list

FOLLOW DIRK PITT ON THE TRAIL OF AN DECADES-OLD MYSTERY, FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND GRAND MASTER OF ADVENTURE, CLIVE CUSSLER In the dark, final days of World War Two, two submarines set out from Japan bearing a deadly virus destined for US cities. But neither boat was heard of again . . . Present day: NUMA Special Projects Director Dirk Pitt rescues a team of scientists from a deadly cloud of poison gas in the North West Pacific. Discovering that this was no natural phenomenon, Pitt is quickly on the hunt for a pair of lost WWII submarines and their deadly cargo. But he soon learns that he's not the only one searching for the virus: a sinister group of very able terrorists are aiming to relaunch the attack on the US some sixty years later. With time running out, only Dirk Pitt and the NUMA team stand between evil forces and a terrifying assault on America's west coast . . . With pulse-pounding suspense and jaw-dropping action on almost every page, Black Wind is a Clive Cussler story that no adventure junkie dare miss. Praise for Clive Cussler: 'No holds barred adventure . . . a souped-up treat' Daily Mirror 'Frightening and full of suspense . . . unquestionably entertaining' Daily Express

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LEAVING TIME
Jodi Picoult
Cover of LEAVING TIME

LEAVING TIME

by Jodi Picoult · Ballantine

3 wks on list

'Oh wow! Jodi Picoult has written her ultimate novel ever!... This book was beautifully written with a feeling of constant suspense... and that major twist??? What??? Highly recommended!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ten years ago, Alice Metcalf vanished after a car accident, leaving her daughter Jenna to grow up grappling with the mystery of her disappearance. Jenna has never believed that her mother could have simply left her. Determined to uncover the truth of what happened to Alice, she sets out to retrace the events of that fateful night. But nothing can prepare her for the answers that await. Number One bestselling author Jodi Picoult returns to themes about love and loss, and just how far we would go for the ones we love in this addictive bestseller. Readers adore Leaving Time: 'WOW WOW WOW incredible book' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'OMG!!!! UNBELIEVABLE TWISTS AND ENDINGS I DIDN'T SEE COMING WHAT-SO-EVER!!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The most brilliant, moving, emotionally resonant novel I've read in a long time... Once again, Jodi Picoult brings the magic!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Oh. My. God. This book was incredible!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I absolutely loved this book! It is a wonderful story of love and respect, grief and loss... The twist at the end of the book blew me away! Absolutely brilliant' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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THE HANDSOME MAN'S DE LUXE CAFÉ
Alexander McCall Smith
Cover of THE HANDSOME MAN'S DE LUXE CAFÉ

THE HANDSOME MAN'S DE LUXE CAFÉ

by Alexander McCall Smith · Pantheon

1 wks on list

Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma Ramotswe—with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi—navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea. Over the years Mma Ramotswe has found many lost things, but never before has she been asked to help a woman find herself—until now. A kindhearted brother and sister have taken in a nameless woman with no memory of her own history or how she came to Botswana. It falls to Precious Ramotswe and her new co-director, Grace Makutsi, to discover the woman's identity. Meanwhile, motherhood proves to be no obstacle to Mma Makutsi’s professional success, as she launches a new enterprise of her own: the Handsome Man's De Luxe Café, a restaurant for Gaborone’s most fashionable diners. And next door, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni is forced to make a choice that will directly affect not only Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, but the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency as well. With sympathy and indefatigable good humor, Mma Ramotswe and her friends see one another through these major changes and discover along the way what true friendship really means.

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PEGASUS
Danielle Steel
Cover of PEGASUS

PEGASUS

by Danielle Steel · Delacorte Press

1 wks on list

One life-changing war. A love story that would echo across the decades... On the cusp of the Second World War in Europe, Nicolas and Alex are two widowed men raising their children alone. They lead contented, peaceful lives, until a long-buried secret about Nicolas’s ancestry threatens his family’s safety... To survive, they must flee to America. The only treasures Nicolas and his sons can take are eight purebred horses, two of them dazzling Lipizzaners – gifts from Alex. These magnificent creatures are their ticket to a new life, securing Nicolas a job with the famous Ringling Brothers Circus. There, he and the white stallion, Pegasus, become the centrepiece of the show, and a graceful young high-wire walker soon steals his heart. But as the years of war take their toll, Nicolas struggles to adapt to their new life while Alex and his daughter face escalating danger in Europe. When tragedy strikes on both sides of the ocean, what will become of each family when their happiness rests in the hands of fate? A beautiful story of fate, love and loss, tied together by two families who were never meant to stay apart and the powerful bond that will link them forever, from the incomparable storyteller Danielle Steel

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EDGE OF ETERNITY
Ken Follett
Cover of EDGE OF ETERNITY

EDGE OF ETERNITY

by Ken Follett · Dutton

7 wks on list

Ken Follett's extraordinary historical epic, the Century Trilogy, reaches its sweeping, passionate conclusion. In Fall of Giants and Winter of the World, Ken Follett followed the fortunes of five international families—American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh—as they made their way through the twentieth century. Now they come to one of the most tumultuous eras of all: the 1960s through the 1980s, from civil rights, assassinations, mass political movements, and Vietnam to the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, presidential impeachment, revolution—and rock and roll. East German teacher Rebecca Hoffmann discovers she’s been spied on by the Stasi for years and commits an impulsive act that will affect her family for the rest of their lives. . . . George Jakes, the child of a mixed-race couple, bypasses a corporate law career to join Robert F. Kennedy's Justice Department and finds himself in the middle of not only the seminal events of the civil rights battle but a much more personal battle of his own. . . . Cameron Dewar, the grandson of a senator, jumps at the chance to do some official and unofficial espionage for a cause he believes in, only to discover that the world is a much more dangerous place than he'd imagined. . . . Dimka Dvorkin, a young aide to Nikita Khrushchev, becomes an agent both for good and for ill as the United States and the Soviet Union race to the brink of nuclear war, while his twin sister, Tanya, carves out a role that will take her from Moscow to Cuba to Prague to Warsaw—and into history.

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THE PERIPHERAL
William Gibson
Cover of THE PERIPHERAL

THE PERIPHERAL

by William Gibson · Putnam

1 wks on list

The computer age has arrived a century ahead of time with Charles Babbage's perfection of his Analytical Engine. The Industrial Revolution, supercharged by the development of steam-driven cybernetic Engines, is in full and drastic swing. Great Britain, with her calculating-cannons, steam dreamnoughts, machine-guns and information technology, prepares to better the world's lot . . .

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DEADLINE
John Sandford
Cover of DEADLINE

DEADLINE

by John Sandford · Putnam

4 wks on list

The thrilling new novel in the #1 New York Times–bestselling series. In Southeast Minnesota, down on the Mississippi, a school board meeting is coming to an end. The board chairman announces that the rest of the meeting will be closed, due to personnel issues. “Issues” is correct. The proposal up for a vote before them is whether to authorize the killing of a local reporter. The vote is four to one in favor. Meanwhile, not far away, Virgil Flowers is helping out a friend by looking into a dognapping, which seems to be turning into something much bigger and uglier—a team of dognappers supplying medical labs—when he gets a call from Lucas Davenport. A murdered body has been found—and the victim is a local reporter. . . .

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ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE
Anthony Doerr
Cover of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

by Anthony Doerr · Scribner

26 wks on list

An imaginative and intricate novel inspired by the horrors of World War II and written in short, elegant chapters that explore human nature and the contradictory power of technology.

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LILA
Marilynne Robinson
Cover of LILA

LILA

by Marilynne Robinson · Farrar, Straus & Giroux

4 wks on list

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER Marilynne Robinson, one of the greatest novelists of our time, returns to the town of Gilead with the unforgettable story of a girlhood lived on the fringes of society in fear, awe and wonder Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church—the only available shelter from the rain—and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the days of suffering that preceded her newfound security. Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter, and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood of itinerant work. Together they crafted a life on the run, existing hand to mouth with nothing but their sisterly bond and a ragged blade to protect them. Despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, the times they shared were laced with joy. After Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to harmonize the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with her husband's gentle Christian worldview, which paradoxically judges those she loves. Revisiting the beloved characters and setting of Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Gilead and and Orange Prize–winning Home, Lila is a moving expression of the mysteries of existence that is destined to become a classic.

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BURN
James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Cover of BURN

BURN

by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge · Little, Brown

5 wks on list

Detective Michael Bennett finally returns to New York City--and to the most unsettling, horrific case of his career. At last, Detective Michael Bennett and his family are coming home to New York City. Thanks to Bennett, the ruthless crime lord whose vengeful mission forced the Bennett family into hiding has been brought down for good. Back in the city that never sleeps, Bennett takes over a chaotic Outreach Squad in Harlem, where he receives an unusual call: a man claims to have seen a group of well-dressed men holding a bizarre party in a condemend building. With no clear crime or evidence, Bennett dismisses the report. But when a charred body is found in that very same building, he is forced to take the demented caller seriously--and is drawn into an underground criminal world of terrifying depravity.

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SOMEWHERE SAFE WITH SOMEBODY GOOD
Jan Karon
Cover of SOMEWHERE SAFE WITH SOMEBODY GOOD

SOMEWHERE SAFE WITH SOMEBODY GOOD

by Jan Karon · Putnam

9 wks on list

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jan Karon welcomes you back home to Mitford in this inspirational novel that “hits the sweet spot at the intersection of your heart and your funny bone” (USA Today). After five hectic years of retirement from Lord’s Chapel, Father Tim Kavanagh returns with his wife, Cynthia, from the land of his Irish ancestors. While he’s glad to be at home in Mitford, something is definitely missing from his life: a pulpit. But when he’s offered one, he decides he doesn’t want it. For years, he believed he had a few answers. Now he has questions. How can he possibly help Dooley’s younger brother, Sammy, make it through the fallout of a disasterous childhood? Could doing a good deed for the town bookstore be the best thing for his befuddled spirit? And who was riding through town in a limo? Not Edith Mallory. Then an editorial in the weekly Muse poses a question that sets the whole town looking for answers: Does Mitford still take care of its own?

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PERSONAL
Lee Child
Cover of PERSONAL

PERSONAL

by Lee Child · Delacorte Press

9 wks on list

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Don’t miss the hit streaming series Reacher! “The best one yet.”—Stephen King Someone has tried to kill the French president. How many snipers can shoot from three-quarters of a mile with total confidence? John Kott—a U.S. Army marksman gone bad—is one of them. After fifteen years in prison, he’s out . . . and there’s a G8 summit coming up, packed with enough world leaders to tempt any assassin. If anyone can stop Kott, it’s the man who beat him before: Jack Reacher. And though he’d rather work alone, Reacher is teamed with rookie analyst Casey Nice. They’re facing a rough road, full of local thugs, double-crosses, and no backup if things go wrong. Reacher never gets too close. But this time it’s personal.

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BEAUTIFUL YOU
Chuck Palahniuk
Cover of BEAUTIFUL YOU

BEAUTIFUL YOU

by Chuck Palahniuk · Doubleday

From the author of Fight Club, the classic portrait of the damaged contemporary male psyche, now comes this novel about the apocalyptic marketing possibilities of female pleasure. Sisters will be doing it for themselves. And doing it. And doing it. And doing it some more... Penny Harrigan is a low level associate in a big Manhattan law firm with an apartment in Queens and no love life at all. So it comes as a great shock when she finds herself invited to dinner by one C. Linus Maxwell, aka 'Climax-Well', a software mega-billionaire and lover of the most gorgeous and accomplished women on earth. After dining at Manhattan's most exclusive restaurant, he whisks Penny off to a hotel suite in Paris, where he proceeds, notebook in hand, to bring her to previously undreamed of heights of orgasmic pleasure for days on end. What's not to like? This: Penny discovers that she is a test subject for the final development of a line of sex toys to be marketed in a nationwide chain of boutiques called 'Beautiful You'. So potent and effective are these devices that women line up in their millions outside the stores on opening day then lock themselves in their room and stop coming out. Except for batteries. Maxwell's plan for erotically enabled world domination must be stopped. But how?

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