TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of April 28, 2024

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1
THE WOMEN
Kristin Hannah

THE WOMEN

by Kristin Hannah · St. Martin's

22 wks at #1 · 10 on list
2
NEW
THE FAMILIAR
Leigh Bardugo
Cover of THE FAMILIAR

THE FAMILIAR

by Leigh Bardugo · Flatiron

1 wks on list

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * #1 INDIE BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “An immersive, sensual experience.” —The New York Times "Essential." —The Washington Post GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FINALIST * A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Kirkus, Women's World, Town & Country Magazine, NYPL From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a spellbinding novel set in the Spanish Golden Age. In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to improve the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor. Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud are never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

3
FOURTH WING
Rebecca Yarros
Cover of FOURTH WING

FOURTH WING

by Rebecca Yarros · Red Tower

49 wks on list

As war grows more deadly, Violet Sorrengail joins the elite Navarre: the dragon riders. But she'll need to keep her wits because once you enter the Basgiath War College, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

5
1
IRON FLAME
Rebecca Yarros
Cover of IRON FLAME

IRON FLAME

by Rebecca Yarros · Red Tower

23 wks on list

"Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College--Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet's already wondering how she'll get through. It's not just that it's grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it's designed to stretch the riders' capacity for pain beyond endurance. It's the new vice commandant, who's made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is-unless she betrays the man she loves. Although Violet's body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else's, she still has her wits--and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules. But a determination to survive won't be enough this year. Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College--and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end." --

6
4
TABLE FOR TWO
Amor Towles
Cover of TABLE FOR TWO

TABLE FOR TWO

by Amor Towles · Viking Press

2 wks on list

A New York Times Bestseller “This may be Towles’ best book yet. Each tale is as satisfying as a master chef’s main course, filled with drama, wit, erudition and, most of all, heart.” —Los Angeles Times “The book spans the 20th century, bringing characters into tableaus of deceit and desire. Beneath his coifed prose Towles is a master of the shiv, the bait and switch; we see the flash of light before the shock wave strikes, often in the final sentence. . . . Table for Two delivers the kick of a martini served in the Polo Lounge.” – The New York Times Book Review Millions of Amor Towles fans are in for a treat as he shares some of his shorter fiction: six stories based in New York City and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood. The New York stories, most of which take place around the year 2000, consider the fateful consequences that can spring from brief encounters and the delicate mechanics of compromise that operate at the heart of modern marriages. Told from seven points of view, “Eve in Hollywood” describes how one of Towles’s most beloved characters, the indomitable Evelyn Ross from Rules of Civility, crafts a new future for herself—and others—in a noirish tale that takes us through the movie sets, bungalows, and dive bars of 1930s Los Angeles. Written with his signature wit, humor, and sophistication, Table for Two is another glittering addition to Towles’s canon of stylish and transporting fiction.

8
3
A FATE INKED IN BLOOD
Danielle L. Jensen
Cover of A FATE INKED IN BLOOD

A FATE INKED IN BLOOD

by Danielle L. Jensen · Del Rey

7 wks on list

A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in the first book of a Norse-inspired fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series. Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back. Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate. Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.

9
5
HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW
Sarah J. Maas
Cover of HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW

HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW

by Sarah J. Maas · Bloomsbury

11 wks on list

The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed #1 bestselling Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, author of the Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.

10
4
THE #1 LAW YER
James Patterson and Nancy Allen
Cover of THE #1 LAW YER

THE #1 LAW YER

by James Patterson and Nancy Allen · Little, Brown

4 wks on list

Move over, John Grisham! Biloxi's best criminal defense attorney has never lost a case. Then his wife is murdered, and he becomes the nation's #1 suspect. Stafford Lee Penney is a small-town lawyer with a big-time reputation for winning every case he tries. In his sharp suits and polished Oxford shoes, Penney is Biloxi, Mississippi's #1 Lawyer and top local celebrity. Just as Penney notches his latest courtroom victory, his wife is scandalously killed. He spirals into a legal and personal losing streak, damaging his reputation and ruining his career. That's when Penney makes a bold decision. He stops trading on his power-lawyer identity and creates a new one: lawyer lifeguard. Moonlighting at the beach, showing up to court in flip-flops, mentoring a law student, the new Penney is at first unrecognizable. It's said that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. But when Penney's accused of murder, the #1 Lawyer will find a way to triumph.

11
1
REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES
Shelby Van Pelt
Cover of REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES

by Shelby Van Pelt · Ecco

46 wks on list

"For fans of A Man Called Ove, a ... debut novel about a widow's unlikely friendship with a giant Pacific octopus reluctantly residing at the local aquarium--and the truths she finally uncovers about her son's disappearance 30 years ago"--

12
1
FIRST LIE WINS
Ashley Elston
Cover of FIRST LIE WINS

FIRST LIE WINS

by Ashley Elston · Pamela Dorman

15 wks on list

Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn't exist. The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she's given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job. Evie isn't privy to Mr. Smith's real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she's starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can't make any mistakes--especially after what happened last time. Because the one thing she's worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to-her real identity-just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there's still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn't be higher--but then, Evie has always liked a challenge...

13
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THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE
James McBride
Cover of THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE

THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE

by James McBride · Riverhead

34 wks on list

WATERSTONES FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER 2024 THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER BARACK OBAMA'S BOOK OF THE YEAR PICK AMAZON.COM NO.1 BOOK OF THE YEAR 'I loved this book' BONNIE GARMUS 'A generous, compassionate book about the power of love and community' LOUISE KENNEDY 'I can't recommend this one highly enough ' HARLAN COBEN 'THIS is his best book' ANN PATCHETT In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighbourhood where Jewish immigrants and African Americans lived side by side through the 1920s and '30s. In this novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep them, James McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community - heaven and earth - that sustain us.

14
NEW
THE HEMLOCK QUEEN
Hannah Whitten
15
NEW
DAUGHTER OF MINE
Megan Miranda
Cover of DAUGHTER OF MINE

DAUGHTER OF MINE

by Megan Miranda · S&S/ Marysue Rucci

Sometimes the darkest secrets are buried the deepest . . . When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake's longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she's warily drawn back to the town - and people - she left behind almost a decade earlier. But Hazel's not the only relic of the past to return: a drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge, including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother's disappearance . . . READERS LOVE MEGAN MIRANDA'S THRILLERS 'Compelling and beautifully written!' 5* READER REVIEW 'Megan Miranda is a phenomenal writer' 5* READER REVIEW 'Suspenseful, riveting' 5* READER REVIEW

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