TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of March 23, 2003

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1
NEW
THE JESTER
James Patterson and Andrew Gross

THE JESTER

by James Patterson and Andrew Gross · Little, Brown

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

Hugh De Luc, a poor innkeeper, returns home from the First Crusade wearied from battle and disillusioned by carnage. After journeying from the Holy Land back to his own small village, he finds his nightmare is just beginning. In his absence, Hugh's son has been killed and his beloved wife, Sophie, abducted by a ruthless duke in search of a priceless relic dating back to the Crucifision. Taking on the role of a jester, Hugh infiltrates the court where he believes Sophie is held captive.

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1
THE KING OF TORTS
John Grisham
Cover of THE KING OF TORTS

THE KING OF TORTS

by John Grisham · Doubleday

5 wks on list

A case against one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and a settlement that would change his life, may make Clay Carter the newest king of torts.

3
NEW
DATING GAME
Danielle Steel
Cover of DATING GAME

DATING GAME

by Danielle Steel · Delacorte Press

1 wks on list

When her husband of twenty-four years unexpectedly divorces her, a devastated Paris Armstrong struggles to overcome a broken heart and the disappointments of single life. Reprint.

4
2
THE LOVELY BONES
Alice Sebold
Cover of THE LOVELY BONES

THE LOVELY BONES

by Alice Sebold · Little, Brown

37 wks on list

Susie Salmon is just like any other young American girl. She wants to be beautiful, adores her charm bracelet and has a crush on a boy from school. There's one big difference though – Susie is dead. Add: Now she can only observe while her family manage their grief in their different ways. Susie is desperate to help them and there might be a way of reaching them... Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones is a unique coming-of-age tale that captured the hearts of readers throughout the world. Award-winning playwright Bryony Lavery has adapted it for this unforgettable play about life after loss.

5
2
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME
Judith McNaught
Cover of SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME

SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME

by Judith McNaught · Atria

3 wks on list

The #1 "New York Times" bestselling author crafts a thrilling tale filled with unrelenting suspense, unforgettable characters, and powerful undercurrents of greed, ambition, and desire.

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2
THE LAST DETECTIVE
Robert Crais
Cover of THE LAST DETECTIVE

THE LAST DETECTIVE

by Robert Crais · Doubleday

3 wks on list

With his acclaimed bestsellers, Hostage and Demolition Angel, Robert Crais drew raves for his unstoppable pacing, edgy characterizations, and cinematic prose. Now, Crais returns to his signature character, Los Angeles private investigator Elvis Cole, in a masterful page-turner that probes the meaning of family and the burdens of the past. Elvis Cole is back... Elvis Cole's relationship with attorney Lucy Chenier is strained. When she moved from Louisiana to join Elvis in Los Angeles, she never dreamed that violence would so easily touch her life—but then the unthinkable happens. While Lucy is away on business and her ten-year-old son, Ben, is staying with Elvis, Ben disappears without a trace. Desperate to believe that the boy has run away, evidence soon mounts to suggest a much darker scenario. Joining forces with his enigmatic partner, Joe Pike, Elvis frantically searches for Ben with the help of LAPD Detective Carol Starkey, as Lucy's wealthy, oil-industry ex-husband attempts to wrest control of the investigation. Amid the maelstrom of personal conflicts, Elvis and Joe are forced to consider a more troubling lead—one indicating that Ben's disappearance is connected to a terrible, long-held secret from Elvis Cole's past. Venturing deep inside a complex psyche, Crais explores Elvis's need for family—the military that embraced him during a troubled adolescence, his rock-solid partnership with Pike, and his floundering relationship with Lucy—as they race the clock in their search for Ben. The Last Detective is Robert Crais' richest, most intense tale of suspense yet.

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2
THE CONFESSOR
Daniel Silva
Cover of THE CONFESSOR

THE CONFESSOR

by Daniel Silva · Putnam

2 wks on list

In the wake of a Munich writer's assassination, Mossad agent Gabriel Allon and Vatican priest Pietro embark on dangerous journeys that reveal long-buried secrets affecting the fates of millions of people.

8
NEW
TATOOINE GHOST
Troy Denning
Cover of TATOOINE GHOST

TATOOINE GHOST

by Troy Denning · Lucas/Del Rey/Ballantine

1 wks on list

Shortly after the events in Return of the Jedi, newlyweds Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo journey to Tatooine to recover a famous work of art that conceals a spy code, and their quest leads them to the discovery of an extraordinary link to the past. Reprint.

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2
THE DANTE CLUB
Matthew Pearl
Cover of THE DANTE CLUB

THE DANTE CLUB

by Matthew Pearl · Random House

2 wks on list

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and James Russell Lowell team up with 19th-century publisher J.T. Fields to catch a serial killer in post-Civil War Boston.

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3
CROSSROADS OF TWILIGHT
Robert Jordan
Cover of CROSSROADS OF TWILIGHT

CROSSROADS OF TWILIGHT

by Robert Jordan · Tor/Tom Doherty

9 wks on list

The Wheel of Time ® is a PBS Great American Read Selection! Now in development for TV! Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Fleeing from Ebou Dar with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, Mat Cauthon learns that he can neither keep her nor let her go, not in safety for either of them, for both the Shadow and the might of the Seanchan Empire are in deadly pursuit. Perrin Aybara seeks to free his wife, Faile, a captive of the Shaido, but his only hope may be an alliance with the enemy. Can he remain true to his friend Rand and to himself? For his love of Faile, Perrin is willing to sell his soul. At Tar Valon, Egwene al'Vere, the young Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, lays siege to the heart of Aes Sedai power, but she must win quickly, with as little bloodshed as possible, for unless the Aes Sedai are reunited, only the male Asha'man will remain to defend the world against the Dark One, and nothing can hold the Asha'man themselves back from total power except the Aes Sedai and a unified White Tower. In Andor, Elayne Trakland fights for the Lion Throne that is hers by right, but enemies and Darkfriends surround her, plotting her destruction. If she fails, Andor may fall to the Shadow, and the Dragon Reborn with it. Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn himself, has cleansed the Dark One's taint from the male half of the True Source, and everything has changed. Yet nothing has, for only men who can channel believe that saidin is clean again, and a man who can channel is still hated and feared-even one prophesied to save the world. Now, Rand must gamble again, with himself at stake, and he cannot be sure which of his allies are really enemies. TV series update: "Sony will produce along with Red Eagle Entertainment and Radar Pictures. Rafe Judkins is attached to write and executive produce. Judkins previously worked on shows such as ABC’s “Agents of SHIELD,” the Netflix series “Hemlock Grove,” and the NBC series “Chuck.” Red Eagle partners Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon will executive produce along with Radar’s Ted Field and Mike Weber. Darren Lemke will also executive produce, with Jordan’s widow Harriet McDougal serving as consulting producer." —Variety The Wheel of Time® New Spring: The Novel #1 The Eye of the World #2 The Great Hunt #3 The Dragon Reborn #4 The Shadow Rising #5 The Fires of Heaven #6 Lord of Chaos #7 A Crown of Swords #8 The Path of Daggers #9 Winter's Heart #10 Crossroads of Twilight #11 Knife of Dreams By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson #12 The Gathering Storm #13 Towers of Midnight #14 A Memory of Light By Robert Jordan Warrior of the Altaii By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons The Wheel of Time Companion By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

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THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE
Lilian Jackson Braun
Cover of THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE

THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE

by Lilian Jackson Braun · Putnam

5 wks on list

Retiring in Pickax, actress Thelma Thackeray has decided to start a film club and organize a fundraiser revue, starring Koko the cat. But Thelma's celebrated arrival takes an unpleasant turn when the strange circumstances of her twin brother's recent death seem suspicious to Jim Qwilleran. Qwill needs a helping paw in this case. But will Koko deign to take time from his stage debut?

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NEW
THE TAIL OF THE TIP-OFF
Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
Cover of THE TAIL OF THE TIP-OFF

THE TAIL OF THE TIP-OFF

by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown · Bantam

1 wks on list

The Tail of the Tip-Off When winter hits Crozet, Virginia, it hits hard--and hangs on for months. That’s nothing new to postmistress Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen and her friends, who keep warm with hard work, hot toddies, and rabid rooting for the University of Virginia’s women’s basketball team at the old stadium affectionately dubbed “The Clam.” But the usual postgame high spirits are laid low when contractor H. H. Donaldson drops dead in the parking lot. And pretty soon word has spread that it wasn’t a heart attack that did him in. It just doesn’t sit right with Harry that one of her fellow fans--perhaps even an acquaintance or neighbor sitting close by in the stands--is a murderer. And as tiger cat Mrs. Murphy is all too aware, things that don’t sit right with Harry make her restless, curious, and prone to poking her not-very-sensitive human nose into dangerous places. So the animals start paying closer attention to what the people around them are doing--and they’re the first ones to realize when the next murder occurs. It seems obvious to Harry that the deaths are connected--and she intends to find out exactly how. There’s no shortage of suspects, considering that H.H. was a ladies’ man who’d left a trail of broken hearts all over town--the most recent belonging to his wife-- and that the second murder victim was not very popular in Crozet.As the police launch their investigation, Harry picks up clues through savvy questioning of everyone she knows. But it’s the critters who are most attuned to trouble--they scent something wicked wafting Harry’s way on the tail of the next snowstorm. And as Harry draws closer to the truth about a brutal killer, Mrs. Murphy and her friends realize it’s up to them to make sure their intrepid mom lands on her feet.

13
NEW
LIFE OF PI
Yann Martel
Cover of LIFE OF PI

LIFE OF PI

by Yann Martel · Harcourt

10 wks on list

The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional--but is it more true?

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6
FLASHBACK
Nevada Barr
Cover of FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK

by Nevada Barr · Putnam

4 wks on list

Hesitant about a recent marriage proposal, Park Ranger Anna Pigeon seeks refuge in a temporary post on Garden Key in Florida's Dry Tortugas National Park, once a prison for Lincoln conspirators after the Civil War that now holds dangerous secrets, past and present. Shortly after her arrival, Anna receives a packet of letters written by her great-great-aunt, who lived with her soldier husband at the crumbling fortress on Garden Key, that mention an unsolved murder dating back to the 19th century. As Anna's imagination works overtime, a boat mysteriously explodes--and the crimes of past and present begin to eerily mirror each other. Cut off from the mainland by miles of water and sketchy phone and radio contact, Anna stumbles into a tangled web spun by devious criminals who'd like to make Anna a part of the past...dead and buried.

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5
PREY
Michael Crichton
Cover of PREY

PREY

by Michael Crichton · HarperCollins

15 wks on list

Deep in the remote Nevada desert, eight people are trapped inside of the Xymos Corporation by a rapidly evolving swarm of predatory molecules that have massed together to form a powerful and intelligent organism that is targeting its creators.

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LATE BLOOMER
Fern Michaels
Cover of LATE BLOOMER

LATE BLOOMER

by Fern Michaels · Atria

A granddaughter takes care of her favorite grandmother who pushes her to remember her tragic past in the hope she can get her beyond it.

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