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Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of May 26, 2013

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1
NEW
DEAD EVER AFTER
Charlaine Harris
Cover of DEAD EVER AFTER

DEAD EVER AFTER

by Charlaine Harris · Ace

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

THE FINAL NOVEL IN THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SOOKIE STACKHOUSE SERIES—the inspiration for the HBO® original series True Blood. When a shocking murder rocks the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, psychic cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse learns that she has more than one enemy waiting to get vengeance for the past. Beacuse nothing is ever clear-cut in Bon Temps. What passes for truth is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough...

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SILKEN PREY
John Sandford
Cover of SILKEN PREY

SILKEN PREY

by John Sandford · Putnam

2 wks on list

The extraordinary new Lucas Davenport thriller from the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner. Murder, scandal, political espionage, and an extremely dangerous woman. Lucas is going to be lucky to get out of this one alive.

3
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

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

3 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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A DELICATE TRUTH
John le Carré
Cover of A DELICATE TRUTH

A DELICATE TRUTH

by John le Carré · Viking Press

1 wks on list

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Legacy of Spies. "A novel that beckons us beyond any and all expectations."—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post A counter-terrorist operation, code-named Wildlife, is being mounted on the British crown colony of Gibraltar. Its purpose: to capture and abduct a high-value jihadist arms buyer. Its authors: an ambitious Foreign Office Minister, a private defense contractor who is also his bosom friend, and a shady American CIA operative of the evangelical far-right. So delicate is the operation that even the Minister’s personal private secretary, Toby Bell, is not cleared for it. Three years later, a disgraced Special Forces Soldier delivers a message from the dead. Was Operation Wildlife the success it was cracked up to be—or a human tragedy that was ruthlessly covered up? Summoned by Sir Christopher “Kit” Probyn, retired British diplomat, to his decaying Cornish manor house, and closely observed by Kit’s daughter, Emily, Toby must choose between his conscience and duty to his Service. If the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing, how can he keep silent?

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WHISKEY BEACH
Nora Roberts
Cover of WHISKEY BEACH

WHISKEY BEACH

by Nora Roberts · Putnam

4 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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1
GONE GIRL
Gillian Flynn
Cover of GONE GIRL

GONE GIRL

by Gillian Flynn · Crown

49 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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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

5 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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ROBERT B. PARKER'S WONDERLAND
Ace Atkins
Cover of ROBERT B. PARKER'S WONDERLAND

ROBERT B. PARKER'S WONDERLAND

by Ace Atkins · Putnam

1 wks on list

NOW THE NETFLIX FILM SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL STARRING MARK WAHLBERG AS SPENSER! Old friends. Small favors. Bitter rivals. Stirred together, it all makes for one explosive cocktail in this New York Times bestselling thriller that has Spenser feeling the heat... Henry Cimoli and Spenser have been friends for years, yet the old boxing trainer has never asked the private eye for a favor. Until now. A developer is trying to buy up Henry's condo on Revere Beach—with a push from local thugs. Soon Spenser and his apprentice, Zebulon Sixkill, are on the trail of a mysterious woman, a megalomaniacal Las Vegas kingpin, and a shady plan to turn a chunk of land north of Boston into a sprawling casino. As alliances shift and twisted dreams surface, the Boston political machine looks to end Spenser's investigation one way or another—and once and for all.

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LIFE AFTER LIFE
Kate Atkinson
Cover of LIFE AFTER LIFE

LIFE AFTER LIFE

by Kate Atkinson · Little, Brown

6 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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BEST KEPT SECRET
Jeffrey Archer
Cover of BEST KEPT SECRET

BEST KEPT SECRET

by Jeffrey Archer · St. Martin's

2 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

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3
PARIS
Edward Rutherfurd
Cover of PARIS

PARIS

by Edward Rutherfurd · Doubleday

3 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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NOS4A2
Joe Hill
Cover of NOS4A2

NOS4A2

by Joe Hill · Morrow/HarperCollins

2 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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FLY AWAY
Kristin Hannah
Cover of FLY AWAY

FLY AWAY

by Kristin Hannah · St. Martin's

3 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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NEW
THE OPHELIA CUT
John Lescroart
Cover of THE OPHELIA CUT

THE OPHELIA CUT

by John Lescroart · Atria

Defence attorney Dismas Hardy takes on his most personal case yet When Moses McGuire's daughter is raped by her ex-boyfriend, Rick Jessup, he vows to get his revenge. So when Rick is found dead the next day, Moses is arrested for murder. Dismas Hardy has no hesitation in defending his old friend but as the evidence against him starts piling up Hardy can't help wondering, what if he's actually guilty? And to make matters even more complicated, the case threatens to bring to light an old secret that could destroy Hardy's career. With the trial going against him, Hardy must draw on all his legal ingenuity until he sees a new way forward that might just save them all. But at what price? The Ophelia Cut pits lifelong friends against one another, where truth does not always lead to justice and where long buried secrets still have the power to redeem or destroy.

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