TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of September 13, 2020

FictionNonfiction
WeekMonth
Jump to
1
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING
Delia Owens
Cover of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

by Delia Owens · Putnam

54 wks at #1 · 104 on list

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE—The #1 New York Times bestselling worldwide sensation with more than 18 million copies sold, hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “a painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature.” New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens. Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

2
1
THE VANISHING HALF
Brit Bennett
Cover of THE VANISHING HALF

THE VANISHING HALF

by Brit Bennett · Riverhead

13 wks on list

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES • THE WASHINGTON POST • NPR • PEOPLE • TIME MAGAZINE • VANITY FAIR • GLAMOUR New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century 2021 WOMEN'S PRIZE FINALIST “Bennett’s tone and style recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson, but it’s especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut novel, The Bluest Eye.” —Kiley Reid, Wall Street Journal “A story of absolute, universal timelessness . . . For any era, it's an accomplished, affecting novel. For this moment, it’s piercing, subtly wending its way toward questions about who we are and who we want to be….” – Entertainment Weekly From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins. As with her New York Times-bestselling debut The Mothers, Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.

3
NEW
THICK AS THIEVES
Sandra Brown
Cover of THICK AS THIEVES

THICK AS THIEVES

by Sandra Brown · Grand Central

1 wks on list

THE 80 MILLION COPY BESTSELLER AUTHOR Twenty years ago, four men attempted to pull off the ultimate heist, almost walking away with half a million dollars. By daybreak, their plan had been shot to hell. One was in hospital. One was in jail. One was dead. And one got away with it. Arden Maxwell is the daughter of the man who disappeared all those years ago, presumedly with the money in his pocket and blood on his hands. After years of running from her past, she is returning to her family home in Caddo Lake, Texas. Little does she know, two of her father's co-conspirators are still there. And they are watching her every move. With Arden's arrival, the two old accomplices are set on red alert. One of these three knows more about the money, the murder and the betrayal than they are letting on. The truth rarely stays buried forever, and many would kill to uncover it. Thick as Thieves is a gripping novel of danger, vengeance, desire and greed, for fans of Melinda Leigh, Lisa Gardner, Karen Rose and Lisa Jackson.

4
NEW
SQUEEZE ME
Carl Hiaasen
Cover of SQUEEZE ME

SQUEEZE ME

by Carl Hiaasen · Knopf

1 wks on list

A prominent high-society matron--who happens to be a fierce supporter of the President--has gone missing at a swank gala. When the wealthy dowager, Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons, is later found dead in a concrete grave, panic and chaos erupt. The President immediately declares that Kiki Pew was the victim of rampaging immigrant hordes. This, as it turns out, is far from the truth. Meanwhile a bizarre discovery in the middle of the road brings the First Lady's motorcade to a grinding halt.

5
3
ROYAL
Danielle Steel
Cover of ROYAL

ROYAL

by Danielle Steel · Delacorte Press

2 wks on list

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this spellbinding tale from Danielle Steel, a princess is sent away to safety during World War II, where she falls in love, and is lost forever. As the war rages on in the summer of 1943, causing massive destruction and widespread fear, the King and Queen choose to quietly send their youngest daughter, Princess Charlotte, to live with a trusted noble family in the country. Despite her fiery, headstrong nature, the princess’s fragile health poses far too great a risk for her to remain in war-torn London. Third in line for the throne, seventeen year-old Charlotte reluctantly uses an alias upon her arrival in Yorkshire, her two guardians the only keepers of her true identity. In time, she settles comfortably into a life out of the spotlight, befriending a young evacuee and training with her cherished horse. But no one predicts that in the coming months she will fall deeply in love with her protectors’ son. She longs for a normal life. Far from her parents, a tragic turn of events leaves an infant orphaned. Alone in the world, that child will be raised in the most humble circumstances by a modest stable manager and his wife. No one, not even she, knows of her lineage. But when a stack of hidden letters comes to light, a secret kept for nearly two decades finally surfaces, and a long lost princess emerges. A fascinating story of family and royalty, and an unforgettable portrait of an extraordinary young woman and the man who brings her home, Royal is an exhilarating work from America’s most beloved storyteller.

7
2
AMERICAN DIRT
Jeanine Cummins
Cover of AMERICAN DIRT

AMERICAN DIRT

by Jeanine Cummins · Flatiron

5 wks on list

Download a free excerpt from Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt! También de este lado hay sueños. On this side too, there are dreams. Already being hailed as "a Grapes of Wrath for our times" and "a new American classic", American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope. If it’s only a better life you seek, seek it elsewhere...This path is only for people who have no choice, no other option, only violence and misery behind you. And your journey will grow even more treacherous from here. Everything is working against you. —American Dirt Lydia Quixano Perez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with four books he would like to buy—two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same. Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia—trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to? American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed when they finish reading it. It is a page-turner, it is a literary achievement, it is filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.

8
NEW
28 SUMMERS
Elin Hilderbrand
Cover of 28 SUMMERS

28 SUMMERS

by Elin Hilderbrand · Little, Brown

It's the late spring of 2020 and Jake's wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election. Link is sure there's been a mistake. How do Mallory and Jake know each other? Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt, and she agrees to host her brother Cooper's bachelor party. Cooper's friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere - through marriage, children, and Ursula's stratospheric political rise - until Mallory learns she's dying. Inspired by the film "Same Time Next Year" (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers is the unforgettable story of an unconventional love that knows one season.

9
NEW
1ST CASE
James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
Cover of 1ST CASE

1ST CASE

by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts · Little, Brown

A gripping new stand-alone thriller from the world's bestselling thriller writer __________________________ A young tech genius is offered an opportunity that could change her life . . . or end it. When Angela Hoot is kicked off her graduate programme at MIT for hacking into the computer of a fellow student, she fears she's blown her chances of a glittering career. Angela is wrong: instead, she's offered a dream internship with the FBI. She jumps at the chance, and is thrown straight into her first case at a house in the Boston suburbs where a family of five have been brutally murdered. As Angela struggles to come to terms with the harsh reality of her new job, a phone is found that could hold the secrets of this mass murder - if Angela is able to uncover them. It's her first case. It could be her last...

10
NEW
THE EXILES
Christina Baker Kline
Cover of THE EXILES

THE EXILES

by Christina Baker Kline · Custom House

1 wks on list

"London, 1840. Evangeline lost more than just her position as a governess when she was accused of stealing, realising she was pregnant by her employer's son. Having languished in Newgate prison for months in her condition, she is now destined for a prison ship heading to Australia. On board, Evangeline befriends Hazel, sentenced to seven years' transport for theft. Soon Hazel's path will cross with an orphaned indigenous girl. Mathinna is 'adopted' by the new governor of Tasmania where the family treat her more like a curiosity than a child. Amid hardships and cruelties, new life will take root in stolen soil, friendships will define lives, and some will find their place in a new society in the land beyond the seas."--Publisher description.

11
THE SILENT PATIENT
Alex Michaelides
Cover of THE SILENT PATIENT

THE SILENT PATIENT

by Alex Michaelides · Celadon

56 wks on list

- THE RECORD-BREAKING, MULTIMILLION COPY GLOBAL BESTSELLER AND TIKTOK SENSATION - Discover the #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling thriller with a jaw-dropping twist that everyone is talking about - as seen on TikTok. Soon to be a major film. Alicia Berenson lived a seemingly perfect life until one day six years ago. When she shot her husband in the head five times. Since then she hasn't spoken a single word. It's time to find out why. READERS LOVE THE SILENT PATIENT ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Everything you need from a psychological thriller with a killer twist that is impossible to see coming!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Fiendishly clever ... believe the hype.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Grabs your afternoon from the start and never lets go' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A fantastic thriller with an incredible plot twist that I really didn't see coming. I highly recommend.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'OMG, my heart is still pounding from the final chapters of this amazing thriller.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I'm honestly speechless, best book I have read for a very long time' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The twists when they come, wow oh wow!' CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED 'The perfect thriller' AJ FINN 'Terrific' - THE TIMES Crime Book of the Month 'Smart, sophisticated suspense' - LEE CHILD 'Compelling' - OBSERVER 'Absolutely brilliant' - STEPHEN FRY 'A totally original psychological mystery' - DAVID BALDACCI 'One of the best thrillers I've read this year' - CARA HUNTER 'The pace and finesse of a master' - BBC CULTURE

12
2
MEXICAN GOTHIC
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Cover of MEXICAN GOTHIC

MEXICAN GOTHIC

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia · Del Rey

8 wks on list

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “It’s Lovecraft meets the Brontës in Latin America, and after a slow-burn start Mexican Gothic gets seriously weird.”—The Guardian ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME • WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, NPR, The Washington Post, Tordotcom, Marie Claire, Vox, Mashable, Men’s Health, Library Journal, Book Riot, LibraryReads An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico. After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region. Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom. Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind. “It’s as if a supernatural power compels us to turn the pages of the gripping Mexican Gothic.”—The Washington Post “Mexican Gothic is the perfect summer horror read, and marks Moreno-Garcia with her hypnotic and engaging prose as one of the genre’s most exciting talents.”—Nerdist “A period thriller as rich in suspense as it is in lush ’50s atmosphere.”—Entertainment Weekly

13
7
THE ORDER
Daniel Silva
Cover of THE ORDER

THE ORDER

by Daniel Silva · Harper

7 wks on list

From Daniel Silva, author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers The New Girl and The Other Woman, comes a stunning new action-packed thriller of high stakes international intrigue featuring the enigmatic art restorer and master spy Gabriel Allon. Master of the spy thriller Silva has entertained readers with twenty-two thoughtful and gripping suspense novels featuring a diverse cast of compelling characters and ingenious plots that have taken them around the globe and back--from the United States to Europe, Russia to the Middle East. He returns with another blockbuster--a powerhouse novel that showcases his outstanding skill and brilliant imagination, destined to be a must read for both his multitudes of fans and growing legions of converts.

14
2
NEAR DARK
Brad Thor
Cover of NEAR DARK

NEAR DARK

by Brad Thor · Emily Bestler/Atria

6 wks on list

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER “Fast-paced...pulse-pounding...supremely entertaining…His best ever.” —The Washington Times “This might be the single greatest thriller I’ve covered....It’s amazing!” —The Real Book Spy Scot Harvath returns in the newest thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor. The world’s largest bounty has just been placed upon America’s top spy. His only hope for survival is to outwit, outrun, and outlast his enemies long enough to get to the truth. But for Scot Harvath to accomplish his most dangerous mission ever—one that has already claimed the lives of the people closest to him, including his new wife—he’s going to need help—a lot of it. Not knowing whom he can trust, Harvath finds an unlikely ally in Norwegian intelligence operative Sølvi Kolstad. Just as smart, just as deadly, and just as determined, she not only has the skills, but also the broken, troubled past to match Harvath’s own.

15
NEW
IF IT BLEEDS
Stephen King
Cover of IF IT BLEEDS

IF IT BLEEDS

by Stephen King · Scribner

Una irresistible colección de cuatro novelas cortas sobre las fuerzas ocultas que nos acechan, por el maestro indiscutible del terror. En "El teléfono del señor Harrigan", incluida en La sangre manda, se ha inspirado la película homónima de NETFLIX, protagonizada por Donald Sutherland y Jaeden Martell. “En enero de 2021, llega un pequeño sobre acolchado a nombre del inspector Ralph Anderson a casa de los Conrad, vecinos de los Anderson. La familia Anderson disfruta de unas largas vacaciones en las Bahamas. Los Conrad accedieron a reenviarles la correspondencia hasta su regreso a Flint City, pero este sobre lleva escrito en letras grandes: NO REENVIAR, ENTREGAR A SU LLEGADA. Cuando Ralph abre el paquete, encuentra una memoria USB con el título La sangre manda. El USB contiene una especie de informe, o diario oral, de Holly Gibney, con quien el inspector compartió un caso que empezó en Oklahoma y terminó en una cueva de Texas. Ese caso cambió para siempre la percepción de la realidad de Ralph Anderson. Las últimas palabras del informe oral de Holly son del 19 de diciembre de 2020. Parece sin aliento. ‘Lo he hecho lo mejor que he podido, Ralph, pero puede que no baste. Pese a haberlo planeado todo con detalle, cabe la posibilidad de que no salga viva de esto. De ser así, necesito que sepas lo mucho que ha significado para mí tu amistad. Si muero, y decides continuar con lo que he empezado, por favor, ten cuidado. Tú tienes mujer y un hijo’”. En “El teléfono del señor Harrigan”, “La vida de Chuck”, “La sangre manda” y “La rata”, Stephen King sorprende nuevamente a sus lectores, llevándolos a lugares intrigantes, inesperados y aterradores. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION Stephen King's masterful novella Mr. Harrigan's Phone, from IF IT BLEEDS, is coming to Netflix. The film stars Donald Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan and Jaeden Martell as Craig. From #1 New York Times bestselling author, legendary storyteller, and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary collection of four and compelling novellas—Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat, and the title story If It Bleeds—each pulling you into intriguing and frightening places. The novella is a form King has returned to over and over again in the course of his amazing career, and many have been made into iconic films, including “The Body” (Stand By Me) and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (Shawshank Redemption). Like Four Past Midnight, Different Seasons, and most recently Full Dark, No Stars, If It Bleeds is a uniquely satisfying collection of longer short fiction by an incomparably gifted writer.

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