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Jul 30
2009
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Behind The Bestsellers August 2009 FictionPosted by: Dan Gibson on Jul 30, 2009 Tagged in: Untagged
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Best Friends Forever, by Jennifer Weiner
A: Joanna Pulcini P: Atria C: Mainstream Fiction
NYT: 1 LAT: BS: 2
Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes among others, proves she might be the queen of chick-lit with this novel of two high school classmates, separated by time and circumstance drawn together again as a sort of Thelma and Louise minus the crime wave and with more snacks.
Swimsuit, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
A: Jennifer Rudolph Walsh/William Morris Agency P: Little, Brown C: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 3 LAT: 3 BS: 4
When a supermodel disappears from a glamourous photo shoot, you'd think the cops would be all over the case, but ex-cop/now-reporter Ben Hawkins picks up the pieces of the police's inept investigation and in the process, chases the story of a lifetime.
A: Amy Berkhower/Writers House P: Putnam C: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 2 LAT: 2 BS:
Biologist Lil Chance just wants to run her wildlife refuge in peace, but something fishy is lurking in the shadows when minor incidents start becoming a pattern of trickery. When Lil's prized cougar is killed, that's the last straw and private investigator/love interest Coop Sullivan gets in on the action.
Finger Lickin' Fifteen, by Janet Evanovich
A: Robert Gottlieb P: St. Martin’s G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 4 LAT: 4 BS: 5
Stephanie Plum is back on the case, this time caught up in the world of celebrity chefs, barbecuing and a locally famous flasher.
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
A: Susan Ramer P: Putnam G: Literature/Fiction
NYT: 16 LAT: 7 BS: 24
In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another.
A: Phillip Spitzer P: Simon & Shuster G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 1 LAT: BS: 2
Smalltown Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland (and with a name like that, what other profession could he possibly have) stumbles on to mass murder, which is difficult enough without a number of federal agencies, Katrina refugees and piles of racial tension complicating things.
The Doomsday Key, by James Rollins
A: Russell Galin P: Morrow/Harper Collins G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 4 LAT: 3 BS:
The Sigma Force is on the job again, this time investigating a mysterious field in Africa that's been razed and obliterated, killing the son of a U.S. Senator, but why? Somehow "The Doomsday Key" is involved, a strange substance from Egypt promising to heal disease.
The Devil's Punchbowl, by Greg Iles
A: Natasha Kern P: Scribner G: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT: 4 LAT: 1 BS:
Penn Cage is a man of many talents, as many crime-fighters in print seem to be. As a former prosecutor and novelist, Cage finds himself the mayor of Natchez, Mississippi, and since Natchez is a town dominated by casino commerce, there's trouble right around the corner.
The Apostle, by Brad Thor
A: Heide Lange P: Atria G: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT: 3 LAT: 2 BS:
Sure, everyone loves the new presidential administration and their new way of tackling terrorism, but all this kinder, gentler business puts counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath out of a job. But look who comes running to Harvath for help when an American doctor is kidnapped in Afghanistan: the same administration that fired Harvath in the first place. Thankfully, Scot's a real patriot and takes the case.
Guardian of Lies, by Steve Martini
A: John Hawkins P: Morrow/Harper Collins G: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT: 1 LAT: BS:
In Steve Martini's tenth novel to feature Paul Madriani, the famed defense attorney's chance run-in with a Central American stunner of a young lady gets somewhat predictably tense, with Guantanamo Bay prisoners, a creepy old man and an assassin known as the Mexicutioner get mixed up in a grand mess only Madriani can sort out by the last page.
The Angel's Game, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
A: Antonia Kerrigan P: Doubleday C: Literary
NYT: LAT: 4 BS: 6
Carlos Ruiz Zafón solidifies his place among the world's most renowned authors with another journey into The Cemetery of Forgotten Books first seen in his previous novel The Shadow of the Wind. This time, an author is approached by a mysterious figure with an offer to write a book unlike another other, and it's a commission the author might not live to see the completion of.
Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See
A: Sandra Dijkstra P: Random House C: Literary Fiction
NYT: 8 LAT: 7 BS: 9
Two sisters from war-torn Shanghai discover the reality of marrying wealthy American men isn't quite the dream they might have hoped for when they are locked up in a detention center.
The Scarecrow, by Michael Connelly
A: Phillip Spitzer P: Little, Brown C: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT: LAT: 7 BS:
Even crime-solving journalist Jack McEvoy isn't immune to the economy these days, as his impending layoff from the Los Angeles Times inspires him to pursue his biggest story yet, a young drug dealer who might be in jail for a murder he didn't commit.
Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer
A: Jodi Reamer P: Little, Brown G: Young Adult
NYT: - LAT: 50 BS: -
"New York Times"-bestselling author Meyer returns to her teen vampire Twilight saga with this much-anticipated fourth book in the series. In this riveting novel, questions will be answered and the fate of Bella and Edward will be revealed.
Pygmy, by Chuck Palahniuk
A: Edward Hibbert P: Doubleday G: Literary/Literature
NYT: LAT: 6 BS:
Adolescent terrorists raised on propaganda surreptitiously invade America under the guise of exchange students. Any further elaboration on the plot of this book wouldn't do it justice.
A: Esther Newburg/ICM P: Putnam G: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT: LAT: BS: 1
Retired assassin and current art dealer Gabriel Allon is brought out of retirement by the disappearance of a Russian defector.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley
A: Denise Bukowski P: Delacorte G: Mystery
NYT: LAT: BS: 13
A cross between Harriet the Spy, Matilda and Sherlock Holmes, Flavia de Luce spends her summer in 1950's England trying to solve the murder of the man found in her family's vegetable garden.
The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane, by Katherine Howe
A: Suzanne Gluck/William Morris P: Voice C: Historical Fiction
NYT: LAT: BS: 7
Right before the advent of the internet age, a college student stumbles upon a mysterious book while fixing up her grandmother's house; a book that leads her on an intellectual journey with a romantic sideline.