Knockout, by Catherine Coulter

A:  Robert Gottlieb/Trident Media  P:  Putnam  C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT:  1     LAT:         BS:

Catherine Coulter continues to crank out F.B.I. bestsellers, with her thirteenth story of psychic law enforcement agents.  This time Dillon Savich is pursued by bloodied bank robbers seeking revenge while answering a telepathic distress call from a young girl in Georgia.

The Bourne Deception, by Eric Van Lustbader

A:  Henry Morrison    P:  Grand Central    C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT:  2        LAT:        BS:

In the continuing saga of Robert Ludlum's character Jason Bourne, mega-bad dude Leonid Arkadin returns, despite Bourne pushing him off a tanker into the ocean in the last installment.  Bourne struggles to ward off Arkadin's penchant for violence and world domination as the world goes seemingly mad around him.

 

The Angel's Game, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

A:  Antonia Kerrigan    P:  Doubleday    C:  Literary
NYT:  1        LAT:         BS:  2

Carlos Ruiz Zafón solidifies his place among the world's most renouned authors with another journey into The Cemetery of Forgotten Books from 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, albeit a commission that the author might not live to see the completion of.

Relentless, by Dean Koontz

A:  Robert Gottlieb    P:  Bantam    C:  Thriller
NYT:  2        LAT:  2      BS:
Koontz lets us all know what he really thinks of literary critics in this novel, as a best-selling author is stalked and threatened by a critic with a grudge (a hint to the general subtlety of the book:  the author's prodigious son ends up urinating on the critic, and the critic blows up the author's house in return).

The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane, by Katherine Howe

A:  Suzanne Gluck/William Morris    P:  Voice     C:  Historical Fiction
NYT:  2        LAT:  1      BS:  3

Right before the advent of the internet age, a college student stumbles upon a mysterious book while fixing up her grandmother's house that leads her on an intellectual journey with a romantic sideline.

The Scarecrow, by Michael Connelly

A:  Phillip Spitzer  P:  Little, Brown     C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT:  4        LAT: 3       BS:  5

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.

Medusa, by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos

A:  Andrew Lampack   P:  Putnam    C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT:   3        LAT:            BS:

Paul Kemprecos takes a Clive Cussler outline and fills in the blanks as part of Cussler's long-running NUMA series.  This time, a boy who lived inside the belly of a whale, the SARS virus and a seemingly stranded deep water probe all somehow cross paths in this exciting tale on the high seas.

Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See

A:  Sandra Dijkstra  P:  Random House    C:  Literary Fiction
NYT:  4       LAT:  3        BS:  5

Two sisters from war-torn Shanghai discover the reality of marrying wealthy American men isn't quite the dream they might have hoped for, as they are locked up in a detention center.

The Neighbor, by Lisa Gardner

A:  Meg Ruley / Jane Rotrosen Agency  P:  Bantam  C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT:  1        LAT:            BS:

A young mother disappears.  Her daughter is the only witness.  Things don't quite add up and thankfully Sergeant D. D. Warren is on the case.

Gone Tomorrow, by Lee Child

A:  Darley Anderson    P:  Delacourt    C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT:  5       LAT:  4       BS:  6

The thirteenth Jack Reacher novel mixes in historical events and conspiracy theories from the war in Afghanistan to the present day.

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

A: Susan Ramer              P: Putnam               G: Literature/Fiction
NYT:               LAT:  4              BS:  20

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.

Road Dogs, by Elmore Leonard

A: Andrew Wylie    P:  William Morrow    G:  Mainstream fiction
NYT:           LAT: 4            BS:

In the followup to Out of Sight, bank robber Jack Foley gets out of prison via a legal route this time and ends up in a community of characters from other Leonard novels.

Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer

A: Jodi Reamer       P: Little, Brown       G: Young Adult
NYT: -       LAT: 46       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.

Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer

A: Jodi Reamer       P: Little, Brown       G: Young Adult
NYT: -      LAT: 49       BS: -

Bella must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen, by Janet Evanovich

A: Robert Gottlieb          P: St. Martin’s      G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT:        LAT:            BS: 1

Stephanie Plum is back on the case, this time caught up in the world of celebrity chefs, barbecuing and a locally famous flasher.

Brooklyn, by Colm Tóibín

A:  A. P. Watt        P:  Scribner        G:  Literary fiction
NYT:        LAT:         BS:  8

Colm Tóibín's novel shows Brooklyn through the eyes of an amazing young Irish girl coming of age in the 1950's.  The richness of the setting comes through in the letters the girl writes home and her decision making process in deciding which details to include.

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, by Reif Larsen

A:  Denise Shannon    P:  Penguin    G:  Literary fiction
NYT:        LAT:         BS:  8

One of the most clever fiction titles in recent memory, Larsen tells the story of T.S. Spivet, a boy genius working in the field of obsessive cartography, who wins a prize in Washington, D.C. leading to a rail-riding cross country expedition, extensively documented, of course.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley

A:  Denise Bukowski   P:  Delacorte    G:  Mystery
NYT:        LAT:        BS:  9

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.