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May 29
2009
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by Dan Gibson
For New Readers: Behind the Bestsellers is TED's own monthly bestseller analysis, where we take a close look at what books are making splashes on three of the industry’s most valuable bestseller lists, the agents and publishers that brought them to market, and what their success or longevity on a given list tells us about the topsy-turvy world of publishing at the moment. Please note this data for fiction is culled from the New York Times (NYT) and Los Angeles Times (LAT) hardcover fiction lists along with the Booksense (BKS) (a.k.a Indiebound) list, which tracks sales at independent bookstores only. Nonfiction data comes from USA Today (USA), the New York Times (NYT), and Publishers Weekly(PW).
NYT: 2 LAT: - BS: -
A: P: Simon & Schuster G: mystery/thrillerThe latest work from America's undisputed queen of suspense takes Clark into uncharted new territory, as Emily, one of three friends inseparable since childhood, becomes a pawn in a plan to save one life at the expense of another.
NYT: 1 LAT: - BS: -
A: Molly Friedrich P: St. Martin’s G: mystery/thrillerA reporter learns that her adopted son may have been abducted from his birth mother.
Turn Coat, by Jim ButcherNYT: 2 LAT: 2 BS: -
A: Jennifer Jackson P: Roc G: FantasyThe hit "New York Times"-bestselling series continues. The Warden Morgan has been accused of treason against the Wizards of the White Council. He's on the run and needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. Someone like Harry Dresden.
Long Lost, by Harlan CobenNYT: 3 LAT: 3 BS: 4
A: Lisa Erbach Vance P: Dutton G: mystery/thrillerCaught in a foreign landscape where nothing is as it seems, Bolitar must tear apart the city--and eventually the globe--fighting for answers to unfathomable questions.
NYT: 49 LAT: 35 BS: 43
A: Jodi Reamer P: Little, Brown G: Science fictionThe author of the bestselling Twilight series delivers her brilliant first novel for adults that's also suitable for teen readers: a gripping story of love and betrayal with the fate of humanity at stake, featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies.
The Associate, by John Grisham
NYT: 12 LAT:11 BS: 13
A: David Gernert P: Doubleday G: mystery/thriller/suspenseAn idealistic law-school graduate is forced to take a job at a large, brutalizing law firm.
NYT: 7 LAT: - BS: 8
A: Laura Gross P: Atria G: literary fiction"Handle with Care" explores the knotty tangle of medical ethics and personal morality. When faced with the reality of a fetus who will be disabled, should a parent have the right to consider termination? Bestselling author Picoult explores a timely yet controversial issue in her latest novel.
Fatally Flaky, by Diane Mott DavidsonNYT: 2 LAT: - BS: -
A: Sandra Dijkstra P: William Morrow G: mystery/thrillerColorado caterer Goldy Schulz encounters Bridezilla--and murder--in another delectable confection by the "New York Times"-bestselling author of the Goldy Culinary Mysteries.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie BarrowsNYT: 31 LAT: 37 BS: 39
A: Amy Renhert P: Dial G: literary fictionLondon, 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of Guernsey during the German occupation, and about a society as extraordinary as its name.
Boneman’s Daughters, by Ted DekkerNYT: 1 LAT: - BS: -
A: Jan Dennis P: Center Street G: mystery/thrillerA U.S. intelligence officer, captured in Iraq, inadvertently becomes a suspect at home in the serial killings of seven young girls.
One Second After, by William R. ForstchenNYT: 1 LAT: - BS: -
A: Eleanor Wood P: Forge G: mystery/thriller"New York Times"-bestselling author Forstchen presents a terrifyingly real story of terrorism, in which one man struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war.
Prayers for Sale, by Sandra DallasNYT: 1 LAT: - BS: -
A: Danielle Egan-Miller P: St. Martin’s G: general fictionDallas has created an unforgettable tale of a friendship between two women, one with surprising twists and turns, and one that is ultimately a revelation of the finest parts of the human spirit.
Perfect Fifths, by Megan McCaffertyNYT: 1 LAT: - BS: -
A: Joanna Stampfel P: Crown G: general fictionThe final book in the Jessica Darling series.
The Help, by Kathryn StockettNYT: 4 LAT: - BS: 11
A: Susan Ramer P: Amy Einhorn/Putnam G: literary fictionIn 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.
True Detectives, by Jonathan KellermanNYT: 4 LAT: 3 BS: -
A: Barney Karpfinger P: Ballantine G: mystery/thrillerTrue Detectives follows Moe Reed and Aaron Fox on the twisted trail of a missing girl. This dark, baffling whodunit forces the brothers to put aside their mutual animus and to confront the unresolved family mystery that turned them into enemies.
Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie MeyerNYT: - LAT: 37 BS: -
A: Jodi Reamer P: Little, Brown G: YA"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 MeyerNYT: - LAT: 40 BS: -
A: Jodi Reamer P: Little, Brown G: YABella must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, by Jeff KinneyNYT: - LAT: 13 BS: -
A: Aaron Priest P: Amulet G: HumorGreg's dad enlists him in sports to toughen him up.
The Women, by T.C. BoyleNYT: - LAT: 9 BS: -
A: Georges Borchardt P: Viking G: literary fictionHaving brought to life eccentric cereal king John Harvey Kellogg in "The Road to Wellville" and sex researcher Alfred Kinsey in "The Inner Circle," Boyle now turns his fictional sights on an even more colorful and outlandish character: Frank Lloyd Wright.
NYT: - LAT: 7 BS: 9
A: Peter Straus P: Simon & Schuster G: literary fictionFrom the author of the international bestseller "Incendiary" comes a haunting novel about the tenuous friendship that blooms between two disparate strangers--one an illegal Nigerian refugee, the other a recent widow from suburban London.
The Long Fall, by Walter MosleyNYT: - LAT: 3 BS: -
A: Gloria Loomis P: Riverhead G: mystery/thrillerA brand-new mystery series from the author of the classic work "Devil in a Blue Dress" offers a new character, a new city, and a new era.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg LarssonNYT: - LAT: 12 BS: 32
A: P: Knopf G: mystery/thrillerIn this European publishing sensation, a crusading journalist joins forces with a 24-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker to investigate the whereabouts of a missing woman from one of the wealthiest families in Sweden.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth SteinNYT: - LAT: 15 BS: -
A: Jeff Kleinman P: Harper G: general fictionMeet Enzo, the unforgettable canine narrator of this bittersweet and transformative story of family, love, loyalty, and hope. Enzo is a philosopher with a nearly human soul, and he's gained a wealth of knowledge from hours spent in front of the TV.
Evidence, by Mary Oliver
NYT: - LAT: 1 BS: -
A: Steven Barclay P: Beacon G: PoetryIn this new volume of 46 poems, Oliver delves deep into the mysteries of life, love, and death.
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, by Alexander McCall SmithNYT: - LAT: - BS: 1
A: Robin Straus P: Pantheon G: mystery/thrillerThe 10th installment of the bestselling The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel series finds Precious Ramotswe in personal need of her own formidable detection talents.
First Family, by David BaldacciSean King and Michelle Maxwell, back from their harrowing and near-fatal adventure in the blockbuster "New York Times" bestseller Simple Genius, return in a mesmerizing new thriller. A daring kidnapping turns a children's birthday party at Camp David into a national security nightmare, but the hostage is not who anyone would expect.
NYT: - LAT: - BS: 1
A: Aaron Priest P: Grand Central G: mystery/thriller
A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goolrick
Set in rural Wisconsin in 1909, Ralph Truitt stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for "a reliable wife." But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she's not the "simple, honest woman" that Ralph is expecting.
NYT: - LAT: - BS: 4
A: - P: Algonquin G: literary fiction
NYT: - LAT: - BS: 1
A: Phoebe Larmore P: Ecco G: general fictionBestselling author Robbins' first fiction in five years explores various aspects of suds culture--ancient, modern, sophomoric, and divine--and dramatizes the surprising things that happen when the life of a spunky kindergartner intersects with each.
NYT: - LAT: - BS: 45
A: Elenor Jackson P: Ecco G: literary fictionA masterful debut novel of a mute boy's coming of age in rural Wisconsin. This July Indie Next List Great Read is now an Oprah Book Club title.
Borderline, by Nevada BarrNYT: - LAT: - BS: 3
A: Dominick Abel P: Putnam G: mystery/thrillerThe latest Anna Pigeon novel by the bestselling author of Winter Study.
Loitering With Intent, by Stuart WoodsNYT: - LAT: - BS: 1
A: Morton Janklow P: Putnam G: mystery/thriller
The new Stone Barrington novel from the bestselling author of Hot Mahogany.
Please click here for June's nonfiction list.