Washington Area Bestsellers

	Paperback
	Fiction
1	HOUR GAME(Warner Vision, $7.99). By David Baldacci A murderer, mimicking the modus operandi of notorious serial killers, menaces the hamlet of Wrightsburg, Va.	1
2	THE KITE RUNNER(Riverhead, $14). By Khaled Hosseini An Afghan immigrant returns to his Taliban-ruled country in the hope of atoning for a childhood betrayal.	48
3	NIGHT TALES(Silhouette, $7.99). By Nora Roberts Two tales of romantic suspense, "Night Shift" and "Night Shadow," republished in one volume.	5
4	A FINE PASSION(Avon, $6.99). By Stephanie Laurens An English baron becomes enchanted by Lady Clarice Altwood who, he discovers, is in grave danger.	1
5	PAYBACK(Zebra, $6.99). By Fern Michaels In this second installment of the "Revenge of the Sisterhood" series, a roguish senator gets his just desserts.	1
6	FIRESTORM(Bantam, $7.99). By Iris Johansen Two firefighters, each with remarkable psychic abilities, begin a dalliance while tracking a pyromaniac.	1
7	SURVIVOR IN DEATH(Berkley, $7.99). By J.D. Robb Eve Dallas, a cop in mid-21st-century NYC, faces a murder in which the only witness is a 10-year-old girl.	1
8	ANGELS & DEMONS(Pocket Star, $7.99) By Dan Brown.The Illuminati, a secret cabal, threatens the Vatican at the outset of a papal conclave.	85
9	50 HARBOR STREET(Mira, $7.50) By Debbie Macomber.Cedar Grove P.I. Roy McAfee and his wife, Corrie,receive threatening postcards.	1
10	WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST(Regan, $15). By Gregory Maguire This riff on the "Oz" tales features a misunderstood witch.	3
	Nonfiction/General
1	WHY DO MEN HAVE NIPPLES?(Three Rivers, $12.95) By Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg.Audacious questions to ask your doctor after that third cocktail.	4
2	THE TIPPING POINT: HOW LITTLE THINGS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE(Back Bay, $14.95) By Malcolm Gladwell.A look at fads and their origins.	36
3	GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL(Norton, $16.95) By Jared Diamond.The impact of geography and the environment on the course of civilization.	39
4	THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY(Vintage, $14.95) By Erik Larson.Serial killer H.H. Holmes preys on Chicago residents amid the bustle of the 1893 World's Fair.	79
5	READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN(Random House, $13.95) By Azar Nafisi.A professor recalls her clandestine Western literature discussion groups for women students.	83
6	ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY(Back Bay, $14.95) By David Sedaris.Autobiographical essays told with an appreciation for life's ironies.	30
7	DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM (Back Bay, $14.95). By David Sedaris.A collection of witty essays starring the humorist's family.	14
8	NIGHT(Bantam, $5.99). By Elie Wiesel The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his four years spent in a concentration camp during World War II.	7
9	BAD CAT: 244 NOT-SO-PRETTY KITTIES AND CATS GONE BAD(Workman, $9.95). By Jim Edgar Candid photos of felines acting up and acting out.	23
10	PLEDGED: THE SECRET LIFE OF SORORITIES (Hyperion, $13.95). By Alexandra Robbins The inner workings of one Greek chapter laid bare.	7
	Hardcover
	Fiction
1	THE HISTORIAN(Little, Brown, $25.95) By Elizabeth Kostova.Three generations of one family pursue the undead Dracula by means of a medieval book.	12
2	POLAR SHIFT(Putnam, $26.95). By Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos.The NUMA team must avert an ecological disaster wrought by anti-globalization zealots.	1
3	POINT BLANK(Putnam, $25.95). By Catherine Coulter Married FBI agents Sherlock and Savich track a psychopath who has kidnapped a popular comedian.	2
4	SLOW BURN(Ballantine, $25.95). By Julie Garwood A small town's decades-old murder mystery muddles the life of one of the town's native daughters, home for a visit.	1
5	THE DA VINCI CODE(Doubleday, $24.95) By Dan Brown.Ciphers and riddles impede a symbologist's quest for the Holy Grail and a killer's identity.	86
6	LIFEGUARD(Little, Brown, $26.95). By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.A Boston boy's promising life in Palm Beach goes to pot after a failed $60 million art heist.	8
7	CHILL FACTOR(Simon & Schuster, $25.95). By Sandra Brown.A blizzard strands Lily Barton in a remote cabin with a man who may be a serial killer.	3
8	THE WIDOW OF THE SOUTH(Warner, $24.95) By Robert Hicks.The novelized tale of Carrie McGavock and the Battle of Franklin, Tenn. during the Civil War.	1
9	THE INTERRUPTION OF EVERYTHING(Viking, $25.95) By Terry McMillan.Marilyn Grimes's midlife angst throws into question her marriage, love life and identity.	7
10	WITHOUT MERCY(Putnam, $25.95). By Jack Higgins Gen. Charles Ferguson's covert ops team seeks revenge for the murder of one of its agents by Russian hit men.	2
	Nonfiction/General
1	THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $27.50) By Thomas L. Friedman.Globalism's colossal impact.	22
2	1776(Simon & Schuster, $32). By David McCullough Military campaigns and personal narratives tell the story of the first full year of the American Revolution.	14
3	FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95) By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner	21
4	BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING (Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell The complex psychology behind our snap decisions.	34
5	CONFESSIONS OF A VIDEO VIXEN(Amistad, $24.95) By Karrine Steffans.The hip-hop video actress exposes her painful past and the gritty side of a glittering industry.	10
6	100 PEOPLE WHO ARE SCREWING UP AMERICA (AND AL FRANKEN IS #37)(HarperCollins, $25.95) By Bernard Goldberg.Targeting the "cultural elite."	8
7	NEW RULES: POLITE MUSINGS FROM A TIMID OBSERVER(Rodale, $24.95). By Bill Maher Political-themed barbs from the outspoken comedian.	5
8	THE END OF POVERTY: ECONOMIC POSSIBILITIES FOR OUR TIME(Penguin Press, $27.95) By Jeffrey D. Sachs.A 20-year plan to rescue the poor.	2
9	WINNING(HarperBusiness, $27.95). By Jack Welch with Suzy Welch.A top-to-bottom guidebook for business management by the former CEO of General Electric.	17
10	WHY I AM A REAGAN CONSERVATIVE (Morrow, $24.95). Edited by Michael K. Deaver Adulatory essays by 54 conservative luminaries.	1