Washington Area Bestsellers

Sunday, February 26, 2006; Page BW11

Paperback
Fiction
1

THE CLOSERS(Warner, $7.99). By Michael Connelly

After two years of retirement, Harry Bosch returns to the LAPD and joins its new cold-case unit.

3
2

THE BROKER(Dell, $7.99). By John Grisham

The CIA finagles the release of an attorney from federal prison to gain access to a satellite surveillance system.

12
3

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA(Vintage, $14.95)

By Arthur Golden.The celebrated geisha, Sayuri, tells of her rise to fame and fortune in 1930s imperial Japan.

14
4

HONEYMOON(Warner, $13.95). By James Patterson

& Howard Roughan.An FBI agent suspects the alluring fianc?e in a wealthy banker's death.

7
5

SKELETON MAN(HarperTorch, $7.99)

By Tony Hillerman.Leaphorn & Chee hunt for diamonds lost in a 1956 plane collision over the Grand Canyon.

3
6

GILEAD(Picador USA, $14). By Marilynne Robinson

An elderly minister, in failing health, reflects on his enduring faith and a lifetime spent in the same Iowa town.

5
7

THE THIRD SECRET(Ballantine, $7.99). By Steve Berry

The final mystery of Fatima--which Pope John Paul II revealed in 2000--may be more than it seems.

3
8

THE KITE RUNNER(Riverhead, $14)

By Khaled Hosseini.An Afghan immigrant returns to his Taliban-ruled country to atone for a childhood betrayal.

71
9

IMPOSSIBLE(Dell, $7.99). By Danielle Steel

The owner of an influential gallery begins a tempestuous affair with a younger, somewhat Bohemian artist.

3
10

ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE MOSCOW VECTOR

(St. Martin's, $7.99). By Patrick Larkin.A toxin targeting DNA aids Russia's bid to regain lost territory.

1
Nonfiction/General
1

NIGHT(FSG, $9). By Elie Wiesel

The Nobel laureate's terrifying account of his experience in a concentration camp during World War II.

13
2

A MILLION LITTLE PIECES(Anchor, $14.95)

By James Frey.Billed as a memoir of addiction recovery, the author now admits to embellishing his tale.

21
3

IN COLD BLOOD(Vintage, $14). By Truman Capote

Its blend of crime reportage and fictional techniques made this account of a grisly murder an instant classic.

17
4

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.

59
5

COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL

OR SUCCEED(Penguin, $17). By Jared Diamond

The fatal consequences of ecological mismanagement.

8
6

CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN

(Plume, $15). By John Perkins.Charges of financial malfeasance at the expense of developing nations.

8
7

ANIMALS IN TRANSLATION: USING THE MYSTERIESOF AUTISM TO DECODE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR(Harvest, $15)

By Temple Grandin & Catherine Johnson

3
8

FLYBOYS: A TRUE STORY OF COURAGE

(Little, Brown, $7.99). By James Bradley.The brutal captivity of eight American POWs held by Japanese forces.

1
9

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.

100
10

GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL(Norton, $16.95)

By Jared Diamond.The impact of geography and the environment on the course of civilization.

60
Hardcover
Fiction
1

5TH HORSEMAN(Little, Brown, $27.95)

By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.Patients' puzzling deaths at a hospital suggest a ruthless murderer.

1
2

CELL(Scribner, $26.95). By Stephen King

A mind-altering pulse sent simultaneously via all mobile phones in America turns its recipients into zombies.

4
3

THE DA VINCI CODE(Doubleday, $24.95)

By Dan Brown.Ciphers and riddles impede a symbologist's quest for the Holy Grail and a murderer.

99
4

IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN

(Random House, $23.95). By Sarah Dunant

A woman's troubles and triumphs inRenaissance Venice.

1
5

THE LAST TEMPLAR(Dutton, $24.95)

By Raymond Khoury.Modern-day zealots fromthe Knights Templar hunt for a treasure not seen since 1291.

4
6

SEA CHANGE(Putnam, $24.95). By Robert B. Parker

Small-town sheriff probes the murder of a visiting Florida heiress who had some kinky sexual whims.

2
7

MEMORY IN DEATH(Putnam, $24.95). By J.D. Robb

Cop Eve Dallas rebuffs her cruel foster mother's attempt at blackmail--and finds her murdered the next day.

4
8

LOVERS & PLAYERS(St. Martin's, $24.95)

By Jackie Collins.A billionaire patriarch summons his three sons (each struggling with personal drama) to NYC.

2
9

THE HOSTAGE(Putnam, $26.95). By W.E.B. Griffin

A diplomat's murder, a family held captive and the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal meld in this Charley Castillo thriller.

7
10

MARY, MARY(Little, Brown, $27.95)

By James Patterson.Hollywood's A-list stars look to Alex Cross to protect them from a vicious serial killer.

13
Nonfiction/General
1

MARLEY & ME: LIFE AND LOVE WITH THE

WORLD'S WORST DOG(Morrow, $21.95)

By John Grogan.For the love of an unruly Labrador.

10
2

THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY(FSG, $27.50)

By Thomas L. Friedman.Globalism's colossal impact.

45
3

MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER

(Morrow, $26.95). By James L. Swanson.John Wilkes Booth's sensational, elusive flight from Washington, D.C.

2
4

FREAKONOMICS: A ROGUE ECONOMIST EXPLORES

THE HIDDEN SIDE OF EVERYTHING(Morrow, $25.95)

By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

44
5

YOU'RE WEARING THAT? UNDERSTANDING MOTHERS

AND DAUGHTERS IN CONVERSATION

(Random House, $25.95). By Deborah Tannen

4
6

THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING(Knopf, $23.95)

By Joan Didion.A memoir of mourning; winner of the 2005 National Book Award for nonfiction.

19
7

AT CANAAN'S EDGE: AMERICA IN THE KING YEARS,

1965-68(Simon & Schuster, $35). By Taylor Branch

The third and final volume of a civil rights history.

5
8

TEAM OF RIVALS: THE POLITICAL GENIUS

OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN(Simon & Schuster, $35)

By Doris Kearns Goodwin.Presidential finesse.

12
9

BLINK: THE POWER OF THINKING WITHOUT THINKING

(Little, Brown, $25.95). By Malcolm Gladwell

The complex psychology behind our snap decisions.

44
10

LIGHTING THE WAY: NINE WOMEN WHO CHANGED

MODERN AMERICA(Miramax, $25.95)

By Karenna Gore Schiff.20th-century pioneers.

1

Rankings reflect sales for the week ended Feb. 19, 2006. The charts may not be reproduced without permission from Nielsen BookScan. Copyright ? 20YY by Nielsen BookScan. (Right-hand column of italicized numbers reflects weeks on this list, which premiered in Book World on Jan. 11, 2004. Advice, reference and self-help books appear on a separate, monthly list.)


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