Patricial Cornwell Earns Her Fifteenth #1 On The New York Times Best Seller List

Patricia Cornwell's latest, "Scarpetta", debuts at the top of the New York Times Best Seller List. "Scarpetta" is Cornwell's fifteenth #1 on the list and her first since she topped the list last year with her bestseller "Book of the Dead". "Scarpetta" is the latest in Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series, the forensic pathologist who solves murder cases. In the new book, Scarpetta journeys to New York to investigate an injured psych ward patient and discovers one of her most bizarre cases yet.

"The Christmas Sweater" has been on the list for weeks but as we approach Christmas, the holiday drama hits a peak #2 this week on the list. Glenn Beck, conservative radio and TV host, writes his debut novel about a twelve-year-old boy who learns a major life lesson from a gift from his mother.

Last week's #1, James Patterson's "Cross Country" is #3 this week. Patterson's 14th Alex Cross novel found the detective traveling all the way to Africa to avenge the murder of his college girlfriend. Oprah's Book Club pick and therefor New York Times Best Seller List mainstay, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski, is at #4 this week.

Clive Cussler along with Dirk Cussler are #5 with "Arctic Drift", their third collaborative novel featuring character Dirk Pitt in an adventure about global warming. Stephen King's short stories collection "Just After Sunset" is #6, while Wally Lamb's well-reviewed "The Hour I First Believed", about a man's reconstruction of family history, is at #7.

"Twilight" scribe Stephenie Meyer's non-vampire "The Host" is #8 this week. Steve Barry's thriller "The Charlemagne Pursuit" debuts at #9. The novel is Berry's fourth to feature ex-Justice Department agent Cotton Malone, who ventures to Antarctica in pursuit of answers about his father's death in his latest adventure. Dean Koontz rounds out the top 10 with his latest thriller, "Your Heart Belongs To Me."

On the Non-Fiction front, Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers: The Story of Success" continues at #1 for another week, a meditation on why some people succeed more than others. The story of the small-town cat who made headlines for being left in a library book deposit, "Dewey", is at #2 this week. It's been on the Best Seller List for twelve weeks now.

A historical look at America's seventh President, Andrew Jackson, is the subject of Jon Meacham's "American Lion" which is #3 this week. TV's "Jon & Kate Plus 8" stars Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin, along with writer Beth Carson, are #4 with their memoir, "Multiple Blessings". Bill O'Reilly's autobiographical "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" is #5 this week.

The New York Times Best Seller List

Week of December 21, 2008:

FICTION

1. Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell

2. The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Jason Wright

3. Cross Country, by James Patterson

4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski

5. Arctic Drift, by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler

6. Just After Sunset, by Stephen King

7. The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb

8. The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

9. The Charlemagne Pursuit, by Steve Berry

10. Your Heart Belongs To Me, by Dean Koontz

NON-FICTION

1. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

2. Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter

3. American Lion, by Jon Meacham

4. Multiple Blessings, by Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin with Beth Carson

5. A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, by Bill O'Reilly

6. Too Fat To Fish, by Artie Lange with Anthony Bozza

7. Why We Suck, by Denis Leary

8. The Snowball, by Alice Schroeder

9. Do The Right Thing, by Mike Huckabee

10. Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas L. Friedman