In the lead up to the 2012 Olympics in London, a key member of the Games’ organising committee is ruthlessly murdered. The London branch of renowned investigation agency Private is called in to investigate and, as the most talented athletes in the world gather together, it soon becomes clear that the killer is on a mission to end the Games forever. James Patterson’s Private Games (Century) is top of the highest new entries chart this week followed by Tami Hoag’s Down the Darkest Road (Hachette). Jeff Kinney‘s Cabin Fever: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Puffin), featuring 13-year-old Greg Heffley who is trapped indoors with his family during a blizzard, is still number one on the bestsellers chart  followed again by Inheritance (Christopher Paolini, Doubleday). Topping the fastest movers chart are NAPLAN-style Tests (Pascal Press)–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Tags: Cabin Fever: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Christopher Paolini, Down the Darkest Road, Inheritance, James Patterson, Jeff Kinney, Private Games, Tami Hoag Category Bestsellers |

Kay Scarpetta is on a mission to get to the bottom of the murder of her former deputy chief Jack Fielding. While following a lead at a women’s prison, she uncovers links in a series of other seemingly unrelated murders, which in turn point to a potential international terrorism conspiracy. Red Mist (Hachette), Patricia Cornwell’s 19th novel in the Scarpetta series, is top of the fastest movers chart this week followed by Guinness World Records 2012 (Guinness World Records). In the lead up to the festive season, the top five bestselling books are Cabin Fever: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Jeff Kinney, Puffin), still in first place, followed by Inheritance (Christopher Paolini, Doubleday) in second and The Opal Desert (Di Morrissey, Macmillan) in third. Donna Hay’s Simple Dinners (HarperCollins) is fourth on the chart, followed by Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs (Hachette) in fifth place.The Scottish Prisoner (Diana Gabaldon, Hachette) is at the top of the highest new entries chart–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Tags: Cabin Fever: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Christopher Paolini, Di Morrissey, Diana Gabaldon, Donna Hay, Inheritance, Jeff Kinney, Patricia Cornwell, Red Mist, Simple Dinners, Steve Jobs, The Opal Desert, The Scottish Prisoner, Walter Isaacson Category Bestsellers |

The Heffley family is trapped indoors during a blizzard but when the snow melts, 13-year-old Greg is going to have to face the music after an incident at school. Cabin Fever: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Jeff Kinney, Puffin) is the sixth book in the ‘Wimpy Kid’ series and is top of the bestsellers chart this week. Down a spot from last week are Inheritance (Christopher Paolini, Doubleday) in second place, and The Opal Desert (Di Morrissey, Macmillan) in third on the bestsellers chart. The paperback (Puffin) and hardback (Viking) versions of Jeff Kinney’s Cabin Fever: Diary of a Wimpy Kid are in first and second place respectively on the highest new entries chart. Topping the fastest movers chart this week is Eamonn Duff’s book on the Schapelle Corby case, Sins of the Father (A&U), followed by Donna Hay’s cookbook Simple Dinners (HarperCollins)–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Category Bestsellers, Fancy Goods |

Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves (Macmillan), Matthew Reilly’s latest novel featuring marine captain Shane Schofield, is at the top of the bestsellers chart for the third week in a row. The Opal Desert (Di Morrissey, Macmillan), a story about three women from different generations with unresolved issues in their lives who meet in the fictitious NSW town of Opal Lake, is second on the bestsellers chart and top of the highest new entries chart (See our Fancy Goods interview with Di Morrissey here). Judy Nunn’s Tiger Men (William Heinemann) has moved to the top of the fastest movers chart followed by Snuff (Doubleday), Terry Pratchett’s 29th Discworld novel–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Tags: Di Morrissey, Judy Nunn, Matthew Reilly, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves, Snuff, Terry Pratchett, The Opal Desert, Tiger Men Category Bestsellers |

Julian Barnes’ short novel, The Sense of an Ending (Jonathan Cape), winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, is at the top of the fastest movers chart this week followed by Nicholas Sparks’ 16th novel, The Best of Me (Hachette). Judy Nunn’s Tiger Men (William Heinemann), a story about three families who lived through Tasmania’s golden era and witnessed the birth of the Commonwealth of Australia, is at the top of the highest new entries chart followed by Snuff, Terry Pratchett’s latest Discworld novel (Doubleday). Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves (Macmillan), Matthew Reilly’s most recent installment in the Scarecrow action thriller series, is again at the top of the bestsellers chart (see our Fancy Goods review and interview), followed by The Affair (Lee Child, Bantam) in second and Lola’s Secret (Monica McInerney, Michael Joseph) in third–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Tags: Judy Nunn, Julian Barnes, Lee Child, Lola's Secret, Matthew Reilly, Monica McInerney, Nicholas Sparks, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves, The Affair, The Best of Me, The Sense of an Ending, Tiger Men Category Bestsellers |

A top-secret base known only as ‘Dragon Island’ houses a weapon of mass destruction. When the island is hijacked, and the weapon is re-activated by a brutal terrorist force calling itself the ‘Army of Thieves’, marine captain Shane Schofield is called on to save the world. Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves (Matthew Reilly, Macmillan), the latest installment in the Scarecrow action thriller series, is at the top of the bestsellers chart. (See our Fancy Goods review and interview.) Second on the bestsellers chart is The Affair (Lee Child, Bantam) followed by Lola’s Secret (Monica McInerney, Michael Joseph). Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves also tops the highest new entries chart, while at the top of the fastest movers chart is Pierre Dukan’s diet guide The Dukan Diet (Hachette)–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Tags: Lee Child, Lola's Secret, Matthew Reilly, Monica McInerney, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves, The Affair Category Bestsellers |

The love between schoolgirl Nora and fallen angel Patch has transcended the boundary between heaven and earth. After overcoming the secrets of Patch’s dark past and facing heart-wrenching tests along the way, they must now stop a villain who seeks to destroy their loving bond. So goes Becca Fitzpatrick’s Silence (S&S), the third book in the ‘Hush, Hush’ saga, which is at the top of the highest new entries chart and has snuck into fourth place on the bestsellers chart. The three top bestsellers didn’t budge from their previous positions this week. They are The Affair (Lee Child, Bantam), followed by Lola’s Secret (Monica McInerney, Michael Joseph), then Kill Alex Cross (James Patterson, Arrow Books). The Ox is Slow But the Earth is Patient (Mick Malthouse & David Buttifant, A&U) is at the top of the fastest movers chart–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Tags: Becca Fitzpatrick, David Buttifant, James Patterson, Kill Alex Cross, Lee Child, Lola's Secret, Mick Malthouse, Monica McInerney, Silence, The Affair, The Ox is Slow But the Earth is Patient Category Bestsellers |

After a woman is found gruesomely murdered in a small town situated near a large military base, Major Jack Reacher is sent in undercover to find the killer. The Affair (Lee Child, Bantam), a prequel in the Jack Reacher series, is top of the bestsellers chart this week followed by James Patterson’s 18th book in the Alex Cross series, Kill Alex Cross (Arrow). Lola’s Secret (Michael Joseph), Monica McInerney’s latest novel about love, friendship and family, is third on the bestsellers chart and first on the highest new entries chart. Kill Alex Cross also appears at the top of the fastest movers chart followed by Christos Tsiolkas’ award winning novel, The Slap (A&U), now adapted into an eight-part television series–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Tags: Christos Tsiolkas, James Patterson, Kill Alex Cross, Lee Child, Lola's Secret, Monica McInerney, The Affair, The Slap Category Bestsellers |

Detective Alex Cross is on the scene of his biggest case. The President’s son and daughter have been kidnapped from their school and a deadly contagion in the water supply threatens to cripple Washington. Kill Alex Cross (Arrow) is James Patterson’s 18th book in the Alex Cross series, and it is at number one on the highest new entries chart. Jamie’s 30-minute Meals (Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph) is back at number one on the bestsellers chart and fastest mover chart. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Penguin) has moved to second place on the bestseller chart and is followed by Darren Lockyer (Darren Lockyer & Dan Koch, Random House), One Day (David Nicholls, Hachette) and Flash and Bones (Kathy Reichs, William Heinemann)–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Tags: Darren Lockyer, David Nicholls, Flash and Bones, James Patterson, Jamie’s 30-minute Meals, Kathryn Stockett, Kathy Reichs, Kill Alex Cross, One Day, The Help Category Bestsellers |

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Penguin) is a story told from the perspective of two African-American maids, Aibileen and Minny, who look after a white family in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, and a 23-year-old white woman, Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelen. After returning from college, Skeeter finds out that the maid who raised her as a child, Constantine, has disappeared. The story shows how Jackson revolves around ‘the help’ and reveals the racism faced by the maids on a daily basis. The film adaptation of the novel is currently screening at cinemas. The Help is in first place on the bestseller charts. Pierre Dukan’s The Dukan Diet (Hachette) is in second place, returning to the bestseller charts after a number one place in July. Last week’s number one Flash and Bones (Kathy Reichs, William Heinemann) is in third place, followed by another film tie-in edition One Day (David Nicholls, Hachette). New York to Dallas (J D Robb, Hachette) is at the top of the highest new entries chart. The Dukan Diet is also at the top of this week’s fastest movers chart–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Tags: David Nicholls, Flash and Bones, J D Robb, Kathryn Stockett, Kathy Reichs, New York to Dallas, One Day, Pierre Dukan, The Dukan Diet, The Help Category Bestsellers |