Well, bestseller veteran Catherine Coulter was almost able to knock James Patterson out of the #1 spot, but Hemlock Bay had to settle for #2—the author's first time in that hardcover position. (Since 1996, she's had 16 books on PW's mass market list, two of which—including the current Riptide—have hit #2.) As her fans know, Coulter switched to suspense after more than 40 bestselling historical romances; her new category has now yielded her six consecutive bestsellers. Putnam launched Hemlock Bay August 6 with a national print and radio campaign; copies in print: 308,000.

With reporting by Dick Donahue.