Ever since the 1979 publication of The Cater Street Hangman, bestselling author Anne Perry has been transporting readers to a vibrant historical era—England in the golden age of Queen Victoria. She has written 33 novels in all, alternating between two popular series. Her latest, Southampton Row, was published by Ballantine on March 4 and lands the #9 spot on our fiction list. Perry's 22-city national tour was launched with an appearance on CBS-TV's The Early Show, followed by signings and talks in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Boston. A Southampton Row promotion currently on MysteryNet.com features an excerpt from the book, an exclusive essay by the author, a comprehensive bibliography and ads both on the site itself and in its monthly e-mail newsletter, which goes to 100,000 subscribers. Ballantine reports 72,000 copies in print after four trips to press.

With reporting by Dick Donahue