Looks like it's just one week in the #1 spot for fiction hardcovers so far this season. First, it was Jan Karon's In This Mountain, which made it to the top of the charts on June 10; on June 17, it was Clive Cussler's turn for a quickie with Fire Ice. This week, James Patterson makes it to the coveted slot with Beach House. And he could very well give up the position next week to Janet Evanovich's Hard Eight. In the past several years, Patterson's bestsellers almost always make it to #1 after just a week in the stores. Little, Brown launched the book with an 850,000-copy first printing, and during his eight-city tour, Patterson will do three book signings in Long Island (the book's setting). The author will also be the subject of a feature for CBS's Sunday Morning in July. As for Evanovich, her book had a one-day laydown on June 18; St. Martin's launched it with a 500,000-copy printing. She made it to the top spot her first week out with Seven Up, so odds are she might do it again. Still, Patterson may be harder to knock off the top than Sue Grafton. Last June, Evanovich's book hit the top after Grafton's second week in the #1 spot.