No matter if the sales for these veterans are headed north or south, their tenure on these charts has been downhill. In almost all instances, these writers have had shorter runs and fewer weeks in the #1 position. From a Buick 8 is #14 this week after just six weeks on the charts; all King's other bestsellers in the last five years enjoyed double-digit runs. Grisham's Testament was on the charts for 31 weeks, eight in the #1 spot; Summons had a 21-week run with four weeks at #1. Sparks had a 28-week run with Message in a Bottle; Rodanthe slips to #9 after a month on the list. Clancy's Rainbow Six was on the charts in 1998 for 25 weeks, seven of those in the lead spot; Red Rabbit falls off this week after a 12-week run, with only two at the head. As Charles Dickens wrote: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."