In 2001, Morrow published Dennis Lehane's Mystic River, the sixth book—and first stand-alone—by the author who PW called "the hippest heir of Hammett and Chandler." The result? Outstanding reviews, a movie sale (set to star Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon, with Clint Eastwood at the helm) and national bestseller tenure (12 weeks on these charts) followed. Fast forward to April 15, 2003, when Morrow released this crime maven's newest, Shutter Island. And it looks like déjà vu all over again, with this psychological thriller evidently setting out on the road to bestsellerdom (debuting at #9 on our list); beginning to garner raves ("a tour de force," per PW's starred notice); and snagging an impressive film deal (Wolfgang Petersen of The Perfect Storm fame will direct). Lehane kicked off a 17-city tour on pub date with appearances in his hometown, Boston; he'll wind up in Portland, Ore., on May 28. Morrow reports 150,000 copies in print.
With reporting by Dick Donahue
