Here's the scoop on three fiction list newcomers. Taking the #3 spot is Tony Hillerman's The Sinister Pig, published by HarperCollins with an impressive 315,000 copies in print. The previous novel from the 77-year-old veteran author, The Wailing Wind, spent seven weeks on our hardcover list last year, and the mass market edition marks seven weeks today. This porker's garnering rave reviews, and PBS has announced that it will film two more Hillerman titles for its acclaimed Mystery! series—next up is A Thief of Time. Hillerman's May 14 appearance at D.C.'s Smithsonian was sold out weeks in advance, reports the publisher.
Hitting the list at #9 is Executive Power, the fifth political thriller by Vince Flynn, whose previous works (Term Limits, Separation of Power, Transfer of Power and The Third Option) have spent a combined total of 20 weeks on our charts. Stops on the author's current 13-city tour include a BEA autographing (May 30) plus signings at several military bases (Austin, Tex.; Tampa, Fla.; Quantico, Va.). According to Pocket Books assistant publicity director Laura Mullen, "Vince feels strongly that it's important to show support for the troops." (In a related show of support, Mullen added that Pocket Books is donating copies of Flynn's backlist to a USO program that distributes books to servicepeople.) Atria reports 200,000 copies in print after three trips to press.
Margaret Atwood follows her 2000 Booker Award—winning The Blind Assassin (22 weeks on PW's charts) with Oryx and Crake, a Doubleday/Nan A. Talese title released on May 6. Following her recent interviews on NPR's All Things Considered and The Diane Rehm Show, the distinguished author embarked on an eight-city reading tour for what's billed by her publisher as "a fascinating what-if story—a cautionary tale for the 21st century." Copies in print: 175,000.
With reporting by Dick Donahue
