Ted Bell's
Assassin is ringing up sales at cash registers nationwide, and it's the only new hardcover fiction title on PW's chart this week. Publisher Atria reports 80,000 copies in print after six trips to press, with about 72,000 copies sold to date; first printing was 32,000. This is Bell's second book featuring super agent Alexander Hawke, and the author is being compared to James Patterson and Clive Cussler. In fact, Patterson himself called Assassin "The most highly imaginative thriller to come along in a long while." Bell is on a six-city tour and is doing a "huge" radio satellite tour. Atria is also running frequent radio ads on Glenn Beck and RushLimbaugh.
