BESTSELLERS

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 A Dirty Job by Christopher 1 3 Moore (William Morrow: $24.95) A San Francisco shopkeeper is tapped to collect souls from the newly departed in this dark comedy.

2 Two Little Girls in Blue -- 1 by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) Parents return from an evening out to discover their 3-year-old twins missing and an $8-million ransom demand.

3 Gone by Jonathan Kellerman 5 2 (Ballantine: $22.95) Psychologist Alex Delaware and an LAPD detective combine forces to solve the disappearance and death of an aspiring actress.

4 Tomb of the Golden Bird by 4 2 Elizabeth Peters (William Morrow: $25.95) Archaeologist Amelia Peabody and her assorted supporters and competitors race to find King Tut’s tomb.

5 Veronica by Mary Gaitskill -- 9 (Pantheon: $23) A former fashion model who faces some of life’s ugly realities recalls a friendship with a woman who was an early casualty of AIDS.

6 False Impression by 6 5 Jeffrey Archer (St. Martin’s: $27.95) A young art expert investigates the forces behind the murder of an English aristocrat and the theft of her Van Gogh.

7 The Templar Legacy by 7 6 Steve Berry (Ballantine: $24.95) Intrigue swirls around a medieval monastic order and its long-lost archive that purports to disprove central Christian dogma.

8 In the Company of the 3 8 Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (Random House: $23.95) A cunning dwarf and a celebrated courtesan remake themselves in Venice after fleeing conflict in Rome in 1527.

9 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 14 152 Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

10 Labyrinth by Kate Mosse -- 2 (Putnam: $25.95) The intertwined tales of a 13th century girl and a modern-day female archaeologist and their quests for the Holy Grail in southwestern France.

11 The Secret Supper by 10 3 Javier Sierra (Atria: $25.95) Murder, betrayal, an Old Master painting and Vatican politics mix in this mystery set in 15th century Milan.

12 The 5th Horseman by James 15 8 Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown: $27.95) A cop investigates the mysterious death of a young mother in a San Francisco emergency room.

13 Between the Bridge and the -- 1 River by Craig Ferguson (Chronicle Books: $24.95) Boyhood pals navigate the dregs of the entertainment industry, organized religion and the media.

14 The Tenth Circle by Jodi 2 5 Picoult (Atria: $26) The seemingly bucolic life of a Maine family unravels as the past and present converge with haunting consequences.

15 The People’s Act of Love -- 1 by James Meek (Canongate: $24) A mystical Christian sect, marooned Czech soldiers and a charismatic revolutionary meet in Siberia in 1919.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Marley & Me by John Grogan 3 21 (William Morrow: $21.95) A columnist recalls how Marley, an incorrigible Labrador retriever, flunked obedience school, terrorized a pet sitter and won over his family.

2 American Theocracy by 1 3 Kevin Phillips (Viking: $26.95) Phillips argues that an overzealous global reach, a rise in fundamentalist religion and high debt historically lead to downfall.

3 Game of Shadows by Mark 2 3 Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams (Gotham: $26) The authors chronicle alleged steroid use among some of baseball’s brightest stars.

4 My Life in France by Julia -- 1 Child with Alex Prud’homme (Knopf: $25.95) The late chef’s memoir of her formative years in France, studies at the Cordon Bleu and the best Parisian restaurants.

5 Cobra II by Michael R. 15 4 Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor (Pantheon: $27.95) A military expert and the New York Times’ Pentagon reporter chronicle America’s invasion and occupation of Iraq.

6 The Gospel of Judas edited -- 1 by Rodolphe Kasser et al. (National Geographic: $22) The lost gospel of the apostle Judas Iscariot suggests that he was doing Jesus’ bidding when he betrayed him.

7 The Year of Magical 4 28 Thinking by Joan Didion (Knopf: $23.95) The author explores the nature of grief and survival in the months after her writer-husband’s sudden death.

8 The Jesus Papers by 8 2 Michael Baigent (HarperSanFrancisco: $27.95) A historian tries to reconcile the facts about Jesus’ life, crucifixion and death against the mythology surrounding him.

9 Burlesque and the Art of 11 4 the Teese by Dita Von Teese (ReganBooks: $34.95) A former Playboy model and burlesque stripper known for her elaborate costumes expounds on the art of the tease.

10 Cesar’s Way by Cesar -- 1 Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier (Harmony: $24.95) The popular host of a TV show on dog training gives tips on understanding and correcting common canine behavior problems.

11 A Year in the World by 13 4 Frances Mayes (Broadway Books: $26) The woman famed for restoring a villa indulges her wanderlust in travels to Morocco, Turkey and out-of-the-way places in Europe.

12 The World Is Flat by 6 52 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

13 Barbra: The Way She Is by 10 2 Christopher Andersen (William Morrow: $25.95) A portrait of the Oscar-winning diva, political activist, philanthropist and art patron who is Barbra Streisand.

14 Failed States by Noam -- 1 Chomsky (Metropolitan Books: $24) The leftist intellectual argues that the United States has abused its power in the world and threatened democracy at home.

15 Manhunt by James L. 5 8 Swanson (William Morrow: $26.95) The search for President Lincoln’s killer, actor John Wilkes Booth, and how he eluded capture for 12 days.

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.