BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Two Minute Rule by 2 2 Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster: $24.95) A paroled bank robber tries to find out who killed his police officer-son and why.

2 In the Company of the 1 3 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.

3 The 5th Horseman by James 3 3 Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown: $27.95) A cop investigates the mysterious death of a young mother in a San Francisco emergency room.

4 The Fallen by T. Jefferson 8 2 Parker (William Morrow: $24.95) San Diego homicide Det. Robbie Brownlaw tries to find a killer and uncover a corruption scandal.

5 The Last Templar by 10 6 Raymond Khoury (Dutton: $24.95) Four horsemen dressed like the Knights Templar crash a Vatican artifacts exhibit at a New York museum and steal a code cracker.

6 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 5 147 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.

7 The Templar Legacy by -- 1 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 Veronica by Mary Gaitskill -- 7 (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.

9 Cell by Stephen King 7 7 (Scribner: $26.95) Low-tech people fight for survival against zombies who’ve been stripped of all but the most destructive urges by a pulse sent from their cellular phones.

10 Sea Change by Robert B. 6 4 Parker (Putnam: $24.95) The murder of a woman aboard a sailboat leads a Massachusetts police chief into a universe of drugs, pornography and rape.

11 Lovers & Players by Jackie 13 4 Collins (St. Martin’s Press: $24.95) An aging billionaire brings his three sons to Las Vegas to announce stunning news about their inheritance.

12 The March by E.L. Doctorow -- 12 (Random House: $25.95) On the trail as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman makes his historic sweep of Georgia, routs Confederate troops and destroys the countryside.

13 Memories of My Melancholy 14 17 Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Knopf: $20) A nonagenarian journalist who falls for a 14-year-old virgin prostitute reflects on his life and loves.

14 Arthur and George by -- 7 Julian Barnes (Knopf: $24.95) Arthur Conan Doyle tries to clear an obscure country lawyer convicted in a racially tinged case of mutilating cattle and writing obscene letters.

15 Twilight of the -- 1 Superheroes by Deborah Eisenberg (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $23) Characters strive to connect with one another as tragedy and upheaval abound in this acclaimed story collection.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Marley & Me by John Grogan 1 16 (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 The Year of Magical 2 23 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.

3 The World Is Flat by 4 47 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

4 Freakonomics by Steven D. 7 41 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

5 Eat, Pray, Love by -- 1 Elizabeth Gilbert (Viking: $24.95) A newly single woman travels the globe and discovers much about herself as she tries to balance pleasure and discipline.

6 Manhunt by James L. 3 4 Swanson (William Morrow: $26.95) The search for President Lincoln’s killer, actor John Wilkes Booth, and how he eluded capture for 12 days.

7 Self-Made Man by Norah -- 3 Vincent (Viking: $24.95) The columnist spends 18 months disguised as a man to discover how men behave and interact with one another and with women.

8 PostSecret by Frank Warren 11 4 (ReganBooks: $24.95) A collection of extraordinary confessions written on postcards by ordinary people from all walks of life.

9 Jim Cramer’s Real Money: 10 5 Sane Investing in an Insane World by James J. Cramer (Simon & Schuster: $26) The TV host and co-founder of TheStreet.com explains the basics.

10 Inspiration by Wayne W. -- 1 Dyer (Hay House: $24.95) Instead of seeking motivation from an outside source, Dyer argues that we should connect with an internal spirit for inspiration.

11 Wilshire Boulevard by -- 5 Kevin Roderick with J. Eric Lynxwiler (Angel City Press: $40) An illustrated history of the storied thoroughfare that runs from downtown Los Angeles to the ocean.

12 You’re Wearing That? by 6 4 Deborah Tannen (Random House: $24.95) A linguist studies the conversations between mothers and daughters, the direct and indirect messages, intended or not.

13 Come Hell or High Water by -- 1 Michael Eric Dyson (Perseus: $23) How racial and class inequities came to the forefront in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the government’s response to its victims.

14 Bad Childhood, Good Life 5 9 by Laura Schlessinger (HarperCollins: $24.95) How to move past an unhappy childhood, change negative behaviors and thrive.

15 The Judgment of Paris by -- 3 Ross King (Walker & Co.: $28) How the Impressionists fought for acceptance against the prevailing painting schools of a Paris in turmoil.

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