Best sellers

Fiction

1. “Trace,” by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam, $26.95). The inept man who replaced Dr. Kay Scarpetta as chief medical examiner of Virginia asks for her help in investigating the unexplained death of a 14-year-old girl

2. “The Da Vinci Code,” by Dan Brown (Doubleday, $24.95). The murder of a curator at the Louvre leads to a trail of clues found in the work of Leonardo and to the discovery of a centuries-old secret society.

3. “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell,” by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury, $27.95). A literary fantasy involving a Yorkshire magician and the Napoleonic Wars

4. “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” by Mitch Albom (Hyperion, $19.95). An old man who died while trying to rescue a little girl from danger discovers that all will be explained to him in the afterlife.

5. “Murder List,” by Julie Garwood. (Ballantine, $25.95). An heiress becomes entangled in a deadly plot that may have been hatched by a self-help guru.

Nonfiction

1. “Unfit for Command,” by John E. O’Neill and Jerome R. Corsi (Regnery, $27.95). A negative appraisal of John Kerry’s conduct in Vietnam.

2. “American Soldier,” by Tommy Franks with Malcolm McConnell (ReganBooks/HarperCollins, $27.95). A memoir by the former head of the United States Central Command.

3. “My Life,” by Bill Clinton (Knopf, $35). The autobiography of the 42nd president.

4. “Skywriting,” by Jane Pauley (Random House, $25.95). A memoir by the television personality chronicles her career, family life and recent struggle with bipolar disorder.

5. “Eats, Shoots & Leaves,” by Lynne Truss (Gotham, $17.50). An Englishwoman expounds on the use and misuse of punctuation marks

Advice and miscellaneous.

1. “The Purpose-Driven Life,” by Rick Warren (Zondervan, $19.99). Finding the meaning of life through God.

2. “The South Beach Diet,” by Arthur Agatston (Rodale, $24.95). A weight-loss plan designed by a Miami cardiologist.

3. “The South Beach Diet Cookbook,” by Arthur Agatston (Rodale, $25.95). A collection of recipes from a Miami cardiologist.

4. “Guinness World Records 2005” (Guinness, $27.95). A profusely illustrated collection of records about subjects as various as sports and technology.

5. “The Abs Diet,” by David Zinczenko with Ted Spiker (Rodale, $24.95). A six-week plan to “flatten your stomach and keep you lean for life.”