BESTSELLERS

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

2 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 2 150 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.

3 The Tenth Circle by Jodi 7 3 Picoult (Atria: $26) The seemingly bucolic life of a Maine family unravels as the past and present converge with haunting consequences.

4 In the Company of the 1 6 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.

5 Dirty Blonde by Lisa 8 2 Scottoline (HarperCollins: $22.95) A newly appointed federal judge is enmeshed in a deadly battle between a former prosecutor and a Hollywood producer.

6 The 5th Horseman by James 12 6 Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown: $27.95) A cop investigates the mysterious death of a young mother in a San Francisco emergency room.

7 The Fallen by T. Jefferson 3 5 Parker (William Morrow: $24.95) San Diego homicide Det. Robbie Brownlaw tries to find a killer and uncover a corruption scandal.

8 The Templar Legacy by 6 4 Steve Berry (Ballantine: $24.95) Intrigue swirls around a medieval monastic order and its long-lost archive that purports to disprove central Christian dogma.

9 Memories of My Melancholy 11 19 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.

10 Intuition by Allegra 14 2 Goodman (Dial Press: $25) Researchers at a Boston cancer center doubt the findings of a fellow scientist in a hurry to publish his claim of reducing tumors in lab mice.

11 False Impression by 13 3 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.

12 The Good Life by Jay -- 3 McInerney (Knopf: $25) Two wealthy New York couples reexamine their lives, relationships and values in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

13 The March by E.L. Doctorow -- 14 (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.

14 The Secret Supper by -- 1 Javier Sierra (Atria: $25.95) Murder, betrayal, an Old Master painting and Vatican politics mix in this mystery set in 15th century Milan.

15 The Last Templar by -- 8 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.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 American Theocracy by -- 1 Kevin Phillips (Viking: $26.95) Phillips argues that an overzealous global reach, a rise in fundamentalist religion and high debt historically lead to downfall.

2 Marley & Me by John Grogan 2 19 (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.

3 The Year of Magical 3 26 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.

4 Cobra II by Michael R. 1 2 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.

5 Inspiration by Wayne W. 5 4 Dyer (Hay House: $24.95) The therapist and self-help guru argues for finding inspiration from within rather than seeking it from others.

6 French Women Don’t Get Fat -- 27 by Mireille Guiliano (Knopf: $22) The chief executive of the French wine conglomerate Clicquot Inc. reveals the French secret of eating for pleasure without the bulge.

7 The World Is Flat by 4 50 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

8 Burlesque and the Art of 14 2 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.

9 Game of Shadows by Mark -- 1 Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams (Gotham: $26) The authors chronicle alleged steroid use among some of baseball’s brightest stars.

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

11 PostSecret by Frank Warren 10 7 (ReganBooks: $24.95) A collection of extraordinary confessions written on postcards by ordinary people from all walks of life.

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

13 Freakonomics by Steven D. 8 44 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

14 Jim Cramer’s Real Money: 15 8 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.

15 A Year in the World by 7 2 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.

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