Local bestsellers: Feb. 24

1. WORST CASE, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) A New York detective raising 10 children alone investigates a string of kidnappings and killings of teenagers by a villain with unusual motives.

2. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.

3. FLIRT, by Laurell K. Hamilton. (Berkley, $23.95.) Anita Blake, vampire hunter, and the males in her life; the 18th book in the series.

4. WINTER GARDEN, by Kristin Hannah. (St. Martin's, $26.99.) After their father's death, two sisters must cooperate to run his apple orchard and care for their difficult mother.

5. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday, $29.95.) Robert Langdon among the Masons.

6. SECRETS OF EDEN, by Chris Bohjalian. (Shaye Areheart, $25.) Murder, domestic abuse, spirituality and secrets in a small Vermont town.

7. KISSER, by Stuart Woods. (Putnam, $25.95.) Stone Barrington, the New York cop turned lawyer, pursues a case of financial fraud on the Upper East Side.

9(x). THE SWAN THIEVES, by Elizabeth Kostova. (Little, Brown, $26.99.) A psychiatrist who treats a man who slashed a canvas in the National Gallery is drawn into the world of French Impressionism; from the author of "The Historian."

10. THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $25.95.) A Swedish hacker becomes a murder suspect.

11(x). I, ALEX CROSS, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Tracking the murderer of a relative, Alex Cross discovers a wild Washington scene with explosive secrets.

1. GAME CHANGE, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. (Harper/HarperCollins, $27.99.) Behind the scenes at the 2008 election with Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, John and Elizabeth Edwards, John McCain and Sarah Palin.

2. THE POLITICIAN, by Andrew Young. (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's, $24.99.) A tell-all by John Edwards' closest aide.

4. I AM OZZY, by Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres. (Grand Central, $26.99.) Recollections of heavy metal's "Prince of Darkness."

5. THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, by Rebecca Skloot. (Crown, $26.) Race, poverty and science intertwine in the story of the woman whose cancer cells were cultured without her permission in 1951 and have supported a mountain of research undertaken since then.

6. COMMITTED, by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Viking, $26.95.) The author of "Eat, Pray, Love" wrestles with, and overcomes, her ambivalence about marriage.

7. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom. (Hyperion, $23.99.) A suburban rabbi and a Detroit pastor teach lessons about the comfort of belief.

8. STAYING TRUE, by Jenny Sanford. (Ballantine, $25.) The ups and downs of life with South Carolina's Gov. Mark Sanford, by his estranged wife.

10(x). JUST KIDS, by Patti Smith. (Ecco/HarperCollins, $27.) The godmother of punk recalls her life with Robert Mapplethorpe and their yearnings for a life in art in the New York City of the 1960s and '70s.

1. THE KIND DIET, by Alicia Silverstone. (Rodale, $29.99.) The actress' recipes and insights for going meat- and dairy-free.

2. MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, VOL. 1, by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. (Knopf, $40.) A reissue of the book that started Julia Child's career.

3. THE HAPPINESS PROJECT, by Gretchen Rubin. (Harper/HarperCollins, $25.99.) A year spent focusing on the things that really matter.

4. SO LONG, INSECURITY, by Beth Moore. (Tyndale House, $24.99.) The Bible instructor shares her insights for boosting women's self-confidence. (b)