Local bestsellers

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

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. FLIRT, by Laurell K. Hamilton. (Berkley, $23.95.) Anita Blake, vampire hunter, and the males in her life.

6. POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL, by Jackie Collins. (St. Martin's, $26.99.) Hollywood murder, three beautiful 20-something high school friends, a hot New York club owner.

7. BRAVA, VALENTINE, by Adriana Trigiani. (Harper/HarperCollins, $25.99.) An Italian-American shoemaker faces challenges at work, in her family and in love; the second book in a trilogy.

9. THE MIDNIGHT HOUSE, by Alex Berenson. (Putnam, $25.95.) Who is killing members of a secret unit that interrogated terrorists? CIA agent John Wells is on the case.

10(x). 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.

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.

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

5. ON THE BRINK, by Henry M. Paulson Jr. (Grand Central, $28.99.) The Treasury secretary during the financial meltdown describes the decisions that were made.

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

7. STONES INTO SCHOOLS, by Greg Mortenson. (Viking, $26.95.) Building schools, many of them for girls, in northeast Afghanistan; takes up where "Three Cups of Tea" left off.

8. WILLIE MAYS, by James S. Hirsch. (Simon & Schuster, $30.) The life and career of a baseball legend.

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

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

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

3. 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.

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

5. ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A MAN, by Steve Harvey with Denene Millner. (Amistad/HarperCollins, $23.99.) Tips on relationships from the comedian and host of "The Steve Harvey Morning Show."