Authors · NYT Hardcover Fiction

Brad Meltzer

Charting Jun 1, 1997 → Jan 25, 2026 · 75 weeks with chart power

Peak Power: 5.40%; week of Apr 1, 2001
Career Power: 497; share-weeks
Weeks at #1: 3; weeks as the top author

Peak Year: 93; February 2001 – February 2002
Peak Five Years: 195; March 1999 – March 2004
Top-five weeks: 29; weeks ranked 1–5
Longevity: 75; weeks with chart power
Dominance: 14.53%; week of Sep 24, 2006
Comebacks: 7; February 2001, February 2004, October 2006, September 2008, February 2011, February 2013, April 2018

Comebacks (thresholds from `config/scoring.json`)
Kind	Trough began	Returned	Trough weeks	Longest absence	Prior peak	Return share
After absence	Oct 12, 1997	Feb 4, 2001	173	172	2.24%	1.86%
After decline	Jun 2, 2002	Feb 15, 2004	88	87	5.40%	2.01%
After absence	May 9, 2004	Oct 1, 2006	124	123	5.40%	2.79%
After decline	Jan 28, 2007	Sep 28, 2008	87	86	5.40%	2.61%
After absence	Dec 7, 2008	Feb 6, 2011	113	112	5.40%	2.46%
After decline	May 22, 2011	Feb 17, 2013	91	89	5.40%	2.09%
After absence	Apr 14, 2013	Apr 1, 2018	257	116	5.40%	2.61%

Ranked by weekly Power Share, part of the ChartReign Power model — not the list's own positions (config version 4, Sep 22, 2026). How it works →

Exponentially smoothed share of the week's total power (the primary metric).

Titles on the NYT Hardcover Fiction

13 books · 497 share-weeks of Career Power

Power contributed is what each book earned this author: their weekly Power Share, split across their books (a featured credit takes its reduced share). Book Power is the book's own figure, the same for every author on it. Bar length compares books within this list.

Title	Peak	Weeks	On chart	Power contributedPower	Book Power
The First Counsel	#3March 2001	12	January 2001 – April 2001	89.9	89.9
The Book of Fate	#1September 2006	7	September 2006 – November 2006	64.3	64.3
The Millionaires	#3February 2002	10	January 2002 – March 2002	63.6	63.3
The Inner Circle	#1January 2011	6	January 2011 – March 2011	57.4	57.4
The Zero Game	#3February 2004	7	February 2004 – March 2004	41.9	41.1
The Book of Lies	#2September 2008	5	September 2008 – October 2008	38.0	38.0
The Escape Artist	#1March 2018	5	March 2018 – April 2018	37.6	37.6
The Fifth Assassin	#3February 2013	5	February 2013 – March 2013	29.9	29.9
The Tenth Justice	#8June 1997	7	June 1997 – July 1997	29.4	29.4
The President's Shadow	#5July 2015	4	July 2015 – July 2015	18.1	18.1
The Lightning Rod	#6April 2022	3	March 2022 – April 2022	17.8	17.8
The House of Secretswith Tod Goldberg	#6June 2016	3	June 2016 – July 2016	6.1	12.2
The Viper	#12January 2026	1	January 2026	3.2	3.2