Authors · NYT Hardcover Fiction

Lawrence Sanders

Charting Oct 28, 1973 → Aug 15, 1999 · 237 weeks with chart power

Peak Power: 7.72%; week of Oct 25, 1981
Career Power: 1,261; share-weeks
Weeks at #1: 0; weeks as the top author

Peak Year: 179; July 1985 – July 1986
Peak Five Years: 505; October 1980 – September 1985
Top-five weeks: 44; weeks ranked 1–5
Longevity: 237; weeks with chart power
Dominance: 12.64%; week of Sep 6, 1981
Comebacks: 3; November 1977, October 1980, August 1985

Comebacks (thresholds from `config/scoring.json`)
Kind	Trough began	Returned	Trough weeks	Longest absence	Prior peak	Return share
After absence	Jun 30, 1974	Nov 6, 1977	175	168	6.41%	2.59%
After decline	May 27, 1979	Oct 19, 1980	73	69	6.41%	2.63%
After decline	Dec 4, 1983	Aug 4, 1985	87	85	7.72%	3.44%

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

22 books · 1,261 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 Third Deadly Sin	#2September 1981	24	August 1981 – January 1982	171.2	171.2
The First Deadly Sin	#4February 1974	24	October 1973 – April 1974	155.9	155.9
The Fourth Deadly Sin	#2July 1985	15	July 1985 – October 1985	132.2	132.2
The Second Deadly Sin	#6November 1977	24	September 1977 – March 1978	93.1	93.0
The Eighth Commandment	#4June 1986	14	June 1986 – September 1986	82.4	82.4
The Tenth Commandment	#5October 1980	16	September 1980 – January 1981	82.0	82.0
The Case of Lucy Bending	#3September 1982	12	July 1982 – October 1982	75.2	75.2
The Seduction of Peter S.	#5August 1983	14	July 1983 – October 1983	73.4	73.4
Capital Crimes	#5June 1989	11	June 1989 – August 1989	60.6	60.6
The Timothy Files	#5June 1987	12	June 1987 – August 1987	57.5	57.1
The Sixth Commandment	#4March 1979	11	January 1979 – April 1979	50.2	50.2
Timothy's Game	#6August 1988	8	July 1988 – September 1988	40.3	40.3
Sullivan's Sting	#9July 1990	8	June 1990 – August 1990	28.3	28.3
The Seventh Commandment	#7April 1991	7	April 1991 – June 1991	27.4	27.4
McNally's Puzzle	#6March 1996	6	March 1996 – April 1996	27.2	27.2
McNally's Gamble	#6April 1997	5	April 1997 – May 1997	25.8	25.8
McNally's Caper	#11March 1994	7	February 1994 – April 1994	20.0	19.4
McNALLY'S SECRET	#9February 1992	5	February 1992 – March 1992	17.0	17.0
Guilty Pleasures	#10March 1998	5	March 1998 – April 1998	15.7	15.7
McNally's Dilemma	#11August 1999	4	July 1999 – August 1999	13.6	13.1
McNally's Trial	#12March 1995	3	March 1995 – April 1995	7.5	7.3
McNally's Risk	#13March 1993	2	March 1993 – April 1993	5.2	5.2