Bookstat chart: The Silent Patient checks in at the top

Alex Michaelides' The Silent Patient (Orion) has surged into the Bookstat e-book number one spot for the week ending 23rd May. Though the psychological thriller has been a mainstay in the chart since The Bookseller began running it at the beginning of the year, this is its first week at the top. Sally Rooney's Normal People (Faber) also leapt back up the top 10 to score the runner-up spot.

Psychological thrillers had a strong week across the board, with Sue Watson's The Sister-in-Law (Bookouture), Claire McGowan's The Other Wife (Thomas & Mercer) and Jackie Kabler's The Perfect Couple (One More Chapter) filling out the top five.

Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow (Penguin) made its debut in the Bookstat top 10. In print, the title has shifted over 200,000 copies since its 2017 publication, yet never posted a high enough weekly sale to chart in the Top 50—making it possibly one of the most consistent-selling bestsellers ever.

Hachette has stated that for the week ending 23rd May, The Silent Patient sold 21,660 units in e-book, The Sister-in-Law 13,372, Delia Owens' Where the Crawdads Sing 8,002 and K L Slater's Little Whispers 6,035. Though Bookstat's estimated figures, based on normal buying habits, are still lower than the confirmed numbers, the gap between them is shrinking as lockdown restrictions ease.