Bookstat: Ellis scales the chart at long last

J R Ellis’ Murder at St Anne’s (Thomas & Mercer) has clocked in as the Bookstat e-book number one for the week ending 11th December, marking the author’s first number one in the chart.

Previously, Ellis’ The Whitby Murders peaked in second place in May this year, with August 2020’s The Nidderdale Murders hitting a high of seventh.  

The e-book and print charts tend to divert more than ever at this time of year, with the print market so laser-focused on Christmas gifts and e-books still firmly in the self-gifting arena. The Bookstat chart saw a flurry of new entries, with Nicolas Sparks’ The Wish (Sphere), Robert Bryndza’s Darkness Falls (Sphere) and Emma Haughton’s The Dark (Hodder & Stoughton) debuting in the top five.

Abigail Dean’s Girl A (HarperCollins) was the only title to appear in both the Bookstat and the Nielsen BookScan Mass Market Fiction top 10, although interestingly, Tana French’s The Searcher (Penguin), announced as part of the latest Richard & Judy Book Club (a print promotion), charted only in the digital ranking. A savvily-timed drop to 99p may have helped its e-book's fortunes. 

Clarification: Hachette has stated that The Wish sold 4,096 copies; Darkness Falls 6,385; The Dark 2,064; and The Drowning Girls 3,933.