FictionMOONLIGHT BECOMES YOU by Mary Higgins Clark....

Fiction

MOONLIGHT BECOMES YOU by Mary Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster: $24.) Photographer seeks stepmother’s killer among Rhode Island’s elite.(1)*. Southern California ranking: 1; Last Weeks: 2; Week on List: 3

PRIMARY COLORS by Anonymous. (Random House: $24.) A fictionalized account of ’92 Democratic primaries by an insider.(2)*. Southern California ranking: 2; Last Weeks: 1; Week on List: 13

MALICE by Danielle Steel. (Delacorte: $24.95.) A young woman struggles with memories of incest and murder.(4)*. Southern California ranking: 3; Last Weeks: 5; Week on List: 2

ALMOST ADAM by Petru Popescu. (William Morrow: $24.) A paleoanthropologist discovers humankind’s missing link living in the forests of Kenya.. Southern California ranking: 4; Last Weeks: --; Week on List: 1

NEANDERTHAL by John Darnton. (Random: $24.) Primitive protohumans are found in a remote part of the world.(14)*. Southern California ranking: 5; Last Weeks: 4; Week on List: 2

STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE by Steve Perry. (Bantam: $22.95.) Darth Vader battles a rival for the Emperor’s favor.(10). Southern California ranking: 6; Last Weeks: --; Week on List: 1

THE HORSE WHISPERER by Nicholas Evans. (Delacorte Press: $23.95.)(5)*. Southern California ranking: 7; Last Weeks: 10; Week on List: 13

IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ENEMY by Elizabeth George. (Bantam: $23.95.) A journalist and a politico face the kidnappers of their love child.(3)*. Southern California ranking: 8; Last Weeks: 3; Week on List: 5

FIRST KING OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks. (Del Rey/Ballantine: $23.50.) A look back at the early history of Shannara and the fate of the Druids.(6). Southern California ranking: 9; Last Weeks: --; Week on List: 1

ABSOLUTE POWER by David Baldacci. (Warner: $22.95.) Murder among the elite in the nation’s capital.(8)*. Southern California ranking: 10; Last Weeks: 8; Week on List: 8

Nonfiction

IN CONTEMPT by Christopher Darden with Jess Walter. (HarperCollins/ReganBooks: $26.) (1). Southern California ranking: 1; Last Weeks: 1; Week on List: 5

THE ZONE by Barry Sears with Bill Lawren. (HarperCollins/ReganBooks: $22.) An energy-building plan focusing on burning body fat.(9). Southern California ranking: 2; Last Weeks: 3; Week on List: 7

SIMPLE ABUNDANCE: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. (Warner: $17.95.) A collection of self-discovery meditations for women.(3). Southern California ranking: 3; Last Weeks: 6; Week on List: 3

DREAMS INTO ACTION: Getting What You Want by Milton Katselas. (Dove: $19.95.) Turning invisible wishes into concrete realities.*. Southern California ranking: 4; Last Weeks: 2; Week on List: 2

MEN ARE FROM MARS: Women Are From Venus by John Gray, Ph.D. (HarperCollins: $23.) (2)*. Southern California ranking: 5; Last Weeks: --; Week on List: 110

THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE by Robert L. Shapiro with Larkin Warren. (Warner: $24.95.) Defending his position in Simpson trial.(5)*. Southern California ranking: 6; Last Weeks: 5; Week on List: 3

YOU’LL NEVER MAKE LOVE IN THIS TOWN AGAIN by Robin, Liza, Linda and Tiffany as told to Jennie Louise Frankel, Terrie Maxine Frankel and Joanne Parrent. (Dove Books: $22.95.). Southern California ranking: 7; Last Weeks: 4; Week on List: 13

RUSH LIMBAUGH IS A BIG FAT IDIOT And Other Observations by Al Franken. (Delacorte: $21.95.)(8). Southern California ranking: 8; Last Weeks: --; Week on List: 11

THE SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS OF SUCCESS by Deepak Chopra. (Amber-Allen Publishing: $12.95.)(6)*. Southern California ranking: 9; Last Weeks: 7; Week on List: 54

BLOOD SPORT: The Truth Behind the Scandals in the Clinton White House by James B. Stewart. (Simon & Schuster: $25.)(4)*. Southern California ranking: 10; Last Weeks: 8; Week on List: 6

Paperbacks: FICTION

1. GOOSEBUMPS #43: THE BEAST FROM THE EAST by R.L. Stine. (Scholastic: $3.99.)

2. SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS by David Guterson. (Vintage: $12.)*

3. THE GREEN MILE PART ONE: THE TWO DEAD GIRLS by Stephen King. (Signet: $2.99.)*

4. LADDER OF YEARS by Anne Tyler. (Fawcett: $12.)*

5. THE APOCALYPSE WATCH by Robert Ludlum. (Bantam: $7.50.)

Paperbacks: NONFICTION

1. ZAGAT SURVEY 1996 LOS ANGELES/SO. CALIFORNIA RESTAURANTS edited by Merrill Shindler and Karen Berk. (Zagat Survey: $10.95.)

2. THERE’S TREASURE EVERYWHERE: A Calvin & Hobbes Collection by Bill Watterson. (Andrews & McMeel: $12.95.)

3. MAKING MOVIES by Sidney Lumet. (Random: $12.)

4. CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL edited by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. (Health Communications: $12.95.)*

5. THE ARTIST’S WAY by Julia Cameron. (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam: $13.95.)*

Rankings based on Times’ poll of local bookstores. National hardcover rankings (in parentheses) are those of Publishers Weekly. An asterisk (*) indicates that the book is also available in audio. For early information on Times bestsellers, call (213) 237-4336 after 11 a.m. Wednesdays.