Revealed: The most popular books available at Wigan borough's libraries

The most popular books available at the borough’s libraries have been revealed after we submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act to Wigan Council.

Two books by Jack Reacher creator Lee Child were borrowed more than any other, while titles by TV presenter-turned-author Richard Osman and bestselling-writers James Patterson and Karin Slaughter also proved to be popular.

Topping the pile for the most loans between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022 was Child’s Better Off Dead, borrowed 98 times, followed by another book in his Jack Reacher series, The Sentinel (93 loans).

Child has published 27 novels starring Jack Reacher, a former major in the military police who travels around the USA solving mysteries and taking down bad guys.

Books by Richard Osman – better known as a presenter on TV’s Pointless and House of Games – also proved to be popular among readers from Wigan.

The third most popular book was The Man Who Died Twice (88 loans), a follow-up to The Thursday Murder Club, which was borrowed 75 times.

The rest of the top 10 was made up of: A Gambling Man by David Baldacci (borrowed 87 times), Private Rogue by James Patterson (83 times), A Valley Dream by Anna Jacobs (79 times), The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves (75 times), The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly (72 times), False Witness by Karin Slaughter (72 times) and Over My Dead Body by Jeffrey Archer (72 times).

The borough’s 15 libraries do not charge fines if books are returned late – and a total of 886 were overdue, according to the information provided by the council.

The longest wait for books to be returned stands at eight months, as seven titles due to be given back by April 2 are still outstanding.

They are: Bonsai by Harry Tomlinson, Lies by T M Logan, Pinch of Nom: Comfort Food by Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone, Fast 800 Keto: Eat Well, Burn Fat and Manage Your Weight by Michael Mosley, Dishonesty Is The Second-Best Policy and Other Rules to Live By by David Mitchell, Woman On The Edge by Samantha M Bailey, and Fast Asleep: How To Get A Really Good Night’s Rest by Michael Mosley.