It's taken me a while to really decide upon my list, but for category 7, I would include: "Birdsong" - Sebastian Faulks, "Regeneration" - Pat Barker, and "Fly Away Peter" - David Malouf.

But while I was thinking this over, I found myself asking...do the character(s) in a category seven novel have to be likeable, persay? The example that comes to mind is "Catch 22" - the characterisation is great, but the character himself...but I guess a character doesn't have to be likeable for a reader to identify with him.

As I envisioned this, Category Seven novels have three things in common:

They fulfill all three of the basic criteria (well written, good plot, engaging theme);

They are critically successful;

A Category Seven novel is also a commercial success.

You can have any kind of a character in a Category Seven novel, as long as the character is well done. I guess the one thing that remains to be debated is how "commercial success" is defined.

RE: To Kill A Mockingbird.

It's important to note that Truman Capote wrote that book and "gave" it to Harper Lee, who did his research.

Category 7? I've just read "The lovely bones" and loved it and I think, for me, it falls into all three categories. Maybe "Running with Scissors"?

Doug -- really? Where did you get this from, I've never heard it. Totally possible, of course, just new to me.

Jacqui-- I'd have to agree that The Lovely Bones does fit into Category Seven, the way I've set it up. Critical and commercial success, and all three basic criteria. Now, I didn't like it very much but there are going to be a lot of Category Seven books I don't like, I think.

Meredith -- I think Birdsong is probably Category Seven, but I'm not sure about Regeneration, which (while it is beautifully written) didn't have very wide commercial success, as far as I understand it. Unless I've got that wrong.

I guess it begs the question - does a book have to have commercial success in more than one country to qualify? In the days of mass media and the internet, I would argue that it probably does...but then I am amazed, when looking at the sales lists on Amazon and the like, at just how many of the bestsellers are not published here in Australia.

Seems to me that The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is a recent perfect match for your category 7. Another: The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco. Another: Possession, A. S. Byatt. (You could put much of Byatt's work in there, actually.) These are fine, well-written, well-characterised novels with strong plot, all of which had great worldwide commercial success.