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To the Power of Three
There are excellent reasons why New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman has won the Edgar®, Agatha, Anthony, Nero Wolfe, and every other major award the mystery genre has to offer. To the Power of Three is just one of those reasons. Lippman’s brilliant and disturbing tale of three inseparable high school girlfriends in an affluent Baltimore suburb who share dark secrets literally until death, To the Power of Three is this “writing powerhouse” (USA Today), who has “exploded the boundaries of the mystery genre to become one of the most significant social realists of our time” (Madison Smartt Bell) operating at the very top of her game. Not merely crime fiction, but fiction that gets to the deep psychological, emotional, and human roots of a terrible crime, Lippman’s novel is one that will not be easily forgotten—a must read for fans of Kate Atkinson, Tana French, Jodi Picoult, and Harlan Coben
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
192 people are currently reading
2332 people want to read
About the author
Laura Lippman
112 books6,336 followersSince Laura Lippman’s debut, she has been recognized as a distinctive voice in mystery fiction and named one of the “essential” crime writers of the last 100 years. Stephen King called her “special, even extraordinary,” and Gillian Flynn wrote, “She is simply a brilliant novelist.” Her books have won most of the major awards in her field and been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She lives in Baltimore and New Orleans with her teenager.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 472 reviews
July 24, 2013
This is my fourth Laura Lippman book (all stand-alone novels, not her mystery series), and I came to a realization about them: I like them a lot more while I'm reading them than when I'm done and looking back.
I think that's because her books really hold your interest--I always find myself invested in the characters and looking forward to picking up where I left off. But the climaxes always seem a bit disappointing. After caring so much about the characters, and really enjoying what's going on, the conclusion seems to not quite match up with the buildup.
This book was no exception. I loved the plot--what really went on in a high school bathroom in wealthy suburbia, where the homecoming queen was shot dead and her two best friends, both with varying degrees of injury, found with her? Lippman took us through the foundation of it all, from when the girls were third graders up until their senior year. The story was told through the eyes of many of the players--some very peripheral--which served in giving a well-rounded view of what was actually going on.
But when the mystery was finally revealed, all I could really feel was "ehh." I was definitely expecting something more. But at the same time, I really enjoyed the process of reading it. So even though it's not one I'll think about much afterwards, it was a pleasant reading diversion.
I think that's because her books really hold your interest--I always find myself invested in the characters and looking forward to picking up where I left off. But the climaxes always seem a bit disappointing. After caring so much about the characters, and really enjoying what's going on, the conclusion seems to not quite match up with the buildup.
This book was no exception. I loved the plot--what really went on in a high school bathroom in wealthy suburbia, where the homecoming queen was shot dead and her two best friends, both with varying degrees of injury, found with her? Lippman took us through the foundation of it all, from when the girls were third graders up until their senior year. The story was told through the eyes of many of the players--some very peripheral--which served in giving a well-rounded view of what was actually going on.
But when the mystery was finally revealed, all I could really feel was "ehh." I was definitely expecting something more. But at the same time, I really enjoyed the process of reading it. So even though it's not one I'll think about much afterwards, it was a pleasant reading diversion.
January 3, 2008
I have to say I found this book to be pretty disappointed. I expected much more. I think the author could have done a lot more with the story. It had the potential to be really good, but definitely fell short. The book went on for much longer than it needed to. I was interested enough to want to know what happened at the end, and when I finally made it there, I said, "that's it?" I wanted a lot more.
February 25, 2013
This is my first Lippman book and I will definitely be reading more. The story is so well crafted. Three friends found shot in their high school bathroom. It looks like a simple case of jealousy among teen girls but as the years of friendship unravel it's not what it originally seems, but then again, it actually is. I found the ending believable more than shocking. For me, it's not always important to have a *gasp* revelation in the final chapter. I think it's more difficult to slowly flesh out what the reader thinks they already know and make it acceptable rather than exceptional. Lippman does just that; a subtle mention of one thing will resurface chapters later and help to fill in a blank. A small memory from years prior suddenly becomes paramount in a character's present decision. There is a long list of characters yet it never becomes cumbersome, each character is a carefully placed piece of the puzzle. A great read. I am excited to have found this author.
April 19, 2011
So many people have recommended Laura Lippman to me that I was extra disappointed that this book didn't wow me.
I thought the writing style odd at times-- even though it's in the 3rd person, the tone would change dramatically depending on which character it was following (gruff cop, ditzy teenager, etc).
The plot trods along dully, when a murder mystery should have an exciting pace... the big reveal at the end left me feeling like "OK, so that's what happened", not "OH SNAP! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!" which is what one wants from such a book. Not to mention the nature of the big reveal is lame too.
The best thing about this book was the way it did successfully capture the complexity of relationships between teenage girls-- and particularly the way things get extra complicated when there are three. That was very well done.
Otherwise... yawn. People love her so I will give her another chance, but I'll first figure out which book of hers people think is best.
I thought the writing style odd at times-- even though it's in the 3rd person, the tone would change dramatically depending on which character it was following (gruff cop, ditzy teenager, etc).
The plot trods along dully, when a murder mystery should have an exciting pace... the big reveal at the end left me feeling like "OK, so that's what happened", not "OH SNAP! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!" which is what one wants from such a book. Not to mention the nature of the big reveal is lame too.
The best thing about this book was the way it did successfully capture the complexity of relationships between teenage girls-- and particularly the way things get extra complicated when there are three. That was very well done.
Otherwise... yawn. People love her so I will give her another chance, but I'll first figure out which book of hers people think is best.
February 2, 2011
To the Power of Three was my first novel by Laura Lippman. It’s hard to know what to say about it because while I didn’t love it, I certainly appreciated its merits.
To the Power of Three tells the story of Kat, Perri and Josie, childhood best friends. One June morning, one of the three brings a gun to school, shoots two of the girls (one fatally) and then herself. The novel then begins to unravel the story of what would have caused this horrible act of violence.
Lippman is an accomplished writer. In some ways, her work reminds me of Carol Goodman. Lippman’s characters were complicated and well drawn – even minor characters have interior lives, hopes and fears. We come to understand these three girls and share their bond through the years of their friendship, but we only come to understand what caused one of the girls to take such drastic measures at the novel’s conclusion.
For me, that was the novel’s weakness. The book’s over 400 pages long – too long, perhaps, for such a mediocre resolution. As a reader, we’ve invested a great deal in these characters (and their parents and peripheral friends) that it’s a let down to discover what actually happened on that fateful day – and why it happened. (After giving this more thought, I think the reason why the ending didn’t work for me is because it gives one of the characters a moral compass that – while not exactly coming out of nowhere – doesn’t seem earned either.)
To the Power of Three wasn’t a page-turner in the way that some mysteries are. Perhaps that balancing act is hard to achieve: literature and suspense; a well-written story that you speed through because you can’t bear not to know whodunit. For my money, no one manages that sort of book better than Thomas H. Cook. Still, Lippman’s skills are apparent and I’d certainly read her again. In fact, I have What the Dead Know waiting on my tbr shelf.
To the Power of Three tells the story of Kat, Perri and Josie, childhood best friends. One June morning, one of the three brings a gun to school, shoots two of the girls (one fatally) and then herself. The novel then begins to unravel the story of what would have caused this horrible act of violence.
Lippman is an accomplished writer. In some ways, her work reminds me of Carol Goodman. Lippman’s characters were complicated and well drawn – even minor characters have interior lives, hopes and fears. We come to understand these three girls and share their bond through the years of their friendship, but we only come to understand what caused one of the girls to take such drastic measures at the novel’s conclusion.
For me, that was the novel’s weakness. The book’s over 400 pages long – too long, perhaps, for such a mediocre resolution. As a reader, we’ve invested a great deal in these characters (and their parents and peripheral friends) that it’s a let down to discover what actually happened on that fateful day – and why it happened. (After giving this more thought, I think the reason why the ending didn’t work for me is because it gives one of the characters a moral compass that – while not exactly coming out of nowhere – doesn’t seem earned either.)
To the Power of Three wasn’t a page-turner in the way that some mysteries are. Perhaps that balancing act is hard to achieve: literature and suspense; a well-written story that you speed through because you can’t bear not to know whodunit. For my money, no one manages that sort of book better than Thomas H. Cook. Still, Lippman’s skills are apparent and I’d certainly read her again. In fact, I have What the Dead Know waiting on my tbr shelf.
May 24, 2011
Lippman's freestanding novels are not your standard mysteries. (She has also written a series featuring a PI named Tess Monaghan, of which I've read part of one, that I'm not really interested in pursuing.) Yes, there's been a crime committed, and there usually are police involved, but her writing spends more time digging into the minds of the people involved, and looking at how their histories have led them to be connected to the crime in some way.
I remarked to a friend as I was reading this that it wasn't really grabbing me, and it never really did, not in that stay-up-all-night-to-finish way. Yet I couldn't put it down, and not because of my usual compulsion to finish a book no matter how dreadful. (e.g., the James Moore book I read recently, which I can't even justify donating to the library book sale. I don't think ANYONE should have to read it, it's that bad.)
The "Three" of the title are three girls, high school seniors, who met in third grade and have been virtually joined at the hip from then until about a year before the book opens. Before the first chapter closes, one of them is dead, one near death, and the third injured, in superficially straightforward circumstances that nonetheless raise the suspicions of the investigating officer. The story of their trio, what brought and kept them together and what tore them apart, set amid the petty politics found in any high school, is the larger mystery at the heart of the book.
I'm not prone to obsessively looking for clues as I read in order to determine "whodunnit" before the author takes me there, so I can't really say whether I could have figured it out if I'd been paying attention that way - I had a pretty good idea where we were headed, but the "reveal" tied up all those annoying loose ends very tidily. And no one lived happily ever after.
I remarked to a friend as I was reading this that it wasn't really grabbing me, and it never really did, not in that stay-up-all-night-to-finish way. Yet I couldn't put it down, and not because of my usual compulsion to finish a book no matter how dreadful. (e.g., the James Moore book I read recently, which I can't even justify donating to the library book sale. I don't think ANYONE should have to read it, it's that bad.)
The "Three" of the title are three girls, high school seniors, who met in third grade and have been virtually joined at the hip from then until about a year before the book opens. Before the first chapter closes, one of them is dead, one near death, and the third injured, in superficially straightforward circumstances that nonetheless raise the suspicions of the investigating officer. The story of their trio, what brought and kept them together and what tore them apart, set amid the petty politics found in any high school, is the larger mystery at the heart of the book.
I'm not prone to obsessively looking for clues as I read in order to determine "whodunnit" before the author takes me there, so I can't really say whether I could have figured it out if I'd been paying attention that way - I had a pretty good idea where we were headed, but the "reveal" tied up all those annoying loose ends very tidily. And no one lived happily ever after.
August 6, 2015
Laura Lippman's best, IMHO. This is about 3 girls who were BFF's over a period of 10 years in a section of Maryland that is high end mixed with old rural on the farther Northern reaches of Baltimore. It's excellent. It holds such deep character study that I have actually read this twice, about 10 years apart. Found it laying in a rental home's "take one, leave one" paperback trove. I left 3 and took this one.
With competition for college path and access being what they are, and with the emotive and crony slants of high school passage- I feel that this book is rather timely in 2015, as much as it was when it was written.
It truly is one of those criminal investigations that exposes and transpose far more than the crux natures of the principle players. It also through secondary characters like Peter and Alexa (the counselor)holds an incredible core of cognition for perceived ambition, goals, success. Lots to ponder upon this entire outplay. It would make a top notch book club pick/discussion.
Having read her series and most of her stand alone novels, this one is absolutely the closest hit to the bull's eye. As a parental observation, it may have more to parse for the generation who has experienced the full span of raising a daughter from an infant to full encompassing adulthood. I doubt most "understanding" of this novel, from some other reviewers. I note from the ratings that many younger people don't grab on this one- or fully grasp the depth of Kit's parents word count.
My rec for Laura Lippman "new" readers is this one. And I will read her remaining stand alone novels that I have missed in the intervening decade. She is one of the few remaining novelists who intrinsically understands vast repercussions for lives completely experienced within the service or lesser working classes of urban and rural America.
With competition for college path and access being what they are, and with the emotive and crony slants of high school passage- I feel that this book is rather timely in 2015, as much as it was when it was written.
It truly is one of those criminal investigations that exposes and transpose far more than the crux natures of the principle players. It also through secondary characters like Peter and Alexa (the counselor)holds an incredible core of cognition for perceived ambition, goals, success. Lots to ponder upon this entire outplay. It would make a top notch book club pick/discussion.
Having read her series and most of her stand alone novels, this one is absolutely the closest hit to the bull's eye. As a parental observation, it may have more to parse for the generation who has experienced the full span of raising a daughter from an infant to full encompassing adulthood. I doubt most "understanding" of this novel, from some other reviewers. I note from the ratings that many younger people don't grab on this one- or fully grasp the depth of Kit's parents word count.
My rec for Laura Lippman "new" readers is this one. And I will read her remaining stand alone novels that I have missed in the intervening decade. She is one of the few remaining novelists who intrinsically understands vast repercussions for lives completely experienced within the service or lesser working classes of urban and rural America.
January 22, 2021
This books revolves around a school shooting, the events that lead up to the shooting and the aftermath of it. This is some really heavy content. And while the multiple perspectives give this story a lot of dimension and understanding, I felt like it lacked weight.
I read her other books What the Dead Know and Every Secret Thing when they first came out. Both are solid 5 star reviews. Both are unsettling stories that I've thought back on many times since I read them 13 or so years ago. I can't get them out of my head. That's what I wanted from this one too, but didn't get.
It's still a great book and Lippman is a wonderful storytelling, but it's not a book I'm going to remember or ever want to read again.
I read her other books What the Dead Know and Every Secret Thing when they first came out. Both are solid 5 star reviews. Both are unsettling stories that I've thought back on many times since I read them 13 or so years ago. I can't get them out of my head. That's what I wanted from this one too, but didn't get.
It's still a great book and Lippman is a wonderful storytelling, but it's not a book I'm going to remember or ever want to read again.
January 5, 2015
Four and three-quarters stars-- one of Lippman's very best.
And not, in any way, a typical police procedural, thriller or cozy, which is probably why other reviewers didn't particularly care for this stand-alone.
Here's what I absolutely loved about this book: Lippman gets three things absolutely right-- young/teenage girls, schools and the way they work, and what life is like in a community of privilege, like the fictional Glendale. The things the girls say to each other, what they worry about, the things they deem important--important enough, it turns out, to kill.
I was enthralled by this book, beginning to end--even though Lippman left a few hanging threads. Having spent 30 years of my life working with teenage girls, in a community with some similarities to Glendale, I found all of it pitch perfect, utterly believable. And I didn't figure it out--or see the surprises coming.
And not, in any way, a typical police procedural, thriller or cozy, which is probably why other reviewers didn't particularly care for this stand-alone.
Here's what I absolutely loved about this book: Lippman gets three things absolutely right-- young/teenage girls, schools and the way they work, and what life is like in a community of privilege, like the fictional Glendale. The things the girls say to each other, what they worry about, the things they deem important--important enough, it turns out, to kill.
I was enthralled by this book, beginning to end--even though Lippman left a few hanging threads. Having spent 30 years of my life working with teenage girls, in a community with some similarities to Glendale, I found all of it pitch perfect, utterly believable. And I didn't figure it out--or see the surprises coming.
August 8, 2009
I am not usually hooked by mysteries, but this one had such an interesting premise -- an inexplicable shooting involving three girls, best friends, at a suburban highschool-- that I read on. But in the end I was disappointed. The solution seemed contrived, unrelated to the personalities of the characters -- a typical mystery writer's attempt to dig up the *least* likely explanation for an event (so the reader will not be able to guess at it). Lippman threw away a good opportunity here to explore the fairly dark world of contemporary teens.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2021
Начинается со школьной стрельбы ("стрельбы в школе", поправляет директриса), но это не классическая история про затравленного подростка, скорее про токсичную девичью дружбу и соперничество. Книга сильно выиграла бы от сокращения вдвое.
March 30, 2021
Maybe the story didn't move along fast enough for me, or maybe it was the dialogue that fell flat for me. Maybe it was because it was told it third person and not by the three girls that the story revolved around. Or it could have been that I had a hard time listening to someone who sounded like she was in her 50s, (she was 57 when she narrated the book), read the thoughts and words of 17 and 18 year old girls. Whatever it was, it just didn't work for me at all.
July 14, 2022
this cements the fact that i'm going to fall, and hard, for Laura Lippman. not touching her Tess Monaghan series yet besides an accidental foray with The Woman in the Some-Colored Raincoat I Forget. this, as a standalone, created such a convincing world, populated with so many realized characters. shifting the tone to match the character speaking but without giving up the consistent vibe of the narrator is such a skill, and is showcased here at the professional level. the twists were just twisty enough without feeling like the entire point of any revelation was SHOCK and AWE and GASPING like so much contemporary mystery twists feel to me. that being said, the final revelation did see a littttle bit of a let-down, just in terms of how the teenage drama itself played out. while it did weave some narrative elements together, it took a bit of the focus off of the core friendship itself, which i imagined would have some more-enlightening moment in its finale. especially because Lippman is so good at casually building up steam, i was ready for a full-out explosive ending when it felt more like a slight fizzle when it came to what actually happened in the bathroom with the titular three girls.
December 26, 2008
I've come upon yet another book set in my hometown of Baltimore, MD! This one mentions lots of places I know very well, so it makes the story more immediate.
Just finished the book...there are lots of things I love about Laura Lippman's writing, and I will definitely read more of her books, but as I have seen in many of the reviews, this is not her best work. The story started out like gangbusters, and I was very intrigued for about the first 1/3rd of the book, but then the story started to meander and my interest level decreased significantly. As the reader tries to make sense of a shooting of three high-school girls in one of the school bathrooms, clues are released a bit at a time and momentum builds, but then the whole thing starts to fall flat. The ending is a surprise, but it's anti-climactic and ultimately dissatisfying. The book is billed as a mystery, but I did not see enough of the necessary elements for it to fit in that category.
Still want to say "Hooray" for Baltimore's own Laura Lippman, however, ad that I plan to give some of her other books a try.
Just finished the book...there are lots of things I love about Laura Lippman's writing, and I will definitely read more of her books, but as I have seen in many of the reviews, this is not her best work. The story started out like gangbusters, and I was very intrigued for about the first 1/3rd of the book, but then the story started to meander and my interest level decreased significantly. As the reader tries to make sense of a shooting of three high-school girls in one of the school bathrooms, clues are released a bit at a time and momentum builds, but then the whole thing starts to fall flat. The ending is a surprise, but it's anti-climactic and ultimately dissatisfying. The book is billed as a mystery, but I did not see enough of the necessary elements for it to fit in that category.
Still want to say "Hooray" for Baltimore's own Laura Lippman, however, ad that I plan to give some of her other books a try.
August 20, 2008
Simply exhilarating! Laura Lippman’s To the Power of Three kept me on the edge of my seat. It takes a special book for me to want to “cheat” and sneak a look at the ending. I am never one for much self-control so I must admit, I looked. ) But I still read the whole book. At some points I thought the story was a little disjointed with it flashing back to the girls past. And admittedly, those parts didn’t keep my interest as well as the present. Lippman does an excellent job of getting into the high school girls’ heads. It’s all very believable and some parts had me a little choked up.
To the Power of Three isn’t a traditional mystery where the reader can figure out the who, what, where and why. She crafts it so well that while you know the who, you can’t begin to guess the road that led to Perri, Josie and Kat’s fateful meeting in the girls’ restroom. I can’t wait to read What the Dead Know!
To the Power of Three isn’t a traditional mystery where the reader can figure out the who, what, where and why. She crafts it so well that while you know the who, you can’t begin to guess the road that led to Perri, Josie and Kat’s fateful meeting in the girls’ restroom. I can’t wait to read What the Dead Know!
January 11, 2014
I would go 2.5 stars, but can't quite bring myself to 3....I wanted to like this, and I almost liked this.
Decent little story about a school shooting, and the mysterious way things went down inside of a girls bathroom. The survivors testimony just not line up with clues. The rest of the book gradually details the way 3 young ladies (hence the title) developed a great friendship from the age of 8, and then flipping back and forth to add new characters, dimensions and unravel the mystery.
This book started rather nicely and quickly, and then soon became...well, let me just slow and uneventful....and then picked up steam for a quicker paced ending. The ending just didn't connect for me...The lengths which someone would go to...well, never mind. I do think this would have made a great short story if some of the...well, never mind.
While I would not really recommend this book to anyone, I wouldn't discourage you from reading it either.
Decent little story about a school shooting, and the mysterious way things went down inside of a girls bathroom. The survivors testimony just not line up with clues. The rest of the book gradually details the way 3 young ladies (hence the title) developed a great friendship from the age of 8, and then flipping back and forth to add new characters, dimensions and unravel the mystery.
This book started rather nicely and quickly, and then soon became...well, let me just slow and uneventful....and then picked up steam for a quicker paced ending. The ending just didn't connect for me...The lengths which someone would go to...well, never mind. I do think this would have made a great short story if some of the...well, never mind.
While I would not really recommend this book to anyone, I wouldn't discourage you from reading it either.
November 22, 2015
This is maybe my favorite of her books. It's incredibly suspenseful and probably one of the best of her standalones to start with, if you haven't read her before. (Although I also love her Tess Monaghan series and honestly, all her standalones are excellent.)
June 19, 2012
Too long, not a bad story, horribly weak ending
August 15, 2017
Finished in less than 24 hours
June 8, 2019
Just ok, not a real page turner.
March 18, 2019
I had finished another audiobook early and was looking for something else to download quickly, as I don't like to be without a book on my commute. When I spotted this, I grabbed it, as I learned long ago that one can't go wrong with a Laura Lippman story. Set in the Baltimore suburbs, Lippman explores friendship, greed, teenage and adult angst, violence, and overachievement surrounding, and contributing to, the central mystery. Most school shooting stories center on boys as the perpetrators; it was refreshing (though no less horrifying) to see one involving girls, who are just as capable of making big statements. It's also a cautionary tale to parents who are tempted to pursue their own grudges through their children.
Comment on the audiobook edition only: The piano interludes were quite unnecessary, and at least one point startling.
Comment on the audiobook edition only: The piano interludes were quite unnecessary, and at least one point startling.
June 24, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this. Had to finish the last bit while walking because the train stopped but I couldn't stop. I have some questions about the ending, you know, little things that bothered me, things I can't really ask without spoiling it, but, I don't mind so much- the journey to get there was so consuming.
January 10, 2018
I liked this one also, not as well as some of the authors other books but it kept me going!
June 2, 2018
Billed as an addicting and chilling page turner it did not disappoint.
Three girls are shot in a school bathroom before school. one is dead, one is in critical condition and one has minor injuries.
For the Police something doesn't quite add up. How and why did three close friends end up in the bathroom shot? What led to this point?
Three girls are shot in a school bathroom before school. one is dead, one is in critical condition and one has minor injuries.
For the Police something doesn't quite add up. How and why did three close friends end up in the bathroom shot? What led to this point?
August 9, 2019
I struggled to finish this book only to be disappointed by how the darn thing ended. Are...you...kidding..me?
I’m in the minority it seems based on the ratings, usually I devour Laura Lippman’s books.
On to the next book!
I’m in the minority it seems based on the ratings, usually I devour Laura Lippman’s books.
On to the next book!
September 10, 2019
This is the first Laura Lippman book I have read. I picked it up because I saw a review of a new book by her, and I thought I’d try one of her older books before competing with other library patrons for the new one. This is a mystery with a olot of suspense, but it’s not the Grisham-style who-dun-it. Instead, it’s much more psychological. This story revolves around three teenage girls, and the backstory takes the threesome back to the age of eight. I found Lippman’s portrayal of the psyches of teenage girls frighteningly on target, with many of the recent fads and language incorporated into the story. I liked the mystery, but the denouement went on far too long for my taste. At the same time, if I remember that this is about psychology, then perhaps it’s right on target. It’s just that once I had the solution to the puzzle, I was ready to move on – and the author wasn’t. Just the same, I’ll try another of her books in the future to see how she is when perhaps not writing about teenage girls.
One more comment: the competition for SAT scores and college admissions that the author touches on is really injurious. There is no mystery there!
One more comment: the competition for SAT scores and college admissions that the author touches on is really injurious. There is no mystery there!
August 1, 2024
I read this book about a month ago so I’m obviously late in posting a review. I waver between thinking this is good or bad, no matter what the book, (unless you’ve read it a thousand times) it is easy to forget details of said novel; but on the other hand it could be a testament to how well you liked the book. If I were to use this thesis, it would be lukewarm at best. I remember liking the book while reading it but when I look back I remember some strange situations
First the “popular beauty” Kat was involved with a drinking and driving incident in which a group of boys died and through her actions basically caused their deaths. This was very vaguely mentioned in the book and later became a critical pinnacle of the girl’s shooting and ended up flipping back to see what the hell they were talking about. Secondly, there was a wanna-be friend of the three girls who was reminiscent Stephan King’s Carrie who lived on a hog farm (remember the pig’s blood anyone?) Another pointless interaction, despite her prominent role in the killings. The last pointless bullet point is Kat’s boyfriend trespassing with deadly consequences; this I had to reread too as it was so stupid and yes, pointless. It seems I have only talked about the popular beauty but what about Perri and Josie, the athlete and drama queen? They are there but only peripheral and to me felt they just blended into the scenery, even though they were in the bathroom too. But lets face who do we really remember in high school? The Prom King and Queen and the Martyrs.
First the “popular beauty” Kat was involved with a drinking and driving incident in which a group of boys died and through her actions basically caused their deaths. This was very vaguely mentioned in the book and later became a critical pinnacle of the girl’s shooting and ended up flipping back to see what the hell they were talking about. Secondly, there was a wanna-be friend of the three girls who was reminiscent Stephan King’s Carrie who lived on a hog farm (remember the pig’s blood anyone?) Another pointless interaction, despite her prominent role in the killings. The last pointless bullet point is Kat’s boyfriend trespassing with deadly consequences; this I had to reread too as it was so stupid and yes, pointless. It seems I have only talked about the popular beauty but what about Perri and Josie, the athlete and drama queen? They are there but only peripheral and to me felt they just blended into the scenery, even though they were in the bathroom too. But lets face who do we really remember in high school? The Prom King and Queen and the Martyrs.
January 15, 2016
For whatever reason I put this one down for several years. But as far as I can see it has turned out to be yet another outstanding tale from Laura Lippman.
This one was a standalone. She does use a couple of recurring characters, that I know I have seen in other standalones of hers, and possibly in her Tess Monaghan series.
This involves a close friendship of three girls since at least third grade. Two of them had been friends since they were five. And as they get close to graduating high school and going their separate ways there is a falling out between two of them. It surprised me that they hadn't had falling outs earlier. I think that's how threesome friendships work. I know that in my childhood friendship with two neighborhood girls someone was always being shut out in the cold. We each took our turns at it. And for varying reasons. But thank goodness ours never led to gunplay.
Because I had put this book down for so long I was wondering for a long time if I had missed the solution. I didn't. The solution came in the usual place - at the end. And it was kind of a surprising solution. At least to me.
This one was a standalone. She does use a couple of recurring characters, that I know I have seen in other standalones of hers, and possibly in her Tess Monaghan series.
This involves a close friendship of three girls since at least third grade. Two of them had been friends since they were five. And as they get close to graduating high school and going their separate ways there is a falling out between two of them. It surprised me that they hadn't had falling outs earlier. I think that's how threesome friendships work. I know that in my childhood friendship with two neighborhood girls someone was always being shut out in the cold. We each took our turns at it. And for varying reasons. But thank goodness ours never led to gunplay.
Because I had put this book down for so long I was wondering for a long time if I had missed the solution. I didn't. The solution came in the usual place - at the end. And it was kind of a surprising solution. At least to me.
January 5, 2010
Book was ok, but anti-climatic in the end. Listened to it on discs in the car, which was difficult because the point of view changed so often. I found myself listening to sections over and over to try and figure out who was speaking and wanted to flip the "pages" to re-read something. So if you are going to read it, choose the paper version, not the audio. Agree with other reviewers that it was too long. Felt like the writer realized that she was 500 pages and so needed to end it, fast. Also, I personally didn't like knowing the ending at the beginning, i.e. we know that one of the girls dies by the hand of one of the others. You find out fairly quickly who dies and who the shooter was, so the only mystery is WHY. I did have a fondest for the girls and wanted a different ending, but, of course, there couldn't be a different ending because we already know who lived and who died. Would have been a much better book if it had all been a mystery until the end. Personally, I wouldn't have mentioned the shooting until the climax, but, at the least, the identities should have been kept secret.
July 12, 2009
i like laura lippman a lot, and i thought "to the power of three" was another tess adventure. turns out it wasn't but no matter. i love how lippman weaves multiple story lines to a single point. she's a brilliant writer and i'm amazed at how she is able to write from the point of view of SO many characters. it was hard to put this book down, and i could hardly wait to pick it up again. it starts with a school shooting, with what appears to be a clear cut murder scenario, but the easy answer isn't satisfying to the detective assigned to the case. nor is lippman interested in the easy answer. there's plenty of commentary here about society and teenagers and love and hate and the emotional bonds between families.
i read this book in a week, that's how highly i can recommend it. i NEVER read a book in a week anymore!
i read this book in a week, that's how highly i can recommend it. i NEVER read a book in a week anymore!
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