To the Power of Three

I've read several Laura Lippman books and this story just did not have the depth or suspense she is so great at. I think maybe high school level kids might enjoy it though. The story just drags on and on not making much headway on how the school shooting plays out until you reach page 390 and in five pages you have the essence of the entire book. Those few pages will answer all your questions.

I usually never read books classified as mysteries but i'm so glad i read this one...i stayed up until 4 am reading it last night. it's one of those books that you start casting as a movie as you're reading it...it's an exceptional view of the suburban teenage experience..realisitic and heartbreaking. i might have to read it all over again!

This was an absorbing and powerful book, beautifuly written. It's not a mystery per se, and certainly not a procedural, but the underlying question - what happened and why - was powerful enough to pull me in and carry me along. But more than that, the character insights along the way make this book rise above the norm. It's probably one of the best books I've read in a long time.

One does not simply read Laura Lippman's "To the Power of Three"...one becomes immersed in it. Told from multiple points of view, it is in fact a character driven novel. The secondary characters are just as vivid and infused with distinct personalities and back stories as those in the lead roles. Three suburban high school seniors (inseparable since third grade) are involved in a shooting in a locked girl's restroom...one dead, one in a coma and one shot in the foot. What precisely did go down in the restroom? Who in fact pulled the trigger? Homicide Sergeant Harold Lendardt and partner Kevin Infante come across inconsistencies between the crime scene and account given by the coherent survivor. The setting in the upscale development of Glendale is illusory, but the way the "event" affects the entire community is all too authentic. Everyone is so fully realized, it is effortless to picture the novel as nonfiction. They all resonate with authenticity. And, the plot is crisp, suspenseful, taut and moves along in a calculated rhythm. The reader is enticed to learn more about all the players...and care about them. "To the Power of Three" hooks you from start to finish.

Since they were in third grade Kat Hartigan, Josie Patel and Perri Kahn were the best of friends doing everything together and letting nobody in their magic circle. Josie was the follower glad that she had these two friends; everyone loved Kat and was willing to do whatever she wanted and Peri lived her life by her own principles. They were inseparable until their last year in high school when it became obvious that Perri snubbed Kat. One day the three girls met in the bathroom and by the time their encounter ended, Kat was dead, Perri was injured and lapsed into a coma, Josie was shot in the foot. Josie tells police that Perri brought the gun to school and killed Kat and shot her when she tried to take the gun away from her and then shot herself. The students, teachers and the town are affected by the tragedy but the police assigned to the case don't believe Josie is telling all she knows because the evidence doesn't quite match the story. With Kat dead and Perri near death, only Josie knows the truth and she isn't talking. Laura Lippman's latest work is exceptional not only because it is a fantastic crime thriller told from the viewpoints of the surviving victim, the police, and the parents of the three seniors but because she makes a strong case for responsible gun control. The whole tragedy could have been averted if the owner of the gun showed some responsibility with a teenager in the house. Believable characters starring in a conceivable scenario make TO THE POWER OF THREE a powerful reading experience. Harriet Klausner

This is one of the must reads of 2005. Lippman's powerful characterizations of three high school girls in a well heeled Baltimore suburb are completely gripping. By alternating between various points of view, Lippman is able to give the reader a completely dimensional view of all the characters and why the school shooting that begins the book happened the way it did. The shooting is the beginning and the novel works backwards, tracing the girls friendship and development from 3rd grade through high school, as well as documenting their complete social enviornment. This book is written with such exqusite perception that I could have read on for 800 pages rather than the 400 provided, but for the student of human nature this is not to be missed. Oh yeah, it also has a great story.