To the Power of Three (edition 2006)

by Laura Lippman

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716	23	31,695	(3.53)	22
"Powerful....A gripping tale that is a mystery only in the same sense as To Kill a Mockingbird was....Brilliant, insightful, moving." --Chicago Sun-Times 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… (more)

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Member:	librarians_librarian
Title:	To the Power of Three
Authors:	Laura Lippman
Info:	Avon (2006), Mass Market Paperback, 448 pages
Collections:	Your library
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To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman

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Showing 1-5 of 22 (next | show all)

Much as I enjoy Lippman's Tess Monaghan series, I like her non-series books more. They tend to be more complex psychologically, and seriously unpredictable. And so is the case here.

Three girls. Perri and Kat met in kindergarten, and Josie joined them in third grade. The three became a set, all the way into high school. Until they didn't. For some reason a separation happened among the girls, some distance was created. It was unclear why. Then the unthinkable happened. One of the girls brings a gun to school. One girl ends up dead, another critically wounded, a third shot in the foot. But what really happened?

The story winds its way through the history of the girls, the story of another girl, the tragic tale of a car accident, and the interest of the guidance counselor. The detective on the case feels it isn't a simple murder-suicide case, as it appears to be, so he bides his time, carefully questioning the last girl and digging through their lives.

Enjoyable and absorbing. I like a book that makes me think about what goes on in characters' heads. (

)

slojudy | Sep 8, 2020 |

Being a Laura Lippman book, this was a let down. Still very much readable, especially if you are bored. But, not up to her usual great writing. To me, it felt a bit slow through out the entire story. Then, the ending was not what I expected. To be honest, I expected something more than what it was. (

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LadyRakat | Mar 25, 2019 |

Synopsis: Three girls meet in elementary school and remain good friends through high school. In their senior year, one kills another and shoots the third in the foot - or was that what really happened?
Review: This really looks at interactions among girls and their friends and rivals. It also pulls in girls trying hard to pleases their parents. (

)

DrLed | Jul 7, 2017 |

Perri, Josie and Kat have been best friends since third grade. Shortly before high school graduation one of them brings a gun to school and one girl is killed, another fatally wounded and the third shot in the foot. This sounded like it could be interesting but it really dragged. The author gives us way too much detail about random characters, some of whom seem to have no real relevance to the main story. It seemed to take forever for the "big revelation" to come and when it did it wasn't very shoking. (

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RachelNF | Jan 15, 2016 |

Love Laura Lippman. High school group of thee girls, one girl brings a gun shoots Cat Hartigan dead and figure out the rest. A bit slow. (

)

GJbean | Jul 29, 2010 |

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▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Anthony Award (Nominee – Novel – 2006)

Gumshoe Award (Winner – Mystery – 2006)

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To the Power of Three

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People/Characters

Harold Lenhardt (Sergeant)

Kevin Infante (Detective)

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Glendale, Maryland, USA

Maryland, USA

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

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Wikipedia in English (1)

Laura Lippman

▾Book descriptions

"Powerful....A gripping tale that is a mystery only in the same sense as To Kill a Mockingbird was....Brilliant, insightful, moving." --Chicago Sun-Times 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

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