Review: To the Power of Three

To the Power of Three
by Laura Lippman
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date July 31, 2012
Source: Library
Genres: Mystery
Goodreads

“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

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.