To the Power of Three
This is probably the third or fourth book I’ve read by Laura Lippman, and you’d think I would have noticed a pattern by now.
Summary (from back cover):
Josie, Perri, and Kat have been inseparable best friends since third grade—the athlete, the brilliant, acerbic drama queen, and the popular beauty with a heart that is open to all around her. They live in an affluent suburb of Baltimore and enjoy privileges many teenagers are denied.
But on the final day of school, one of them brings a gun with her. And when the police break down the door of the high school girls’ bathroom, locked from the inside, they find two of the friends wounded, one of them critically—and the third girl is dead.
My Thoughts:
Like other suspense novels, To the Power of Three begins with the crime and attempts to bring the story full circle. Unfortunately, this novel never manages to stay on track. As storylines are pulled in different directions, the conclusion ends up being odd and unbelievable.
One of the main issues that I had with this novel was the number of characters introduced throughout the story. Even though I read this book in just a few days, I still couldn’t keep track of who everyone was or why they were important. It felt like the story was being padded to seem more complex, which was unnecessary.
I can understand how someone would see Lippman’s writing as creative and different, yet I keep struggling to enjoy her books. Therefore, I would not recommend this novel.
My Rating: D
