To the Power of Three begins on the night a girl writes a letter and
packs a gun in her bag. Within pages, the gun has been fired and the community
is reeling from a shooting that’s claimed the life of a popular
girl, left another critically injured and a third wounded.
Laura Lippman expertly introduces other threads, some from decades earlier,
some only weeks before the incident. As a reader you seem to circle the
event, seeing if from every angle. You move forward as the investigation
unfolds and then travel back to see pieces of the past. Bit by bit, the
story comes together to create a picture, revealing the truth about what
happened and, most importantly, why. The method of weaving the storylines
together to tell Three demonstrates Laura Lippman’s exceptional
talent as a writer and helps create a poignant tale that lingers with
you long after you’ve read the last page.
This book doesn’t shy away from looking at the subtle and overt
ways children are pressured - both by their peers and their parents -
to achieve status, to be accepted, to realize the dreams their parents
were unable to fulfill. I felt as though I knew these girls, they were
so like the students I once shared classrooms with. Three has a timeless
quality because it centers on relationships and roles, what it means to
be a daughter, a father, a son, a child, a student, a friend. Beautifully
written, heart wrenching and thought-provoking, This is a powerful story,
haunting you with the realization that no matter how good your intentions,
any decision might have devastating consequences.
For more information about Laura Lippman, visit her website
http://www.lauralippman.com/
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Based on bio from 2005 National Book Festival
Laura Lippman began her writing life as a newspaper reporter in Texas
before coming to Baltimore where she was a newspaper reporter for
The Sun for 12 years. Her first novel, Baltimore Blues, introduced us to
PI Tess Monaghan. Subsequent novels in that series have won every
major mystery award, including the Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, Nero Wolfe,
and Shamus awards and In a Strange City was named a New York Times
Notable Book of the Year. Her most recent book is To The Power of Three.
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