The Power of Three - Laura Lippman

A murder in the girls bathroom of Glendale high school is what this novel revolves around. We see how the friendship of three little girls was built, deteriorated and ultimately, destroyed. Kat Hartigan, the golden girl, had ended up dead. According to Josie Patel, she was shot by their mutual friend, Perri Kahn. 
Whilst there are the usual twists and turns common in crime fiction, there isn't too much more I can say without giving the ending away.

The story is told by a multitude of characters, so we are given a wide scope of what is going on throughout the novel. At times, a little confusing, making the connection between when in time we are (Lippman goes back and forth between past and present day), what is going on, and who is talking. However, we are not restricted of information which makes a change from a lot of crime novels, where other characters know what is going on and we, the reader, do not. 
Essentially, Josie Patel, Dale Hartigan, Detective Lenhardt, Eve Muhly, and Alexa Cunningham, all tell significant parts of the story - as well as a few other characters telling the odd chapter. 
Josie Patel is one of the three girls involved in the shooting, and the only one who can talk, so we are hearing her account of the story, one which doesn't quite stack up. Her character was hard to relate to, perhaps because she was a high schooler, perhaps because she was a suspect, all in all, I found her telling of the girls' history to be bland, and thus I was unable to connect with her.  Similarly, Dale Hartigan, Kat's father, seemed to be a rather hollow character and one who didn't add much to the story in his accounts. Whilst his sorrow over his daughter's death was sad, it wasn't heartbreaking. Unfortunately, I felt much the same about Alexa Cunningham, a psychologist who studied teenage culture and had been assigned at the school to help girls understand the power of words. I simply couldn't see the purpose of her character, nor did she particularly connect with the reader. Detective Lenhardt and Eve Muhly however, were both interesting and dynamic characters who moved the plot along and enhanced the depth of the story. They were both vivid and unique, with traits that made them human.

In terms of theme, as a murder mystery, the issue of solving the case was forefront in my mind as a reader. There were some interesting aspects of teenage dynamics, especially those of teenage girls, but nothing that really drew focus from the plot. I felt it looked at the fallout of a tragedy of a school shooting in a well rounded way, and with the hindsight of other real-life events to draw on. The technique of multiple voices to tell the story meant that victim, classmate, parent and faculty were all included in our scope. 
Friendship and morality are key elements to the story, mainly the fragility or the strength of friendship, depending on how you read the novel, and the warped morality of teenagers. Gossip plays an important role, in how words can be warped or misconstrued, and how destructive this can be. Essentially it is not directly words that damages the friendship of the three girls. However, the way in which words can be a tool to get what you want, or a useful weapon, are clearly shown. 

Overall, there were were definitely flaws in this novel. One of the big things that drove me crazy personally, was that the girl killed, Kat Hartigan, was allegedly 'adored' by everyone, as Lippman almost excessively wrote, but she simply came across as achingly banal. Furthermore, the ending and the big reveal fell a little flat. Whilst there is a twist that I hadn't quite foreseen, it seems as if here Lippman loses her insight into teenage girls, actually making them seem more stupid than they are. The motivation behind the reveal also seems a little thin.
Having said that, I didn't dislike reading this novel. It moves at a fast pace, and I read it within two days, the cliffhanger keeping me reading to the reveal. I can't say I would read it again, but it works as a quick and engaging read, perhaps a holiday book or some in-flight entertainment.