To the power of three. #9
(Book)

Lippman has won just about every mystery award out there: the Anthony, Edgar, Shamus, Agatha, and Nero. Her latest, a stand-alone mystery, is somewhat disappointing. The suspense is watered down considerably by the novel's unnecessary length of more than 400 pages. And the story, dependent for much of its punch on forensic evidence, is woefully inaccurate about evidence collection and preservation; for example, blood at the scene of the crime is stored in plastic bags, a serious error that would allow micro-organisms to destroy any DNA evidence. This is a long, long exploration of a school shooting that affects three girls found in a bathroom. One is dead, one critically injured, and one minimally wounded and uncooperative with police. The homicide sergeant investigating the case delves into the world of high-school rivalries to come up with a motive, and the book derails from mystery into pop sociology. For Lippman fans only. --Connie Fletcher Copyright 2005 Booklist

Kat, Josie, and Perri have been best friends since childhood, so everyone at their high school is shocked when they are involved in an early-morning shooting in the girls' restroom. One is left dead, another is in critical condition, and the third is telling a tale inconsistent with the evidence. Detective Harold Lenhardt thinks this should be an open-and-shut case-until he tries to figure out what dark secret was powerful enough to jeopardize the girls' loyalty to one other and to what lengths the remaining girl will go to keep the truth hidden. In swift prose, Lippman (By a Spider's Thread) builds believable characters and palpable suspense. With flashbacks and a shifting perspective revealing layer after layer of deceit and manipulation, however, the conclusion feels a little anticlimactic. Still, fans of suspense fiction won't be disappointed with this solid addition to the genre. Suitable for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/05.]-Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A murder-suicide that rocks a Baltimore suburb may not be what it seems. Thornton Hartigan built Glendale from the ground up, buying farmland and replacing fields with houses bought by families who wanted an easy commute to Baltimore, but with better schools. Now only the Snyder and Muhly places are left, and farmgirls Binnie Snyder and Eve Muhly struggle to fit in with the Banana Republic-clad divas of Glendale High. At the top of the social ladder stand Perri Kahn, a serious drama student whose parents don't even own a TV; Josie Patel, who loves acrobatics so much that she's a cheerleader, even though she doesn't know or care which team won-won-won; and Kat Hartigan, daughter of Thornton's son Dale, who's nice to everyone in spite of being first in her class and prom queen. When gunshots ring out in a locked girls' room, leaving Kat dead, Josie injured and Perri comatose, most assume the violence resulted from jealousy among the three inseparables. But Baltimore County detectives Lenhardt and Infante find that Josie's story just doesn't fit the physical evidence, and soon Dale Hartigan, still enmeshed in his own triangle with Chloe, his ex, and his girlfriend Susannah Goode, strikes out on his own to find the truth about Kat's death. This newest stand-alone from Lippman (Every Secret Thing, 2003, etc.) takes a searching look at the implosion of the American dream into every parent's worst nightmare. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Lippman has won just about every mystery award out there: the Anthony, Edgar, Shamus, Agatha, and Nero. Her latest, a stand-alone mystery, is somewhat disappointing. The suspense is watered down considerably by the novel's unnecessary length of more than 400 pages. And the story, dependent for much of its punch on forensic evidence, is woefully inaccurate about evidence collection and preservation; for example, blood at the scene of the crime is stored in plastic bags, a serious error that would allow micro-organisms to destroy any DNA evidence. This is a long, long exploration of a school shooting that affects three girls found in a bathroom. One is dead, one critically injured, and one minimally wounded and uncooperative with police. The homicide sergeant investigating the case delves into the world of high-school rivalries to come up with a motive, and the book derails from mystery into pop sociology. For Lippman fans only. ((Reviewed May 1, 2005)) Copyright 2005 Booklist Reviews.

A locked high school toilet reveals three shot girls, a story that doesn't pan out, and clues of a fourth witness in this "realistic" crime thriller. Lippman lives in Baltimore and recently received the city's first Mayor's Prize for Literary Excellence. With a ten-city tour. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

When the friendship among three teenaged girls implodes, leaving one dead and one critically injured, the police have to sort through the pack of lies the third is sending their way. With a ten-city tour. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kat, Josie, and Perri have been best friends since childhood, so everyone at their high school is shocked when they are involved in an early-morning shooting in the girls' restroom. One is left dead, another is in critical condition, and the third is telling a tale inconsistent with the evidence. Detective Harold Lenhardt thinks this should be an open-and-shut case-until he tries to figure out what dark secret was powerful enough to jeopardize the girls' loyalty to one other and to what lengths the remaining girl will go to keep the truth hidden. In swift prose, Lippman (By a Spider's Thread) builds believable characters and palpable suspense. With flashbacks and a shifting perspective revealing layer after layer of deceit and manipulation, however, the conclusion feels a little anticlimactic. Still, fans of suspense fiction won't be disappointed with this solid addition to the genre. Suitable for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/05.]-Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.