i like laura lippman a lot, and i thought "to the power of three" was another tess adventure. turns out it wasn't but no matter. i love how lippman weaves multiple story lines to a single point. she's a brilliant writer and i'm amazed at how she is able to write from the point of view of SO many characters. it was hard to put this book down, and i could hardly wait to pick it up again. it starts with a school shooting, with what appears to be a clear cut murder scenario, but the easy answer isn't satisfying to the detective assigned to the case. nor is lippman interested in the easy answer. there's plenty of commentary here about society and teenagers and love and hate and the emotional bonds between families. i read this book in a week, that's how highly i can recommend it. i NEVER read a book in a week anymore!