I received both Veronica Mars books; A Thousand-Dollar Tan Line and Mr Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham from, Allen and Unwin. This has in way no influenced my review.
A Thousand-Dollar Tan Line
Pages: 324 (paperback)
Publish date: November 20th 2014
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
ISBN: 9781760112363
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU
Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She’s traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.
Now it’s spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is no simple missing person’s case; the house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica’s past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined.
A Thousand Dollar Tan Line:
I only watch the Veronica Mars Series when the movie came out so I am still pretty new to the fandom. When the series started, I was still quite young, so I was able to watch it while it was on TV. But when my mum hired the movie from the DVD shop and knew I had to start the series.
So a few weeks later my mum brought all 3 series and the whole family started on a binge watch. We pretty much watch the whole series in less than 2 weeks. I fell in love, so when I saw that there was going to be books I need them and let me tell you I was not disappointed.
If you have watched the series and movie you know that Veronica Mars isn’t Veronica Mars without her snarky attitude and she is always on the path of getting, herself into trouble.
While reading A Thousand Dollar Tan Line Veronica’s voice was bright and vibrant. It was all there. As I was reading I could picture Kristen Bell as Veronica all in my head. As I read each word bam I could picture the scene and the characters.
That could be said it is happening because of the series, and due to the fact that we already have the faces of these characters, but it wasn’t. It was the beautiful and clever writing style that brought the book to life. Both Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham are brilliant writers and added so much more depth to the story.
There are some massive surprises in A Thousand Dollar Tan Line. Some that left my mouth hanging and it wasn’t even the crime that was committed.
This all happens a few months after the events of the movie. So we are still seeing some old characters like, Mac and Wallace. Whom I love to death. As well as some surprising, but welcoming guests.
And Veronica’s investigating is just as dangerous and heart straining as it on TV. But that it what made it so good.
Though through all these it wasn’t as good as the series or the movie but it comes pretty close.
Mr Kiss and Tell
Pages: 330
Publish date: January 20th 2015
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
ISBN: 080417072X
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU
The Neptune Grand has always been the seaside town’s ritziest hotel, despite the shady dealings and high-profile scandals that seem to follow its elite guests. When a woman claims that she was brutally assaulted in one of its rooms and left for dead by a staff member, the owners know that they have a potential powder keg on their hands. They turn to Veronica to disprove—or prove—the woman’s story.
The case is a complicated mix of hard facts, mysterious occurrences, and uncooperative witnesses. The hotel refuses to turn over its reservation list and the victim won’t divulge who she was meeting that night. Add in the facts that the attack happened months ago, the victim’s memory is fuzzy, and there are holes in the hotel’s surveillance system, and Veronica has a convoluted mess on her hands. As she works to fill in the missing pieces, it becomes clear that someone is lying—but who? And why?
Mr Kiss and Tell:
First things first, we get to see more Logan! We see him for about maybe 20 pages in the first book, but he pops up so much more in Mr Kiss and Tell and I loved it.
What Veronica is investigating in Mr Kiss and Tell. Wow just wow. I could not put the book down at all. I turned page after page. (Mind you, I had to get up early for work the next day) But I just could not stop reading.
The writing was of higher-quality, the story line was even more interesting. I don’t even know how that could happen, but it did.
Both Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham are excellent writers and like in the first book capture the voice of Veronica spot on. From her hand gestures to what she is going to do next. It was easy to envision and piece together everything that was happening. We see some very familiar faces throughout the book and some, very unexpected faces.
It would not be Veronica Mars without any relationship problems, but not what you think more of Veronica having to come to terms with Logan imperilling his life every day. Not realising that she does the exact same thing every day of her life.
Something that I hated was that a wedge was put between Weevil and Veronica. Weevil is one of my favourite characters and yes, he might be irresponsible and part of a motorbike gang. But he was always there for Veronica and I hated that a wedge was created for no good reason. Also Weevil needs a happy ending.
The one thing that I treasured about the series, movie and now the books is that there is one responsible parent. That not only, adores and cares for Veronica but will stand up for her, and what she believes in. Keith Mars is an amazing parent that I just love and adore. And who cannot. He is amazing on the TV and Big Screen but he is just as amazing in the books. It’s nice for once seeing a good parental figure.
I liked this one more than the first, but not by much. The one thing I adored about Mr Kiss and Tell is that we got more information on some characters that we all love. Or at least I know I do.
Do you love Veronica Mars? Have you read the books yet? What do you think?
