Book Review: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars) by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

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.

In Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas has created a groundbreaking female detective who’s part Phillip Marlowe, part Nancy Drew, and all snark. With its sharp plot and clever twists, The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Best Bits: This month has made my little fangirl heart sing with joy. Not only did we get a movie, but we also get a book that picks up right where it left off. I'll spare you that recap, and instead say that the book was the perfect way for readers to see more of Neptune. Side-characters make more appearances, particularly Wallace and Mac (who, let's be real, were my favorites). Despite the time between the end of the show and the movie these relationships haven't faded. I appreciated that Veronica could pick back up where she left off with them. Personally, I'm also hoping for a bit more Weevil in the next one. His story hasn't wrapped up...so I've got hope!

What made this book work was the set-up. The book gives us a new mystery, and is akin to a long episode. We're given a missing girls, the idiot sheriff who fails at everything, and Veronica jumping into it. Veronica definitely hasn't learned much about avoiding danger (see Seasons 1-3, basically every episode). It always put me on edge during the show, and the book was no different. If I had been watching on-screen I probably would have been peeking through my fingers. The girl gets herself into trouble. Age has seemed to change her just a bit, though. She doesn't recover the same way, and it seems to hit her how much she puts herself in harm's way.It's nice because everyone else has seen that, she just never really accepted it.

Nit Picks: As someone who has watched Veronica Mars (even the third season) a couple different times, I feel pretty confident when I say that the book took a little while to find it's voice. Once the mystery picked up (and it was less of a summary of the movie) it fell into place. The snarky voice of Veronica was back. I also know that some people have been thrown off that the book isn't written in first-person. Quite honestly, I didn't really notice. So, I'm going to chalk that one up to personal preference.

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars 1)
By Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
Published by Vintage
324 Pages

 

Stacking the Shelves (March 29)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews! It's a way to highlight the books that everyone got throughout the week.

Purchased:

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

From Rob Thomas, the creator of the television series and movie phenomenon Veronica Mars, comes the first book in a thrilling mystery series that picks up where the feature film left off.

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.



For Review:

The Shadow Prince (Into the Dark #1) by Bree Despain

Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.

Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High’s prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father’s mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn’t the only student in Olympus who doesn’t quite belong.

Haden and Daphne—destined for each other—know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails. As war between the gods brews, the teenagers’ lives collide. But Daphne won’t be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended—he’s fallen in love. Now to save themselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds.

 Published by EgmontUSA

The Body in the Woods by April Henry

In this new series told from multiple perspectives, teen members of a search and rescue team discover a dead body in the woods.

Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own.

This first book in April Henry’s Point Last Seen YA mystery series is full of riveting suspense, putting readers in the middle of harrowing rescues and crime scene investigations.

Published by Henry Holt and Co. 
Release Date: June 17, 2014

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assasin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

Published by Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: July 15, 2014




I've also apparently never shared a photo of my cat, Zeus (gasp!). He may look cute and cuddly at first, but he may be a zombie...