Written by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
SUMMARY:
Released in 2014 by Vintage Books, Veronica Mars series creator Rob Thomas teams up with author Jennifer Graham to concoct an immediate 324-page sequel to the Kickstarter-funded feature film.
Set a few months later, 28-year old Veronica has resettled in Neptune, California, as her father, Keith, recuperates from a near-fatal vehicular assault. Keith uneasily supports his daughter’s presence, but he would much prefer Veronica returning to a play-it-safe-life in New York City as an attorney. Running a struggling Mars Investigations with her receptionist/hacker, Mac, Veronica accepts a high-profile case from the city to locate college co-ed Hayley Dewalt, who ominously vanished during a riotous Spring Break party.
Veronica’s instant suspects include a disgruntled ex-boyfriend and even Hayley’s jealous older brother. Worse yet, the blonde sleuth discovers that the illicit party hosts are really heirs to an ultra-dangerous Mexican drug cartel. Then, another bombshell drops: a second party girl vanishes; only it turns to be Veronica’s previously unknown, 16-year old step-sister. Hence, Veronica’s dual cases are rocked by the re-appearance of her long-estranged mother, along with a step-father and much younger half-brother that she never knew of.
Shocking revelations are pushed into the light, as Veronica seeks out the truth. Still, there’s the potentially fatal reality that, with her father physically unavailable and boyfriend Logan overseas in the U.S. Navy, she has no back-up this time.
Notes: Sprinkled in the text are occasional F-bombs. The second (and presently last) novel in this series is titled Veronica Mars 2: Mr. Kiss and Tell.
REVIEW:
Very slickly written, this Veronica Mars caper is far superior to bare-bones movie novelizations. Painting boozing Spring Break college co-ed stereotypes with an unflattering wide paintbrush, the novel’s mystery initially delivers on its ominous premise. Yet, upon conveniently adding Veronica’s mother and her new family to the plot, subsequent twists revert The Thousand Dollar Tan Line to a somewhat clichéd “this only happens in movies and television” vibe.
Staying plot-focused, co-authors Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham still effectively resurrect Veronica Mars, making it easy to visualize Kristen Bell, Enrico Colatoni, and Percy Daggs III reprising their roles. The plotting, in that sense, is faithful to the TV show’s style of gimmickry rather than merely phoning in a blatant cash grab.
Thomas & Graham’s concerted effort at devising necessary depth makes their mystery both stylish and multi-layered. The reader’s subsequent payoff is a solid finish worthy of the TV series. Hence, for stalwart fans, Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line becomes the next best thing to a filmed sequel to the 2014 film.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
The first page provides thumbnail bios and photos of the co-authors. There’s also a brief dedication to fans.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars