Veronica Mars: the Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

[katekintailbc]

Veronica Mars: the Thousand-Dollar Tan Line
by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

I only recently watched the Veronica Mars TV show and movie, so it hasn't been a long wait for me between each. Still, I was thrilled to see this book on the shelves of my library and to get another chance to dive into the world of Neptune and my favorite private investigators there. This book is set soon after the movie, so contains some spoilers regarding where the characters are at the end of that. But it feels like its own standalone story as well, which I like. When an attractive young college girl goes missing during spring break, everyone is looking for her... including Veronica Mars, who is hired to investigate. While on the case, she encounters the seedy underbelly of party life--a drug cartel, abduction, ransom demands, organized crime, untrustworthy boys, etc. But then her estranged mother comes back on the scene with a new family in tow: except that her daughter is missing as well.

This book brought in so many of my favorite characters to one degree or another without feeling forced. I love the idea of Mac working fulltime for Veronica... and for Veronica and her dad to run the PI business together (though Keith is a little less in love with that idea, as any father would be). And the ending was satisfying and full of twists--some of which I saw coming and others that surprised me; I like that in a mystery.

Author Jennifer Graham has an MFA, and it shows in her writing. Even in the most simple of scenes, the story is written beautifully with great word choice you can't help but notice. This made it an especiallyfun and enjoyable time in Neptune, CA.