Rob Thomas (1) (1965–)

This book captured the listless discontent of my teen years with uncomfortable accuracy. As such, it could have been a very depressing read, but the sensitivity and humor of the narration make this one of my favorite YA novels.

I wouldn’t have minded a bit more Logan but there are worse experiences when it comes to Logan and the Veronica Mars series, and even without enough of him, I still thoroughly enjoyed this, it felt very much like a bonus season of the TV series.

Mystery isn’t generally my genre, but this story of two young women missing during spring break in Neptune worked well for me, Veronica’s personal connection to the case added to the tension and emotion, plus the pacing was great with plenty of show more red herrings and twists.

I think this would be very readable even if you’re unfamiliar with the TV show, however, if you do come into this already a fan, you can expect to revisit most of your favorite characters and every single one of them felt satisfyingly true to their television counterparts.

Most importantly, if you love Veronica and Keith, this upholds their reputation as one of the best father/daughter duos in pop culture. show less

My name is Alice, and I am a Marshmallow. There is no getting away from that in this review! (And no spoilers either, I promise!)

The Kickstarter happened, we got our movie - the movie was bloody brilliant - and then it was announced we were also going to get a series of Veronica Mars books. Now, that second piece of news I took with a little more reservation. I'm always a little hesitant about a TV/Movie tie-in books which is not written by the original author. I used to read some of the show more Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Roswell ones (and Sweet Valley High, ha!) and they weren't exactly the best. Now, Rob Thomas - our fearless leader - was/is of course a novelist and he loves his characters as much as we do; importantly he still has creative control.. We could trust him to do the right thing, right?

After I saw the movie, I knew I had to have more of Veronica Mars! What the movie did was set her back in place in Neptune, where there was steal a whole heap of mystery and corruption to uncover.. I'm an addict and I needed another hit. The movie was not enough! I immediately pre-ordered the book! After the movie I had much more confidence in the potential of the books, but still when I opened it I was still hoping, with fingers cross.. "please don't suck, please don't suck.."

Now to the important question, to which I think you already know the answer to because I gave it 5 stars! - was it any good? Unreserved YES! Yes I loved it, every single page.. which I devoured effortlessly in less than two days.

Veronica Mars is a detective, so obviously this book is a noir-style mystery. Veronica is hired to find two missing girls who disappeared during spring break, and she has to sift through the danger, corruption and lies to get to the truth. And I won't say any more than that because I honestly would hate to ruin any surprises for Marshmallow who haven't read it yet! All I will say is that I found the mystery very well written, it had some great twists and I didn't know where it was all heading until the last ten or so pages. There was also a very real sense if danger and peril, like everybody in her life I was wanting to scream at Veronica - don't go in there alone, just get out of there!

I don't know how the division of labour worked between Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham, but they perfectly captured Veronica's voice and the spirit of the show on the page. From the first few pages I knew it was going to be taking over the next few hours of my life, as I was immediately pulled in to Neptune. In fact I think I almost prefer to see Veronica on the page as you get a little more of her inner thoughts and feelings (obviously Kristen Bell does a beyond amazing job conveying this on the screen but there is only so much you can do), and in that way it is intimate. Her relationship with Logan, reignited in the movie, is explored as she struggles with the realities of him being posted away in the Navy, and the difficulties of trying to have a relationship over Skype. [Fangirl] It gave me ALL THE FEELS. [/Fangirl]

All of the other characters from Veronica's life of course also pop up. Wallace, Mac (who now works for Veronica, yay!), Weevil and Dick briefly. She also has to deal with her father recovering from his injuries in the movie, and the tension between them given his clear disappointment at her decision to stay as a PI in Neptune. The movie saw her make peace with herself and her compulsive need to chase the mystery, in this book it is time for Keith to start to deal with it. Veronica also has to confront some of the realities of committing to the adult world of Private Investigation; the very real dangers that lie there and how she will have to learn to protect herself. The Neptune of the movie and now the books is even darker and more corrupt that the TV series was.. There is some really scary stuff. (And you thought the Fighting Fitzpatricks were bad.)

If you are a Marshmallow buy it. Read it. Do it now! If you are a fan of detective novels I'd say there is a lot her to enjoy, but obviously it was written for the Veronica Mars fan and you will get more out of it if you understand the references and know the characters.

Five great big glowing stars for pure enjoyment, pure entertainment and pure Veronica Mars. I know that I will reread this book again, and the amount of titles I that with as an adult extends to.. well just A Song of Ice and Fire really!

The problem now is, how do I get my next hit?! I really hope there will be more books, and that they can continue in this quality. Even more than that I am dying for, craving a new TV series, or a movie! I had to chose between TV or books I’d 100% chose TV but.. the books are better than nothing. My only hope would be that Veronica has a bit more trajectory, and maybe some new characters. This book does play a lot like the TV series, I hope it’s just laying the groundwork for something a little different in the formula for the future. A whole series of books that work exactly like this one (as much as I loved it!) would start to get a little tired.

Most of all though, I am just so happy that Veronica is alive again! I hope all the old and new fans will continue to support it. show less

If I had to list my favourite TV shows that ended too soon (at least in my opinion) Veronica Mars would be right at the top of the list. I loved the show – as its creator, Rob Thomas explained, it was Nancy Drew for the 21st c. and Buffy without the superpowers. The show never shied away from the tough issues like rape and it had some of the best story lines and writing on TV. And Veronica, well, she was tough and feisty and witty and she never backed down from a fight.

Now she’s back in show more book form and, although she’s a decade older, she’s still as wise, witty and feisty as ever, perhaps not surprising since Rob Thomas is also the author of this series. Mr Kiss and Tell is the second in the series and you should know that this book continues the storyline from the first novel in the series, The Thousand Dollar Tan Line. As well, it features many of the characters from the TV show and, if you haven’t watched it (and, if you haven’t, you really should because it was one of the best), you may miss some of the references or relationships between the characters. This is not to suggest that you can’t enjoy this story if you haven’t watched the show or the movie or read the previous book. It is a very well-written tale with well-rounded characters and a smart story line. But for fans, it’s like getting reacquainted with old friends - Weevil, Mac, Keith, Wallace, and Veronica’s old flame (and new), Logan.

As her father deals with Weevil’s case, Veronica is hired by the Neptune Grand, the poshest hotel in Neptune, a town built on posh. The Grand is being sued by a woman who claims she was raped in the hotel by one of the employees. However, her story has holes and it’s Veronica’s job to uncover the truth preferably in favour of the hotel. As Veronica goes over the evidence, she discovers that the victim is someone from her past, Grace Manning (who fans will also recognize from the show) and the more she uncovers about Grace and the facts, the more she is convinced that there is more to the case than anyone realizes.

It is hard for me to be unbiased about this book because, frankly, I was and still am a huge fan - this may be colouring my judgment here but I really enjoyed this book. It contains all the wit and intelligence of the show - even better, perhaps, because released from the constraints of network TV, the novel is edgier and darker. One warning though, it also uses a certain four-letter word which some may find offensive. Still, if you are a fan of the show, I guarantee a fun ride with old friends and for those who aren’t fans yet, you’re about to meet some great characters and a smart storyline. However, one suggestion: if you can, watch the show first – you won’t regret it. show less