The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
Series: Veronica Mars #1
Released: 1st November 2014
Genre: YA Mystery
Source: Publisher
Pages: 324
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Goodreads | Bookworld | Book Depository
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.
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.
Thank you to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
The Thousand Tollar Tan Line is a novel which contains quite a fascinating mystery which pulled me in from the start, though in places left me wanting a little more. As a person who hasn't yet watched what I've heard is the fantastic Veronica Mars on screen, I have no way to compare how this novel stacks up. However, though this wasn't my favourite read of late, I can still say that it did have its good points and I'll definitely be watching the show and movie in the near future.
What I did really enjoy about this was Veronica's character and getting to know her well. I love her quirks and mannerisms, her sarcasm at times and overall charisma. She's a private investigator who wants to know the truth and will do what she can to seek justice. I don't usually read a lot of books with the crime-solving/'whodunnit' mystery, and so The Thousand Dollar Tan Line was a welcome change. The nature of the story itself dealing with the two missing girls and organised crime combined with the seedy cartel themes at times made for an interesting read overall, though at some points there were some definitely lags in the plot which did make my attention wane.
However, what the authors have done here is among the red herrings and tangents, provided some twists and turns which I didn't see coming - and I love it when that happens. To be honest, I'm not one who usually sees the big reveal coming anyway, but the way the plot panned out definitely went in a way that wasn't expected and exciting in a sense. Aside from solving the crime, it was also good to see a balance with some family dynamics coming into play with Veronica's father Keith and her mother who also had a secondary role. It's nice to have some sub-plots to break up the story and give a different focus to make a well-rounded book.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In essence, though it's probably not my favourite mystery in the world, I can still say with confidence that I enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts on Mr Kiss and Tell soon!
What I did really enjoy about this was Veronica's character and getting to know her well. I love her quirks and mannerisms, her sarcasm at times and overall charisma. She's a private investigator who wants to know the truth and will do what she can to seek justice. I don't usually read a lot of books with the crime-solving/'whodunnit' mystery, and so The Thousand Dollar Tan Line was a welcome change. The nature of the story itself dealing with the two missing girls and organised crime combined with the seedy cartel themes at times made for an interesting read overall, though at some points there were some definitely lags in the plot which did make my attention wane.
However, what the authors have done here is among the red herrings and tangents, provided some twists and turns which I didn't see coming - and I love it when that happens. To be honest, I'm not one who usually sees the big reveal coming anyway, but the way the plot panned out definitely went in a way that wasn't expected and exciting in a sense. Aside from solving the crime, it was also good to see a balance with some family dynamics coming into play with Veronica's father Keith and her mother who also had a secondary role. It's nice to have some sub-plots to break up the story and give a different focus to make a well-rounded book.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In essence, though it's probably not my favourite mystery in the world, I can still say with confidence that I enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts on Mr Kiss and Tell soon!
As a huge VM fan, I naturally loved this book as well after loving the TV series and the movie. So I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your first foray into the series! Veronica is a really smarmy, sassy character and I'm glad you will be moving onto the shows. Great review Genie!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely glad that I tried this book and ended up quite enjoying it! Can't wait to see more of Veronica in action now :)
DeleteGreat review! It's great to know you liked it. I haven't watched Veronica Mars and since this one seems pretty average on the mystery side, I'm not sure if I would enjoy reading this. Vernoica sounds like an amazing character though. Conflicted feelings, gah.
ReplyDeleteThanks Naban :) It's definitely worth a try to see if you like it - Veronica's character is what makes this story a great one.
DeleteSo true that we don't see many of these kinds of books! I liked Veronica Mars - didn't LOVE it, but liked it, and I hope more books like this will pop up :)
ReplyDeleteExactly! I can't wait to see more mysteries coming onto the bookish scene this year.
DeleteVeronica Mars is a little after my time really, my era was Buffy. Now there's a girl that can kick some behind. I started reading this one and really can't remember much about the series at all, but felt a little as though I was at a party where everyone knew each other, and I knew no one. A little on the back foot. I'm so glad you enjoyed it Eugenia, hopefully the next one is just as great, or better. Lovely review <3
ReplyDeleteBuffy = yet another show I need to watch! I'm hoping the next book in this series delivers :)
DeleteI found it interesting, reading this, knowing you haven't seen Veronica Mars in its original format. I was wondering what it would be like for someone who wasn't too familiar with it, and now I know!
ReplyDeleteI'm yet to read this one, but I am a fan of the show (and rather enjoyed the movie) and I know any opinion I have of it will no doubt be completely bias lol
- Wattle @ Whimsical Nature
This definitely sounds like something you would like then - especially since you're already a VM fan! I'd definitely recommend it :)
Delete