Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham-4.5 stars


Thomas, Rob, and Graham, Jennifer, The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (unabr.).  8:42 hrs. Random House Audio, 2014. Audible download.



Two months ago, Veronica Mars left her lawyer future behind to move back to Neptune, California. At that time, she had to clear her boyfriend, Logan Echolls of murdering his fiancé, nurse her dad back to health, and keep the private eye business afloat. Since then, her boyfriend’s on a Naval tour for another 4 months, her dad’s still disappointed she gave up her lawyer future, and the p.i. business isn’t doing so well. So, when two girls going missing from the same party house on two different Spring Break days, Veronica gets hired by the local Chamber of Commerce to solve the case and fix up the major p.r. mess Sheriff Dan Lamb has created. No sweat for Veronica, right? Wrong. The drug cartel are somehow mixed up in this and they don’t like people poking around in their business. Those who do wind up missing and dead. Is this what happened to the two girls? Can Veronica solve the two cases before she goes missing, too? Will she find a way to keep her dad’s business afloat.

She's back! Not only is she the voice and face of the original main character, Kristen Bell is also the narrator. Kristen's transitions are smooth, her voice is crisp and clear, and she moves easily between internal dialogue, mystery, and action. Although she doesn't use a variety of voice to distinguish characters, listeners will still be able to distinguish them with the way her intonations change. Those expecting left unanswered plot lines from the movie to be answered will be disappointed, but this surprisingly well-developed and entertaining plot is bound to appeal to fans of the original tv show as well as mystery fans new to the series. The authors are true to the original, well-developed characters and Kristen is an excellent addition to the creation of this audiobook. Fans of Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls, Mac, and the original cast of characters will not be disappointed and mystery fans who like snarky, strong female characters will enjoy trying this new book on for size.

 
4.5 stars. Grades 9 to Adult.
 

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