I finally get the appeal of fan fiction—especially if one of the “fans” happens to be the creator of the series (because don’t you think that Rob Thomas is one of Veronica Mar’s biggest fans?). This is the second book in the series—the first, The Thousand Dollar Tan Line, started where the Veronica Mars movie ended—with Veronica deciding to leave a promising legal career to work as a PI, like her dad. Mr. Kiss and Tell picks up not long after the first book and echoes of that first book’s case reverberate throughout the opening chapters—Weevil is standing trial for a crime he didn’t commit, Veronica’s dad, Keith, is still stiff and hurting from a near fatal accident that killed a policeman he was working with, and Veronica and Logan’s relationship continues to deepen—as they are living together now that he’s home on a five month shore leave. That and Neptune continues to be Neptune—a seedy mix of haves and have nots—controlled by the corrupt and sinister Sheriff Lamb.
Amidst this complexity, Veronica gets a case. The owner of the Neptune Grand, Petra Landros, has recommended Veronica to an insurance company that is investigating the claim of a young woman, who was found brutally beaten and sexually assaulted, after spending time in one of the Neptune Grand’s bars. The young woman accused an employee of the hotel, who unfortunately had already been deported when she made the accusation. The insurance company wants Veronica to determine what really happened or rather that’s how Veronica chooses to see the case. However, as you might expect, the case is not what it seems and the young woman has an interesting connection to Veronica.
There’s a lot going on in this book and I have no idea how it reads to someone who doesn’t have the series and its characters imprinted on their brain. [Actually, reading this made me want to go back and re-watch at least the first two seasons of VM because it’s been like . . . a year.] I hear the actor’s voices in my head as I read the snappy dialogue and I bring a lot of back-story to bear on these current events.
With that in mind, I would highly recommend this to fans of the series but I don’t think this text would be a good gateway drug to the world of Veronica Mars. If you’re new to Neptune, go watch at least Season 1 and 2 of the series. This book (and its predecessor) will be waiting for you when you’re done. Enjoy and tell them Jenny sent you.
