The Basics:

Veronica Mars: Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Vintage
Book Two in the Veronica Mars series
Mystery
Published January 20, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Why I picked up this book:

I'm a huge Veronica Mars the television series fan.
Blurb:

In the second book in the New York Times bestselling mystery series, Veronica Mars is back with a case that will expose the hidden workings of one of Neptune’s most murderous locations.

The Neptune Grand has always been the seaside town’s ritziest hotel, despite the shady dealings and high-profile scandals that seem to follow its elite guests. When a woman claims that she was brutally assaulted in one of its rooms and left for dead by a staff member, the owners know that they have a potential powder keg on their hands. They turn to Veronica to disprove—or prove—the woman's story.

The case is a complicated mix of hard facts, mysterious occurrences, and uncooperative witnesses. The hotel refuses to turn over its reservation list and the victim won’t divulge who she was meeting that night. Add in the facts that the attack happened months ago, the victim’s memory is fuzzy, and there are holes in the hotel’s surveillance system, and Veronica has a convoluted mess on her hands. As she works to fill in the missing pieces, it becomes clear that someone is lying—but who? And why?

My thoughts:

As a fan of the tv series, I was thrilled by the opportunity to read and review this book. It's the second book in a series that's produced (hahaha) by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham.

Head's up - the rest of this review will contain a spoiler or two for the Veronica Mars movie. It's been out for a while, but if you haven't watched it yet, check it out before you read this book (and the rest of the review). Just know that I loved this book - so get that movie watched and then pick this book up!

For everyone who is still around - buy this book!  If you're a fan of Veronica Mars, you'll love this. It's a pitch perfect continuation of the Veronica Mars story, picking up shortly after the movie ended. Now, I don't know what material the first book in the series covered, but I definitely didn't feel left out of the loop by jumping right to book two. I would have, however, if I hadn't seen the movie, so that's worth noting.

Many of our favourite characters are back - and I fully appreciated that Mr Kiss and Tell doesn't try to jam in *all* the familiar characters in the Veronica Mars universe. This is a mistake some series authors make, and it's always awkward.

I could see and hear each character clearly in my mind, which was really important to me. Veronica Mars has a very specific snarky tone to it that is absolutely essential to my enjoyment of it. This book fit right into that zone. 

The story itself has a solid investigation - a mystery, yes, but more than that, it's about collecting evidence to nail the suspect in a rape case. I think it was a really intriguing diversion from the standard mystery. There were layers of mystery to peel back and I quite enjoyed one.

Alongside the investigation is the serial component - the impending election, which no one on Team Veronica wants the current Sheriff Lamb to win. This is definitely what would bring me back for the next book in the series if some of the other elements didn't work for me. I'm absolutely curious about what will come next for Neptune and how that will impact Veronica and Keith - I need to know! 

Rounding things out is the continuation of Veronica and Logan's story, and I thought it was a really honest take on the progression of their relationship. They never have an easy time of it, and I was happy to see them struggling as adults as well. These things don't get magically easier as we get older and I think Veronica and Logan are a pretty realistic example of that.

I could easily see this book turned into an episode or two or three of the tv show or a solid movie. With the investigation as the A plot and the election business as the B plot, there was a lot of entertaining stuff. As always, there's also some real heart at the centre of it - Veronica's surrounded by good people. 

Bottom line:

I love, love, love Veronica Mars: Mr. Kiss and Tell. It's exactly what a fan of the series wants - humour, snark, mystery, intrigue, scandal, frustration, celebration, and some big ole question marks about the future.

5 stars
For fans of Veronica Mars, mysteries, sarcasm

But don't just take my word for it! I grabbed a few links to other blog reviews of Veronica Mars 2:

Reading by Starlight

Ginger Reader 22

Nerd Problems