ONTD Book Club discussion

From Rob Thomas, the creator of the television series and movie phenomenon Veronica Mars, comes the first book in a thrilling mystery series that picks up where the feature film left off.

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.

In Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas has created a groundbreaking female detective who’s part Phillip Marlowe, part Nancy Drew, and all snark. With its sharp plot and clever twists, The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line will keep you guessing until the very last page.

ooh! I've never actually participated in one of our read alongs, but I just finished the book a few days ago. can't wait to see what the rest of you thought. will hold my comments until a few more people have read

Justina wrote: "ooh! I've never actually participated in one of our read alongs, but I just finished the book a few days ago. can't wait to see what the rest of you thought. will hold my comments until a few more ..."

I'm hoping to start it tonight! I need something fresh. I've not been reading anything modern.

I'm hoping to start it tonight! I need something fresh. I've not been reading anything modern.

It was pretty good! It was a nice mystery/noir novel. It had the signature snark and I was glad to see a little more of the characters we didn't see in the movie, but most of them still don't appear too much. We got a tiny bit more Mac and Wallace, and a bit more of Keith, but still left me craving for more of the others, like Weevil (who made a small appearance).

Just started this last night, i'm about 25 pages in. Can't wait to see how it pans out - historically i havent been much for books that carry on TV shows (*coughBUFFYcough*) but i have some hope here.

20% in. Enjoying it so far.

I finally got started tonight and it has sucked me in. I appreciate that it gives some background for those that might not have watched the series or movie, but doesn't spoil anything. I kept being distracted by weird things in the first few pages - like why was Dumpster capitalized everywhere? - and the fact that this must have been written some time ago - feather extensions and a Natalie Holloway reference? - but the voice evened out right and I feel like I'm in an episode now. Looking forward to see how this all turns out. Hope there's more recognizable characters soon too.

Justina wrote: "ooh! I've never actually participated in one of our read alongs, but I just finished the book a few days ago. can't wait to see what the rest of you thought. will hold my comments until a few more ..."

Oh no, I'm worried that you only gave it three stars! Will let you know when I finish.

i've got about 50 pages left and i also feel like i am in the middle of an episode! i'm planning to finish it this afternoon, can't wait to see how it wraps up.

Oh no, I'm worried that you only gave it three stars! Will let you know when I finish.

Haha, well, I did enjoy the book, but I wished it were in first person and it's also probably not a book I'll ever pick up again after this.

I finished yesterday and really enjoyed it. i felt like it read like an episode of the show. it was a little uneven at the start but it didn't take long to get into it. I wish there was more Weevil and more follow-up on some of the 'loose ends' from the film but the mystery itself was great.

No, but seriously. Why was "dumpster" capitalized??

bailey wrote: "No, but seriously. Why was "dumpster" capitalized??"


Presumably, it was a Dumpster brand dumpster. Like if she was using a Kleenex or using an actual Xerox machine or applying a Band-Aid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumpster

I'm 65% done. I think I'll finish it tonight, but there's no telling since I just randomly slept for 3 hours. I may pass out again at any moment.

Finished last night.

Needed more (view spoiler)[ Logan and less Lianne. (hide spoiler)]

Jessica wrote: "bailey wrote: "No, but seriously. Why was "dumpster" capitalized??"


Presumably, it was a Dumpster brand dumpster. Like if she was using a Kleenex or using an actual Xerox machine or applying a Ba..."

appreciate that you tried to offer an explanation so i could put it behind me, but seriously, this is stupid. i was also bothered by "buoyed" being used twice back to back around chapter 8. i'm up to chapter 9 and i want to love this, but i'm not sure why i keep getting taken out of the story by some of the words they chose. this doesn't usually happen to me. hope i can finish this weekend and fall back in love with it.

Okay, I just finished the book. I'm glad I hadn't read any spoilers because the returning character genuinely surprised me. I had some ideas about the resolution to the main mystery early on, but it was still a fun ride with some good reveals. As a VM fan, I enjoyed it. But if this were the same book written with different names, it wouldn't have been anything special. When I pre-ordered, I imagined rushing through it the first day. When I saw the film, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. But when it came time to actually devour it, I found myself reading no more than a few chapters at a time. I kept getting pulled out of the story, and I'm not sure I can pinpoint exactly where/why. The voices all came across true to character, but something about it was still different. I also wish there were more tie-ins to the open-ended questions from the film. Clearly the book is meant to tie-in, there were many (vague for those that haven't seen it) references to the movie and original show, but they were shallow for new readers of the series. Though I'm glad there wasn't an obvious set up to buy the next book/film/thing, the way the short-term and long-term mysteries were inter-weaved and all of the stories seemed related was one of the great things about VM. This book should have had more about Weevil's shooting and planted evidence, the corruption that led to the car accident.. something. At the end I enjoyed it, but it could have been any other standalone YA geared mystery with different names. Hope to see more follow, and the formula to even out next time.
Lots of thoughts... everyone else almost done?

One more thing.. I'm glad the Logan stuff was limited. It allowed the story to focus on Veronica and the mystery, the way it should be. I shudder to think about how some of their romantic scenes would be written.

54069939 wrote: "Okay, I just finished the book. I'm glad I hadn't read any spoilers because the returning character genuinely surprised me. I had some ideas about the resolution to the main mystery early on, but i..."

I haven't seen the movie yet, so I was glad there wasn't too much tie-in to that, but I do agree that you could have swapped it out for any murder-of-the-week type mystery.

I was most impressed by Keith in the book. He seemed the most true to his on-screen counterpart.

Jessica, you have to see the movie!

Tie-in isn't the right way to explain it, because they did mention those events from the film. I guess what I mean is they missed an opportunity to push at least one of this bigger mysteries forward. They weren't anything but a casual mention to remind you this book happens a few months after the movie.

I agree Keith was written well, as were Veronica and Logan I thought. Dick could have been better, and Wallace and Mac, for as much as they interacted with Veronica, weren't anything special. Not sure if it was a disappoint in the voice, or the life path they gave those characters. Wallace was killing himself to be an engineer, and tapped by that secretly society s3. Mac, as good a friend as she is, could be doing so much more with herself and still help Veronica on the side. I wish there were a better explanation for why none of their lives went anywhere and they're all still in Neptune.