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 … 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?
more
I enjoyed this one as much as the first and I really wished they’d produced more books or kept the shared worlds going. The only reason I’m knocking this down one star is because I wasn’t too fond of switching between Keith and Veronica. She’s my gal and as much as I love her dad, I really only wanted her POV for the entire book. Still, amazing!
This book finds Veronica Mars hired by the Neptune Grand to clear them of responsibility for an attack that left a young woman almost dead several miles away. Before she was found, she was last in the hotel. At first, she claims she can’t remember what happened in the attack, but then she names someone on the hotel’s staff. With a client who wants Veronica to prove them innocent and a victim who thinks Veronica’s only motive is to discredit her, can she find the truth? Meanwhile, Weevil’s trial is winding down. Will the jury reach the correct verdict? And will Veronica’s father ever be able to use the stories he’s found of the Sherriff department’s evidence planting?
Having been a fan of the Veronica Mars TV show since the pilot aired, I’m a bit surprised it took me so long to read this second book. I’m glad I finally did because I loved it. The mystery introduced here was great, and it gave us a good excuse to check in with many of our favorite characters. We even saw some minor characters again. The characters are all fantastic. I was most surprised by how much I grew to appreciate Veronica and Logan’s relationship, something I’d never been a fan of in the TV series. Like with the first book, I wish this had been told in Veronica’s first-person narration – I missed her snarky narration from the series. But that’s a minor complaint. Fans of the series will definitely love it. Those new to the franchise might have trouble appreciating everything that happens here, but the obvious solution is to go back and watch the show. You’ll find it is well worth your time.
When a woman who was attacked at the ritzy Neptune Grand blames an employee of the hotel, Veronica is hired to prove that she is lying. Veronica, of course, prefers to take the case further and find out who really was behind the attack, if the woman was indeed lying. However, as she starts to peel back the layers to this case, she’s reminded that things aren’t always what they seem and that justice often takes a back seat to apathy.
I liked this book a little more than the previous, for various reasons. The main one is the inclusion of the side plot involving Weevil’s arrest from the end of the Veronica Mars movie. But I also feel like the main mystery plot held my attention a bit more. Maybe the set-up resembles mysteries Veronica has gone after before, which can make it feel a little overdone at first, but it didn’t bother me as much as it might others. It was interesting to see Veronica questioning certain choices when she looks around and sees what might have been–both in her personal life and in her career. The story spans several months, just like the over-arcing mysteries do in the show, but instead of being able to see the day-to-day cases she works on (because it’d be too much for one book), we just see gaps in time. What bothered me, though, is that Veronica let her obsession on this case, even after it was officially closed with the client, leads Veronica to ignore everything else, which isn’t really like her. Plus, her response to being caught in a few different compromising situations in her investigating also seems a bit off from what we know of her.
Regarding the Weevil plot, I loved it. Keith and Cliff working together to try to bring down Sheriff Dan Lamb felt like all the old show magic coming back. And even more so, in the end, there’s no easy victory, no sugary outcome, not even always a “good guy” or “bad guy” left standing in the end. I even liked the fact that Sheriff Don Lamb, for all his corrupt and just plain mean ways, was remembered for that one decent thing he did.
While the audiobook for the previous book in the series was narrated by Kristen Bell, that was not the case with this book, so I read it myself. I still liked it a lot, and because I’ve seen the show so much, had no trouble imagining the characters as they were portrayed in the show. Whether or not this book would hold up for people who’ve never seen the show, I can’t say for sure, though I’d guess probably not. I’m not sure it’s meant to, either. For fans of the show, though, I definitely recommend this book and the one preceding it.
Love it and the show