Hulu's Veronica Mars revival premieres on July 26, and the long-awaited season iv finds Veronica back in her hometown of Neptune, California, solving mysteries aslope her dad Keith at Mars Investigations. It's been 12 years since the original CW/UPN show's terminal episode aired in 2007, and a lot has happened in the Five Mars universe since then—both onscreen, and in the pages of two official novels.

Seasons 1 through 3 are available for streaming on Hulu (truly jealous of anyone who gets to feel Veronica Mars for the very first time!). Diehard Marshmallows last saw Kristen Bell reprise her breakthrough role in the 2014 Kickstarter-funded movie, just they may take missed the two Veronica Mars books, The Chiliad-Dollar Tan Line and Mr. Buss and Tell.

Both novels were co-written by series creator Rob Thomas, and when it comes to how that affects the eight-episode Hulu series, Thomas has said that the events that occurred in the books are "98% canon." That means they're legit backstory, and worth communicable up on ahead of watching—simply what if yous don't have time to read them, given all the binge-watching on your plate alee of season 4?

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Fright not: Here'south a recap of the Veronica Mars books alee of Hulu'southward revival.

What happened in Veronica Mars: The G Dollar Tan Line?

The first novel, The Ten Thousand Dollar Tan Line, was published on March 25, 2014 correct on the heels of the picture's March 14 release engagement. As such, information technology picks up shortly after the flick'south storyline (it also bears a few similarities to the plot of Hulu'due south series). For those who demand that sweet, sweetness Veronica voiceover, the mystery is as well bachelor every bit an audiobook narrated past Bong. This does, absolutely, make the fact that the volume's written in the tertiary person a piffling strange.

Per the end of the movie, 28-year-sometime Veronica has ditched her longtime plan to get out Neptune behind forever, abandoning her intentions to start fresh after law school. She and figurer genius Mac, one of her few close friends from Neptune High, are both Mars Investigations employees. Keith Mars is still bummed that Veronica chose to forego a fancy constabulary career in New York City. Wallace Fennel, Weevil Navarro, Cliff McCormack, and Dick Casablancas are in the mix, to varying degrees. Logan Echolls, Veronica'due south on-once again boyfriend, is still in the navy and stationed in the Centre E, and then they're doing a long distance matter they both find frustrating.

As in the new season 4, it's spring break in Neptune—a lucrative time for local business owners, a bacchanalia for tourists, and hell on earth for local residents. As well echoed in the plot of the new season: A series of crimes threaten to ruin Neptune'southward standing as a spring break hotspot.

Petra Landros, a sometime underwear model turned possessor of local luxury hotel Neptune K following her husband's adventitious death, hires Keith and Veronica to find a coed named Hayley DeWalt who'due south gone missing. Sheriff Dan Lamb (introduced in the motion-picture show as the blood brother of the villainous late Sheriff Don Lamb) isn't helping, and the Mars duo takes the example. But earlier she tin can dig deeper into what happened to Hayley, a second girl named Aurora Scott disappears.

Veronica Mars: An Original Mystery by Rob Thomas - The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line

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Investigating Aurora Scott's whereabouts leads Veronica back to her mother Lianne, an alcoholic who left her family before the Telly series began. Lianne'southward remarried to a homo she met in rehab named Tanner Scott, and the 2 drop some huge news: Aurora Scott is Veronica'south stepsister, and she's got a young half brother named Hunter.

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Ultimately, Veronica figures out that the two young women'south disappearances were unrelated. She discovers Hayley's body; she was evidently killed by her beau. Her stepsister Aurora, notwithstanding, is alive and extremely sketchy. Aurora and her dad, Tanner, faked her disappearance in an endeavour to proceeds ransom money for both Aurora and Hayley. Then, Aurora schemed with her boyfriend to double-cross Tanner. Aurora, her boyfriend, and Tanner are all arrested, though Aurora dodges prison house as a minor and remains living with Lianne.

The Thou Dollar Tan Line is total of twists and turns, so much so that it gets sort of confusing at times? Information technology continues developed Veronica'due south character development, every bit she finds herself in situations far more dangerous than she e'er did on the original testify.

Keith Mars is still recovering from his near-fatal car accident.

In the movie, in that location'south an attempt on Keith's life when a vehicle T-basic the motorcar he's in for a clandestine meeting with Deputy Sacks (poor Sacks didn't survive). Keith struggles to recover from the effects the "accident" had on his torso and his brain; his ongoing recovery five years later is addressed in Hulu'south serial.

What happened in Mr. Kiss and Tell?

The second Veronica Mars book, Mr. Kiss and Tell , was published in January xx, 2015. If y'all're going to read one Veronica Mars novel, this should be it—the events are about relevant to the Hulu series, and frankly, it'due south the improve read.

In Mr. Kiss and Tell, Veronica and Keith are once once more hired by Neptune Grand owner Petra Landros, this time to investigate the assault and attempted murder of a woman who claimed a hotel employee did information technology. Veronica soon clears the suspect, who'due south been deported to Mexico (Neptune's relationship to and exploitation of Mexican immigrants is an ongoing theme of Veronica Mars), and soon she'southward off on her ain, non-subsidized investigation into who really did it.

Mr. Kiss and Tell

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Her demand to know is fueled in part past who the victim is: Information technology's Grace Manning, sister of Meg Manning, Veronica'southward high schoolhouse friend who dated Duncan Kane before dying following the coach accident in season ii (this family is doomed). Veronica'south investigation leads her to catch a serial rapist and murderer who targets sex workers—a homo that Wallace peripherally knows. All-time of all, the case reunites her with ex-swain Leo D'Amato, who'south become a detective with the San Diego Law Department, to bust the bad guy.

The volume interweaves a B plot that finds Weevil, Keith, and Clint McCormack hatching a plan to sue the Neptune PD (following the events of the movie, in which Weevil was framed). Past the book's end, Sheriff Dan Lamb is out of the movie, unseated by new candidate Marcia Langdon.

Logan and Veronica are nonetheless together, and they've got a puppy named Pony.

Logan returns from his deployment in Mr. Kiss and Tell, and Veronica has a difficult time with the fact that she'southward a perpetually-worried military girlfriend now. But Dear are more than serious than always; they're shacked up and they've got a beautiful new puppy named Pony (and then named for the one thousand thousand times Veronica asked Keith for a pony). Veronica'due south suppressing doubts about their long-term viability, Logan's all in, and shockingly stable these days.

"Await: Prior to this series on Hulu, I was non 100 percentage Team Logan," Bell told OprahMag. "Because if Veronica were my daughter or my best friend, I'd want her to be with someone who doesn't have every bit many…problems that oasis't been worked through equally Logan. Just this is a different Logan."

Sheriff Marcia Langdon is introduced in Mr. Buss and Tell, and she's got a by in Neptune.

Marcia Langdon, a tough-as-nails one-time Army full general, grew up in Neptune. She and her family unit lived down the street from Keith Mars when he was a young cop. As a teenager she constitute cocaine in her brother, Bobby "Tauntaun" Langdon'southward room, and her innate urge for justice led her to call the police on him. The motility alienated her from her family, and Bobby ultimately died in prison house. In Mr. Osculation and Tell, Keith remembers that while he liked and admired Marcia's character and strong sense of justice back then, there'southward something about her he finds tough to pin down.

Leo re-entered Veronica'due south life in Mr. Kiss and Tell.

Veronica casually dated Leo D'Amato in high schoolhouse (he'southward played by Max Greenfield, who went on to become Schmidt on New Girl). What started equally an evidence-ferreting flirtation with the rookie Neptune cop on Veronica'due south end became a short-lived romance.

In Mr. Kiss and Tell, Leo's a detective with the San Diego PD. In a mental tailspin over whether she can handle Logan'due south intense military life, she finds herself entertaining the idea of rekindling things with Leo (though he seems oblivious). Regardless, their flirting is way less creepy now that Veronica's no longer in high schoolhouse.

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