Veronica Mars (
Kristen Bell) and her father
Keith (
Enrico Colantoni) are
private investigators in Neptune, California, a popular
spring break vacation destination. Real estate developer Richard "Big Dick" Casablancas (
David Starzyk) campaigns for the enactment of city beautification laws; local business owners protest the likely expense of complying with such laws. Meanwhile, Veronica rejects a marriage proposal from her longtime boyfriend
Logan Echolls (
Jason Dohring). When a beachside motel is bombed, the Marses are hired to investigate by
US Representative Daniel Maloof (
Mido Hamada), whose brother's fiancée was killed in the explosion. A Mexican crime boss, whose nephew was another victim, sends two assassins, Alonzo (
Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dodie (Frank Gallegos), to find and kill the bomber. Injured in the blast is Penn Epner (
Patton Oswalt), a
true crime enthusiast, who seizes the spotlight to accuse Maloof of the crime. The late motel owner's daughter, Matty Ross (
Izabela Vidovic), investigates on her own; Veronica eventually takes her under her wing to supervise her. Veronica also befriends nightclub owner Nicole Malloy (
Kirby Howell-Baptiste), and occasionally consults with Penn and his club of amateur crime-solvers. Their investigation implicates a local ex-con, who apparently commits suicide before he can be arrested. However, after his death, three more bombs explode in Neptune over several days. The Marses uncover evidence that Casablancas'
fixer Clyde Pickett (
J. K. Simmons) has hired the local juvenile delinquents, organized by Veronica's former friend
Eli "Weevil" Navarro (
Francis Capra), to mug spring break visitors, driving away tourism. Casablancas will then buy beachfront property cheaply, planning to redevelop the land for more upscale businesses. Veronica's ex-boyfriend
Leo D'Amato (
Max Greenfield), an FBI agent, arrives to investigate the case. His rekindled flirtation with Veronica eventually makes her realize how much she values her relationship with Logan. She loses her friendship with Nicole when she confesses to considering Nicole a suspect in the case and
bugging her office, and decides to accept Logan's proposal. The Marses eventually conclude that Casablancas was responsible for the bomb at the motel, but the subsequent bombs were the work of a
copycat. Casablancas is murdered by Alonzo and Dodie after Clyde tips them off to his guilt. The Marses arrest Penn as the copycat, but he hires them to prove his own innocence. Evidence is uncovered which briefly implicates Penn's fellow amateur crime-solver Don (
Clark Duke), but Matty spots that the evidence has been tampered with: Penn was the copycat bomber all along, out for glory and attention. The Marses deduce the site of the next bomb, and Keith disarms the bomb with seconds to spare; but Penn gloats to Veronica as he is being arrested. Veronica and Logan are married that day. But a few hours later, Veronica's car explodes, killing Logan—one last bomb that Penn had set earlier. The next year, when Neptune is fully
gentrified and spring break tourism is a thing of the past, Veronica leaves Neptune to solve cases on the road. ==Cast==