Summary: A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.
Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly bestselling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads on of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns super star magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. Pulitzer-Prize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat. (Summary from book - Image from amazon.co.uk)
My review: Ordinarily I don’t hold with the shameless promotion of a TV series through literature, but when I found out that one of my favorite shows actually had a book coming out that was “written” by one of the main characters, I almost squealed with glee. Richard Castle, the alleged author of this book, is a fictional character on an television series called CASTLE. It’s about a bestselling mystery writer who is shadowing Kate Beckett, an ambitious NYC homicide detective. In the show, Castle releases a book called HEAT WAVE based almost entirely on his experiences with Kate and the department. The TV execs decided it would be cool, not to mention lucrative, to release that book to the Castle-loving masses. *Squeal!!* Er, sorry about that. Now begins the review….
At a slim 198 pages, HEAT WAVE is just what any good CASTLE fan is looking for – an extended “episode” with all the same thrills, tension, sarcasm, and humor as the show but more resolution between the characters (specifically romantic). Regardless of their names, it's virtually impossible to imagine anyone other than Rick Castle and Kate Beckett in the roles of Jameson Rook and Nikki Heat. In fact, most of the characters on the show fell into their respective - albeit differently named - characters in the book. I didn’t really want to imagine anyone else in those roles anyway, and I doubt the author had any other intention when he wrote the book.
Despite my high hopes, HEAT WAVE was simply ordinary. It lacked the well-placed twists and the conclusion felt rushed and somewhat weak. The writing wasn’t glaringly bad or unbelievably good –but I don’t believe that was really the point of the book. The point was to give CASTLE fans a little treat and to entice some new ones to turn on the TV set. While I don’t think that HEAT WAVE will entice new viewers, I believe CASTLE fans will be pleased with the book (if for no other reason than that they finally get to read what is on page 105**).
My rating: 3.5 Stars.
**For the senstive reader - page 105 is, likely, not for you.
Sum it up: A good time for all CASTLE fans.
Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly bestselling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads on of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns super star magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. Pulitzer-Prize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat. (Summary from book - Image from amazon.co.uk)
My review: Ordinarily I don’t hold with the shameless promotion of a TV series through literature, but when I found out that one of my favorite shows actually had a book coming out that was “written” by one of the main characters, I almost squealed with glee. Richard Castle, the alleged author of this book, is a fictional character on an television series called CASTLE. It’s about a bestselling mystery writer who is shadowing Kate Beckett, an ambitious NYC homicide detective. In the show, Castle releases a book called HEAT WAVE based almost entirely on his experiences with Kate and the department. The TV execs decided it would be cool, not to mention lucrative, to release that book to the Castle-loving masses. *Squeal!!* Er, sorry about that. Now begins the review….
At a slim 198 pages, HEAT WAVE is just what any good CASTLE fan is looking for – an extended “episode” with all the same thrills, tension, sarcasm, and humor as the show but more resolution between the characters (specifically romantic). Regardless of their names, it's virtually impossible to imagine anyone other than Rick Castle and Kate Beckett in the roles of Jameson Rook and Nikki Heat. In fact, most of the characters on the show fell into their respective - albeit differently named - characters in the book. I didn’t really want to imagine anyone else in those roles anyway, and I doubt the author had any other intention when he wrote the book.
Despite my high hopes, HEAT WAVE was simply ordinary. It lacked the well-placed twists and the conclusion felt rushed and somewhat weak. The writing wasn’t glaringly bad or unbelievably good –but I don’t believe that was really the point of the book. The point was to give CASTLE fans a little treat and to entice some new ones to turn on the TV set. While I don’t think that HEAT WAVE will entice new viewers, I believe CASTLE fans will be pleased with the book (if for no other reason than that they finally get to read what is on page 105**).
My rating: 3.5 Stars.
**For the senstive reader - page 105 is, likely, not for you.
Sum it up: A good time for all CASTLE fans.
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