Frozen Heat, by Richard Castle

The Castle books continue to deliver. The plot here is richer than previous novels, but the humor and pop culture references are the reason for reading. There are several winks to the TV show throughout, from cracks about a bulletproof vest labelled WRITER to an Elvis convention in Atlantic City. This being a book by a fictional mystery writer I appreciated the meta humor of having the characters eat at Grill 23 in Boston, simply because that is where Spenser—a fictional detective from another series—enjoyed dining. My favorite bit of humor, though, was when the main character Jameson Rook says, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something I like about Malcolm and Reynolds." The dizzying nature of a line from a character that is a direct analogue for the fictional author Richard Castle who is played on television by Nathan Fillion that is in turn a reference to another character Fillion played I find enormously amusing.

As I mentioned earlier the story is stronger than other entries in the series, concerning a bizarre murder linked to the death of Nikki Heat's mother years before (another nod to the show) but the conclusion was a bit clichéd. A coda provides a cliffhanger that promises an interesting next novel, though, and gives a hopeful moment to an otherwise downbeat ending. I suspect this series will only be truly appreciated by fans of the show, but I'm certainly enjoying it!

First Sentence:

"Oh, yeah, that's it, Rook," said Nikki Heat.

Naked Heat, by Richard Castle

The second book based on the television series Castle. The first was cheesy but fun; this is more of the same. The plot is nothing special, but the depth this adds to the characters on the show. For instance, it seems Castle has a better-than-average taste in beer; while Fat Tire isn’t my favorite I’m always pleased to see someone that enjoys the finer things in life enjoying a craft beer! Reading this will make you yearn for a real mystery, but if you love Castle, you’ll love this.

First Sentence:

Nikki Heat pondered red lights and why they seemed to last so much longer when there was no traffic.

Heat Wave, by Richard Castle

Ever since Firefly I’ve been a big Nathan Fillion fan. He is now the star of Castle on ABC; while not as great as Firefly it is still a lot of fun. Castle is this decade’s Magnum, P.I. or Remington Steele; mystery and humor abound, but the character interactions are what keep you tuning in each week. In the show, Fillion plays Richard Castle, a novelist that gets himself assigned to a police detective in order to do research for a new series of thrillers. In this new age of massive cross-promotion, the marketing wonks at ABC had a ghost writer create actual novels by “Richard Castle;” Heat Wave is the first of these.

Somewhat cheesy but still amusing, the novel follows NYPD Detective Nikki Heat as she tries to solve the murder of a real estate tycoon while dealing with an embedded journalist named Jameson Rook. (Sound familiar? ) This is a good companion to the show; the personalities of the characters in the book mimic those in the show, and some of the events can be found in both places as well. The novel is a common prop in the show and it is fun to see the links between the two. While not in the same caliber as Elizabeth George or Lee Child, this is still an entertaining read—especially for fans of Castle.

First Sentence:

It was always the same for her when she arrived to meet the body.