Heat Wave

"Heat Wave"

-Richard Castle, 2009

ISBN: 9781401323820

From: Mom

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Amazon: 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 best-selling 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 one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. PulitzerPrize-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.

Thoughts: Bravo to the people at ABC for creating a real book to go along with the book being written on their hit show "Castle". Seriously, this probably rarely happens, and as a consumer, I think it's fantastic. I really enjoy the show "Castle" primarily because I'm in love with Nathan Fillion, but really, it's a good TV program. Cute premise, funny zingers, mysteries to solve, pretty people to look at - what's not to like? At any rate, when I heard this book was actually on shelves I had to go and buy it for my mother for Christmas. She read it in about a day, and then pressed it into my hands saying "This book is so friggin good, you'll love it!" Of course, this being my mom, she didn't actually say friggin, but I digress.

To sum up, if you like the show, you'll like this book. Fast-paced, clever, funny, full of liars, cheats, and no-nonsense cops - and Castle himself too (Rook, actually). It was a quick read, and it kept me turning the pages to find out whodunit and how. Since Richard Castle isn't a real person, I'm wondering if Stephen J. Cannell, who appears as himself on the show and is featured a great deal on the Season 1 DVD extras, is the real writer, but it doesn't really matter. This is a fun book, and great for a few hours of escapism.