Heat Wave

Heat Wave -- Richard Castle (/Ghost Writer)
(2009) p. 196
Cut to the Chase: 4 out of 5

Heat Wave, a novelty novel "written by" Rick Castle of ABC's show Castle, was a quick, fun read, wrought with amusing banter between Nikki Heat-- sexy detective and protagonist-- Jameson Rook, the ever-so-charming (in his own mind) ride-along journalist, and partners Detectives Ochoa and Raley, lovingly called "Roach." Now, if you've seen the T.V show, this'll already sound familiar. Heat Wave reads exactly like an episode of Castle, except with all the names changed. That means, for all the reasons you love Castle, you'll love Heat Wave, including saucy comments from Nikki, banter between Ochoa and Raley, some fun pop culture references (including a nice quote from Hamlet), and the playful teasing of Rook.

What is interesting about Heat Wave is that you can clearly see Rick Castle (the character)'s influence on the writing style and specifically Nikki Heat (a.k.a Detective Bennett). Nikki Heat's a fireball of sexual tension and energy and, of course, undeniably attracted to Castle-- I mean, Rook. It's a fun peek into the ever turning mind of Rick Castle.

Overall, Heat Wave wasn't a mentally challenging book, but a fun, quick read. A must-read for any die-hard Castle fans (there's a picture of Castle (a.k.a Nathan Fillion) on the back!). It's a great book to take to the beach this summer or on your next family road trip!