Heat Wave

This is one of my first “real” reviews. Please let me know what I need to improve on and where I go completely wrong. Thank you!

Heat Wave (Nikki Heat, #1), Cop Fiction/TV Show spinoff, Richard Castle

This book reads like the show and has all the characters. Detective Nikki Heat (Kate Beckett), Jameson Rook (Castle), Captain Charles Montrose (Captain Montgomery), Detective Ochoa (Detective Esposito), Detective Raley (Detective Ryan), and Lauren Parry (Dr. Lanie Parish) are all involved in the investigation of a real estate millionaire's death. Heat Wave is a classic whodunit that will keep you guessing until the reveal.

Let's be honest, this book would be a one or two star rating if it was not for the tv show. At the beginning of the book, I found myself annoyed by the relationship between Heat and Rook and even more annoyed by Rook in general. I had to keep reminding myself to connect these characters to the characters in the show – it's the only way these characters are bearable on paper. That said, once I was able to keep these together in my mind, my enjoyment of this book increased. Another problem with the book that caused me to have to refer to the show was that I felt it was choppy. For example, the poker scene wouldn't have a place in this book if the book wasn't tied to a show. It didn't add anything to the book, but would have been okay in the show.

Overall, you have to treat this book as if it was the tv show. As a book, it is just meh, but if you're okay thinking about it in terms of tv, you'll find amusement.

On a side note, I didn't actually read this book, I listed to the audiobook. I have a harder time connecting in audiobooks at this may be why I felt the way that I did.

I can't see someone being interested in this if they're not already a fan of the TV show Castle, as the book is a metafictional tie-in to the show, claiming to be written by the main character in the show.

So it's a tie-in to the show, but also a parody of it - Castle (the character) is a bit of an egotistical blowhard, and the novel's character of Rook is a quite obvious work of author insertion, and very much how the author/character sees himself, as well as how others see him - Nicki Heat is madly in love with him, but refuses to admit it only and only his charm can help her overcome it.

So, tie-in, parody, and an examination of character all at once - there's a surprisingly high amount of stuff going on in this rather short novel.