Posted Nov 17 2011, 1:45 pm in author, Book Hungry, Patty Blount, What I'm Reading
If you haven’t seen ABC’s hit show CASTLE, you won’t ‘get’ HEAT WAVE, written by… Richard Castle.
In a bold marketing ploy, ABC decided to release a book ‘written’ by the same best-selling author who tags along with NYC detectives as they close cases in the Monday night prime-time crime drama.
I don’t watch a lot of TV. I don’t have DVR or TIVO so if I miss a scheduled program, I have to wait for the DVD. Castle, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural are about the only shows I stop what I’m doing (er, writing) to watch.
Castle, played by Nathan Fillion, is charming. Detective Kate Beckett is – of course- gorgeous – but also a damn good cop. The book parodies these characters – Jameson Rook (get it?) is the best-selling author with friends in high places and Nikki Heat is the gorgeous-but-damn-good-cop. HEAT WAVE is written in the vein of old dime-store hard-boiled detective stories. It’s fun, it had a halfway decent plot which would have been better if I hadn’t figured out whodunit before the book’s halfway point. But the show is better.
Nikki was never called Nikki in this story. She was always and by always, I mean to the point of absurdity, referred to as Nikki Heat. New York was in the middle of a heat wave (get it??), so the puns on her name were just a bit over the top for me.
Though it was engaging, the book’s inside jokes were lost on members of our group who’d never seen the show. So, on its own merits, HEAT WAVE probably isn’t that good. But if you’re a fan of the show, you’ll enjoy it.
Because Nikki Heat always gets her man, I give it 3 out of 5 closed cases. But don’t take my word for it. Please visit the other Book Hungry blogs for their reviews!
Kelly
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you nailed this review right on the head!
I haven’t seen Castle in ages but I’d heard about this and wondered if it worked.
great review, Patty! I couldn’t have said it better myself :)
It was such a letdown for me. I had such high hopes regarding this book. All it did was confuse me in regards to the story lines on Castle that we follow.
So instead of not watching Castle, I have just decided I am not going to read Castle.
It was still a fun book to read because of the TV show tie-in. Thanks for the pick, Kelly!
Yeah, Supernatural and Vampire Diaries are some of my faves. Don’t get to really watch them though. LOVE that Jensen Ackles ;)