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Heat Wave (Nikki Heat #1)

3.49 of 5 stars 3.49 · rating details · 27,488 ratings · 2,926 reviews

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 se...more

Mass Market Paperback, 216 pages

Published July 27th 2010 by Hyperion (first published September 29th 2009)

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Apr 06, 2011 Mojca rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, tv-show-based, suspense-mystery-adventure-thriller, part-of-a-series, series-nikki-heat, fiction, own, richard-castle, bodyguard-military-merc-gov-cop-leo, once-and-never-again

This is a prime example of TV-show-success exploitation. It reads like a fanfiction written by someone NOT Richard Castle. At least not Richard Castle from the TV show. Because from what I saw in the series, the “original” Richard Castle at least appears to be a (much) better writer.

So, why the fanfiction-y feel?
1. It read like one of the episodes of the TV show, though to be turned into one if would need a lot of work.
2. All of the “main” characters were there (with slightly different names), a...more This is a prime example of TV-show-success exploitation. It reads like a fanfiction written by someone NOT Richard Castle. At least not Richard Castle from the TV show. Because from what I saw in the series, the “original” Richard Castle at least appears to be a (much) better writer.

So, why the fanfiction-y feel?
1. It read like one of the episodes of the TV show, though to be turned into one if would need a lot of work.
2. All of the “main” characters were there (with slightly different names), and Mr. Castle didn’t bother much with characterization. They were all pretty much one-dimensional and would’ve been bland without my imagination providing for their voices, images, and filling up all the other holes.
3. It had a little more nudity (scene with Pochenko).
4. It had the mandatory sex scene between the two leads (What’s the acronym for them in the fanfic world? Caskett?), though it still read like an episode part (...they tumble onto the bed. [Fade to black] The next morning...). I missed the “steaminess” so-much-advertised in one of the starter episodes of Season 2.

Especially given the last one, which could be Richard Castle ~~living out~~ writing up his fantasy scenario with “real life” Nikki Heat (Det. Kate Beckett), why did I say it was written by someone so obviously not Richard Castle from the show?
Well, sure, Jameson Rook (Richard Castle’s “fictional” counterpart, and the one Nikki Heat had a naked one-on-one on “page 105” sans all the steam if we don’t count the fictional heat wave) was a bit more “heroic” and more obviously protective than his “real life” counterpart, but why on earth would Rick Castle write himself to be such an idiot? Because while the “real” Richard Castle would sometimes act like a child (well, most of the time) he’s a pretty good detective, often providing insightful and helpful information for solving the case. James Rook on the other hand appeared to have no clue, jumping from conclusion to conclusion, suspect to suspect, offering himself up for embarrassment and pick-on fodder for Heat and Roach.

Maybe I dissected this a bit too much (when it comes to characters), instead of just enjoying it for an entertaining romp that it ~~hoped to be~~ was. But as a new, yes, but enthusiastic fan of Castle I couldn’t help but feel cheated with this book.
This is one of those times when you wish you could get a refund.

One-dimensional characters, some of them acting not at all like them (Jameson Rook is one example, Nikki Heat the other, because she was being a bitch through most of the book), a pretty standard crime with the perp visible from a mile away, not particularly well-written. The flow was broken, the pacing slow, the jumping from scene to scene a bit too jarring...
I do have the next book on my eReader, but I think I’ll wait and enjoy the TV show instead.(less)

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Nov 13, 2009 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: met-the-author, signed-copy, tv-related, mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

11 likes · like · see review

Jan 29, 2010 Darcia Helle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, suspense-thriller-mystery

I enjoy the TV show Castle, which is why I bought this book. However, for me, this book falls short of the show. (Rare, since I prefer reading to TV.)

The dialogue is much like the TV show. The characters banter and there is a lot of lighthearted fun in the way they speak to one another. However, the story lacked detail. The plot was a spin on various episodes of the show. At times it was more like reading a summary of events.

The characters also lacked detail. If I had never watched the show, I...more

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Oct 16, 2010 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, crime, tv-game-movie-tie-in

This is a pretty awesome idea, all things considered. Put out the book that the character writes, and do it all in character. Even the marketing, from what I've seen. Right down to the acknowledgements in the back. It's a moneyspinner: even people who don't know the show, Castle, might pick it up, and certainly loads of people that watch the show will pounce on it. And people who read it unknowing might end up sucked into the show.

Also, tons of opportunities to reference it in the show, and to f...more

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Oct 14, 2009 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For those of you who watched last night's Castle: yes, the thing on page 105 is really there. FYI.

I don't really know how to actually review this, so I'll repeat what I said to a friend of mine this morning:

Her: Oh my God. IS IT TERRIBLE? I MUST KNOW.

Me: It's not! It's not high literature either, but--it's basically the same in terms of quality as the show. Fluffy, funny, throwing in another dead body whenever they think of plot, and just adorable.

(and slashy.)

I like.

32 likes · like · see review

Dec 24, 2010 Adi (Reading in the Windowseat) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-read-list, movie-tv-adapted, class-adult, first-in-series, genre-crimi, genre-urban

Four stars for one reason alone - I love the plot of the TV series more than that of the book. But I'll definetely be onto the next book like... today, actually XD

The first installment of the Nikki Heat series is dynamic and catching, realistic to the point of seeming based on real events and convoluted enough to keep the reader wondering who's the real bad guy to the very last chapter. I found the characters unique and intriguing, the settings - well-described, and the detective work quite up t...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Minandro Mojica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book started slow by finish great. My style of book with a woman hero. No wonder I like the tv program.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 29, 2013 Helene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So, I had to burn a gift certificate at Barnes and Noble. I figured as a haha I would get this book. I watch the tv show Castle with Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, and enjoy it a lot. The premise of the show is a high profile novelist (a Richard North Patterson type that cranks out best sellers) has a connection with the mayor of NYC that gets an NYPD detective saddled with having to let him ridealong for research on a crime novel. "Richard Castle" rubs elbows with a lot of big names, and is qu...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Jon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a pretty good thriller/mystery even taken on face value. But the whole thing is a pretense. "Richard Castle" is a character on the TV show "Castle," there presented as a writer with pull in the mayor's office, who is pushed onto a reluctant police homicide squad to write about their cases. He has a love/hate relationship, gradually turning to just love, with Kate Beckett, the head of the squad. He then "writes" a "book" about one of their cases, renaming Beckett as "Nikki Heat" and himse...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm a big fan of the TV show from day one. I hadn't even known at the time that they were planning on putting out books by 'Richard Castle' based on his time spent and research with the 12th Precinct. I'm glad I decided to check it out.

From the peer blurbs on the front cover and inside jacket, to the press photo of 'Richard Castle' on the back, to the dedication in the very beginning, the novel feels very authentic. As if Richard Castle on TV were a real author and used his adventures in his fic...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Theresa Berry rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was really not that good of a book. And for that, I'm very disappointed given how much I love the TV show and how apt I am to squee with delight at everything that has Nathan Fillion's picture on it.

The premise, for those living under a rock, is that these are the books written by Richard Castle as he follows Kate Beckett around at her detective job on Castle. The TV show plays prominently here, so if for some reason you've picked this up without ever watching the show, you're not going to...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Fallon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, kindle, mystery

I started reading this book on my Kindle a while ago, but it was weird, because it felt just like the TV show "Castle" which makes sense I suppose, but I was just expecting a little bit different tone I suppose. It took me a while to get into it and then I found the audio version and decided maybe listening to it would be a bit better, and it was. Johnny Heller narrates and he a great job at it. I did still have a hard time getting into it and it was about the time that bad stuff happens to Nikk...more

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Aug 14, 2012 VaultOfBooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

By Richard Castle. Grade: A
Christmas has come early!
MORE CASTLE!
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...more By Richard Castle. Grade: A
Christmas has come early!
MORE CASTLE!
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. Pulitzer Prize-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.

For those who are not in the know, Nathan Fillion stars as Richard Castle in the TV show Castle, a famous mystery novelist who is initially called in to help the NYPD solve a copy-cat murder based on his novels. Stana Katic stars opposite as the young detective Kate Beckett. Following his encounter with Beckett, Castle decides to use her as the model for his next book series. He uses his contacts and receives permission to accompany Beckett while investigating cases. [Thanks, Wikipedia]
As an adjunct to the ABC comedy crime drama Heat Wave hits the mark as the creative work of Richard Castle. In the TV series Richard Castle is a writer, and has written a book called Heat Wave – this book is written as if it is that book, by him. For a brief while we get to live inside the world of the TV series because we can read the book that they’re reading. The illusion is maintained flawlessly – from the dedication and afterword to the picture on the back cover.
Fans of the show will recognize his wit and humor in the prose as well as the inclusion of his experiences with the NYPD and Detective Kate Beckett into the story. The characters and their relationships are perfect mirrors to those that Richard Castle experiences with his ride-along at twelfth precinct which makes it an easy transition for fans of the show.
ABC has gone to greater lengths than any network I’ve ever seen to provide their fans with something interactive that directly ties into the show. Fans will feel like they are sharing the experience with their favorite characters from “Castle” by laying their hands on Richard Castle’s first Nikki Heat novel.
I still don’t think anyone has revealed who’s really writing these. My bet would be Andrew Marlowe, but he has continued to perfectly play along with the whole “they are written by Richard Castle” facade. Quite frankly, I think it’s more fun if they never actually admit who’s ghost writing them.
The crime story is not deeply engaging and doesn’t take itself seriously, but I will recommend this for those who are looking for something light-hearted to read. It brings back old episodes and is definitely worth the money spent.
Great chemistry between Becket and Castle. If you love the show you will love the book.

Originally reviewed at : www.the-vault.co.cc (less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Francesco Camagna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: giallo

Questo romanzo poliziesco piacerà sicuramente a chi segue le mitiche investigazioni dello scrittore Richard Castle e della detective Kate Beckett nel telefilm Castle. Questo è il primo best seller che scrive Castle dopo aver conosciuto la detective Kate, e della quale (si capisce subito) si è perdutamente innamorato! Guarda caso in Heat Wave i protagonisti sono due: lo scrittore premio Pulitzer Jameson Rook e la detective Nikki Heat che indagano su un caso di omicidio (il cadavere gli piove quas...more

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May 26, 2012 Mara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-and-thriller, there-is-a-movie-too

“Welcome to police work, Rook. This is what I call the Street Google. We are the search engine; it’s how it gets done.”

This read like fanfiction, more than an original story. I sincerely doubt the real Richard Castle ~~(did I just write that? I meant the actual character in the show)~~ would lack imagination to that extent, that all the characters in this book are just bland copies of those on the TV show. There's inspiration, and then there's imitation. If this was real life, somebody would be lau...more

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May 24, 2012 D.B. Reynolds rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THIS REVIEW IS FOR ALL THREE OF THE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE BOOKS IN THE SERIES: I've been eyeing these books for awhile, but couldn't decide if they were worth a try or not. This series is based on the conceit that the character on ABC's mystery series CASTLE writes the books, and in fact ABC has persisted in not revealing the real author. This doesn't seem quite fair to the whoever the writer is, since these books are actually very well written and quite enjoyable. I picked up the first one throug...more

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May 23, 2012 Slickery rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This would have worked so much better as a novelization of Castle. As it is you are (supposedly) reading Castle's book based on Beckett, and the insights into how he sees himself and her are interesting only in how they relate to the show characters. Without that tie in these people are not that interesting.

Whether as a tv show tie-ie or a stand alone book, the premise that a print journalist is such a household name random women see him on the street and ask for boob autographs is ridiculous. I...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Trisha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense

I was curious and excited to read this novel for two reasons: #1. I love "Castle" and was amused by the idea that a fictional character wrote a novel. There were so many jokes and references to his novel during the series that it definitely peaked my interest. It was also funny that they kept his character going by including his acknowledgements to his "family" and the detectives as well as putting his picture on the book as if he were a real author.
#2. The writers for "Castle" come up with real...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Wayne Owens rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

What a brilliant piece of MetaFiction this is:

For those of you who have been kept locked in a box for the last few years, or believe Television is the work of Satan’s minions and as such avoid the evil gogglebox for more spiritual activities, I guess I should start with a quick recap of what Castle is.

Castle is a TV show about Richard Castle, a best-selling author who decides to tag along with a NYPD team as they investigate cases, since he is using Detective Kate Beckett as his inspiration in a...more What a brilliant piece of MetaFiction this is:

For those of you who have been kept locked in a box for the last few years, or believe Television is the work of Satan’s minions and as such avoid the evil gogglebox for more spiritual activities, I guess I should start with a quick recap of what Castle is.

Castle is a TV show about Richard Castle, a best-selling author who decides to tag along with a NYPD team as they investigate cases, since he is using Detective Kate Beckett as his inspiration in a new series of books.

Since in the TV show Castle (Played by Nathan Fillion) is writing a book inspired by Beckett, the book gets mentioned a lot in the first season, even to the point of showing the proposed Cover, and its launch/release. You even see the characters reading the book in some episodes, as well as discussing a certain sex scene that’s a bit raunchy. There is nothing special in this, since a lot of TV shows make mention of Books, Films, Etc. that are apparently going on in the background. And there are a lot of shows that will do spin off books. What the producers of Castle have done, and done brilliantly is to release a bit of metafiction. They actually released the book that was supposedly written in the show. The covers the same, the plot,s the one mentioned in the show, the sex scene on page number 105 is there, and even better the Thanks page, bio, writers name, everything is written as if the character Richard Castle wrote the book. He thanks his daughter & mother, the guys from NYPD the works. All in all this is a brilliant bit of meta-fiction,

But what about the book itself?

It’s actually a good book, its very similar to an episode of castle, only its about a newspaper reporter who is travelling around with the NYPD gang solving a crime. The style is like the show, comedy mixed with action, mixed with chemistry. The only real difference is the book is darker, more violent, and more explicit (but not in a bad way) Hell there is no way you could get away with the female lead being totally naked and using an iron to melt half the face off an armed assailant intent on raping her, but in a book? alls fair.

This book is an enjoyable read even if you are one of the people who have never watched an episode of Castle. And I would recommend it as a read to anyone, you will enjoy it. In fact I will give it a 7/10 as a generic book.

But if you watch the TV show, and can appreciate the work gone into linking the book with the show, then I give it a 9/10.(less)

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Feb 04, 2012 kingshearte rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, fiction, fluff

If you haven't watched any of ABC's Castle, you should definitely consider it, because it's a very well-written crime show with a twist that's actually new and different from the many crime shows out there (some of which are also quite good, although still largely interchangeable with each other). I'm two seasons in, and I've yet to watch a disappointing episode.

In any case, if you don't know, as part of their cross-promotional efforts, they decided to actually produce the books discussed in the...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Galinda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this expecting it to be like the TV show, which I love so much, and was quite disappointed when it was not what I was expecting. My Mom bought it for me for Christmas two years ago, being big fans of the show and I read it on that day. But as I stress I was disappointed. I felt like it was a wrap up and sorely bad fanfiction of the TV show. There were characters in the book that were mirror images of the TV show, which I thought was quite funny but the book was missing the light-ness of t...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Siskoid Siskoid rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you watch Castle and would be interested in reading his Nikki Heat novels, there are two on the market right now (ghost-written, of course). I just finished Heat Wave, which would have been written after the first season, and in fact, we see Beckett reading it as a guilty pleasure over the course Season 2. I'm no expert on detective fiction as I can't say I've read very many mysteries since I was a youth and devoured Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and Agatha Christie, but Heat Wave is very close...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rating: a deeply surprised 3* of five

As a rule, I watch very little TV that isn't about science, on PBS, or revoltingly prurient. Outside of that, why bother? So the other year, there came on this little show called "Castle" that had a promising premise: Bestselling author strongarms NYC mayor into giving him access to a working homicide team to research a character for some novels. (Yeah, right.) Sorta like being an embedded journalist in Afghanistan.

I heard about it, I watched a few, I liked i...more Rating: a deeply surprised 3* of five

As a rule, I watch very little TV that isn't about science, on PBS, or revoltingly prurient. Outside of that, why bother? So the other year, there came on this little show called "Castle" that had a promising premise: Bestselling author strongarms NYC mayor into giving him access to a working homicide team to research a character for some novels. (Yeah, right.) Sorta like being an embedded journalist in Afghanistan.

I heard about it, I watched a few, I liked it fine. I forgot all about it after a few episodes, which is pretty much Standard Operating Procedure for me, unless the show is revoltingly prurient in which case its entire schedule is permanently etched in my brain (need to know when another episode of "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" is coming on? Me or the website, either one can tell you).

Then this slender volume assaults my eyes in the Buns and Nubile I patronize in Carle Place. I mean, what? A book by a fictional author in a real bookstore? And it's not soap opera related?! (Charm! by "Kendall Hart" - go look it up, and yes I watch "All My Children" I already said I like revoltingly prurient TV so leave it.) So I got...oh the shame...curious. I couldn't bring myself to plunk down twenty United States dollars for the little marvy, but the liberry saved me.

Sort of saved me, anyway. I read the book, a competently written tale of love gone bad, greed, revenge, and a dash of silly sex tossed (!) in for good measure. I wouldn't recommend it on its literary merits.

But I was struck by something interesting...the TV network that runs the show is owned by the same corporation that owns the publishing house, and that corporation owns several companies whose products figure into the story. The story itself isn't the usual "this is a script we couldn't find a way to budget so now it's a hit-series-companion-volume" type of thing...this is the book the fictional author in the series is said to be researching and writing, featuring the thinly disguised fictionalization of the sexy homicide detective he's following around. So for fans of the show, there are in-jokes and throwaways that add a level of insiderness to the read.

And it makes me feel a little queasy, frankly. It's all so...arch, manipulative, packaged that it just comes across as...cynical. It reeks of editorial committee meetings wherein the Corporate Parent's Wishes are acceded to. Possibly even applauded. Whatever, it just isn't natcherl, like a blue rose isn't. Recommended? Oh...on balance, not; if you're interested in plumbing the depths of commercialization, this is a good case study, though.(less)

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Jan 12, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, mystery, fiction, richard-castle-series, crime

I am a huge fan of the Castle television series and was very much looking forward to reading this book when it was published. I went out and bought the book within a week or two of its release, came home and set it next to the bed. There is sat for over two years, while I liked the idea of reading Heat Wave, I never actually sat down and read it for some reason. Finding the book under a pile of other book next to the bed I finally read it. While overall I enjoyed Heat Wave there were many little...more I am a huge fan of the Castle television series and was very much looking forward to reading this book when it was published. I went out and bought the book within a week or two of its release, came home and set it next to the bed. There is sat for over two years, while I liked the idea of reading Heat Wave, I never actually sat down and read it for some reason. Finding the book under a pile of other book next to the bed I finally read it. While overall I enjoyed Heat Wave there were many little nagging things that really bothered me too.

I know this is a review of the book and not the show, but thanks to the book’s circumstance, one cannot help but bring some bias from the show into the experience of reading the book. In many ways this book reads like the novelization of a rejected script idea for the show and not like the type of story we have been lead to believe Richard Castle would write. From the very beginning of the book when we first meet Nikki Heat and learn she has been saddled with a reporter named Jameson Rook on a ride along, the plot is indistinguishable from an episode of the show. There are also two other detectives working the case with Nikki and Rook that mirror the characters from the show. I realize authors tend to use people they may know as inspiration for their fictional work, but if you know this character the book reads like a memoir of one case he worked with Kate not a work of fiction at all. Other than their names there is really nothing unique or different about these characters from the ones on the show.

Once I came to terms with the fact that I was reading an episode of the show I started to enjoy the story. There are flaws in the story but overall it’s not bad. The thing I liked least about the story was toward the end Nikki had solved the case and was taunting Rook for not having figuring it out yet. The thing is that while it may come off as cute interplay between the characters, it also feels like the author taunting the reader for not having figured it out. Except it is not possible for the reader to have figured it out with the information given to that point. Were Sherlock Holmes a real person, he would not have been able figure this out with the information given the reader. Taunting your audience on top of not giving them a fair chance to figure it out was not necessary in the least.

In conclusion I would say that if you’re a fan of the show, Heat Wave is worth checking out, sort of, I guess. This book will never be mistaken for a great mystery however, that is for sure. It’s kind of mindless entertainment and not much more.
(less)

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Dec 30, 2011 Thomas Edgar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For disclosure sake; I am a fan of the Castle television series. Heat Wave is written as if the author is the main character of the show and even has an acknowledgement section from Richard Castle to fictional characters in the show. This is one of the reasons I read Heat Wave. The book is quite successful in mimicking the show and is also one of the biggest failings of the book which I will go into later.

Heat Wave is a cop who-dun-it. The story centers around the murder of a failing real estate...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Josh Duggan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Right off the bat, I'll admit that reading Heat Wave is probably the nerdiest thing I've done as an adult*.

*Well, I did make shirts for the third time I went to see Next in the theaters, but that was an act entirely motivated by comedy derived from making t-shirts for a seldom-seen movie that we went to see in a bargain theater in Round Rock**.

**For those unfamiliar with the Austin area, there isn't really a bunch of suburbs, per se. Austin can basically annex land as it sees fit and just keeps...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Mikella Etchegoyen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: part-of-a-series, adapted-or-to-be-adapted-to-film

Let me preface this with a declaration of my love for the show Castle. Nathan Fillion as a best selling author of detective novels? That’s a win in my book. There’s also the intense sexual tension between Castle and Beckett,and the antics of lovable partners Ryan and Esposito.

Anyway, reading Heat Wave was like watching a marathon of Castle episode. Raley and Ochoa (a.k.a. Roach) are fictional duplicates of Ryan and Esposito. Nikki Heat, while obviously altered to fit Castle’s imagination of the...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A titillating mystery thriller this is not. This is not even as good as the TV show, Castle, which they are playing off. This is just a middle of the road, let us slap some words on a page and call it a book kind of read. I don’t know if it has been published anywhere who the actual ghost writer is, but I am hoping that it’s not one of Richard Castles poker buddies, because a few of them have written some good books.

Nikki Heat and Rook (this would be the name given to Castle’s character, becaus...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Marylu Sanok rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mystery fans

Recommended to Marylu by: Emma

Shelves: mystery

As a police drama book, this was entertaining. Characters could have been drawn out more, however, the story line was thought provoking with enough twists to satisfy a mystery lover like me.

The sexual tension betwen the writer and the detective was effective but no more than exptected. The scenes with New York suffering a heat wave ( pardon the pun ), was very appropriate for this year as it followed the real thing we were experiencing. The effect of the black out was very real having myself bee...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Deborah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

This book is a fun novelty for fans of the show, "Castle," as it's the one Richard Castle is writing during the first season of the show. I'm a huge fan of the show, but the book was only okay. The character interactions, supposedly (in the show) based on the detectives Castle shadows, aren't nearly as good as the actual show's character interactions. Also, the names in the book really bug me. I mean, Nikki Heat as the main character is kind of cheesy, of course, but the other ones were grating:...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Castle Freaks: Heat Wave	1	2	May 10, 2013 06:17pm
Looking forward	13	77	Mar 01, 2013 01:24pm
Help needed. Heat-Wave or Naked-Heat	10	131	Sep 23, 2012 01:35pm
The Women's Myste...: Heat Wave (Nikki Heat #1)	21	51	Sep 20, 2012 06:12pm
Aussie Lovers of...: Castle	1	9	Jul 28, 2012 04:54am
Book Lovers UnInt...: Nikki Heat by Richard Castle	1	6	Aug 09, 2011 03:05am

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About Richard Castle

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Richard Castle is the author of numerous bestsellers, including the critically acclaimed Derrick Storm series. His first novel, In a Hail of Bullets, published while he was still in college, received the Nom DePlume Society's prestigious Tom Straw Award for Mystery Literatur...more

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Quotes from Heat Wave

“Nikki paid attention to nags because they were the voices God gave to clues.” — 36 people liked it

“We all try. And try as we might to control things, sometimes bad things get in and it's not our fault.” — 12 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: Heat Wave Goodreads rating: 3.49 (27488 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7555811-heat-wave?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347334404l/7555811.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7555811-heat-wave?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Heat Wave by Richard Castle[/url]

Heat Wave (Nikki Heat #1)

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