Heat Rises (Nikki Heat book 3) by Richard Castle

 

Heat Rises is the third Nikki Heat book, written by the fictional Richard Castle.

I think it's clear that some of the writers of the show must have a hand in the actual ghost writing of the Nikki Heat books. Either that, or the ghost writer has a hand in some of the scripts. Castle's humor comes through the same way in the written word as it does from Nathan Fillion.

If you are one who wants to see Castle and Becket get together, then you'll love the books, because Rook and Heat are very together.

As I've been reading the In Death series, I've gotten it into my head that Kate Becket is loosely based off of Eve Dallas. The way she walks, the way she interrupts her men when they joke and she wants to solve the murder, the way she studies her murder board, the way she organizes resources under fire. The only difference in the show would be that Eve admits she loves Roarke, where Kate keeps Castle at arms length. In the books, the relationship between Heat and Rook is closer to Eve and Roarke after they became and item and before they were married... minus the mansion and Summerset.

Here's the blurb:

Fast-paced and full of intrigue, Heat Rises pairs the tough and sexy NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat with hotshot reporter Jameson Rook in New York Times bestselling author Richard Castle’s most thrilling mystery yet.

The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club opens Nikki Heat’s most thrilling and dangerous case so far, pitting her against New York’s most vicious drug lord, an arrogant CIA contractor, and a shadowy death squad out to gun her down. And that is just the tip of an iceberg that leads to a dark conspiracy reaching all the way to the highest level of the NYPD. But when she gets too close to the truth, Nikki finds herself disgraced, stripped of her badge, and out on her own as a target for killers, with nobody she can trust. Except maybe the one man in her life who’s not a cop: reporter Jameson Rook.

In the midst of New York’s coldest winter in a hundred years, there’s one thing Nikki is determined to prove:  Heat Rises.

As for the writing elements:

• The plot was beautifully crafted. I thought I new the villain early on, but I was wrong.
• Pacing had some issues here and there, but was mostly okay.
• Prose and dialogue were fine.
• Character development wasn't a large part of the narrative, but wasn't completely ignored.

The previous books in this series rated an 8 and 9.  I've gone back and forth between a 9 and 10 for  Heat Rises, and in the end I will give it a 10 of 10, but will leave the series at a 9 of 10. It deserves a 10 for the complex plot, for snags and then fluidity of Rook and Heat's relationship, and for holding up the fantasy of Richard Castle as well as it does. The dedication to Roy Montgomery at the beginning of the book caught me off guard -- well played.

• Book Rating: Heat Rises: 10 of 10
• Series Rating: 9 of 10

1. Heat Wave
2. Naked Heat
3. Heat Rises

 

Naked Heat (Nikki Heat book 2) by Richard Castle

 

Naked Heat is the second book supposedly written by the mythical Richard Castle. If you enjoy the TV show, and you like to read, then there is a decent chance you'll enjoy both Heat Wave and Naked Heat. I would not recommend reading the second book until you've read the first, though. It could be done, both were written as stand alone books, but I think the set up for book one will help you understand some things that are just jumped right into with book two.

Here's the blurb

When New York’ s most vicious gossip columnist, Cassidy Towne, is found dead, Heat uncovers a gallery of high profile suspects, all with compelling motives for killing the most feared muckraker in Manhattan.

Heat’ s murder investigation is complicated by her surprise reunion with superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook. In the wake of their recent breakup, Nikki would rather not deal with their raw emotional baggage. But the handsome, wise-cracking Pulitzer Prize-winning writer’ s personal involvement in the case forces her to team up with Rook anyway. The residue of their unresolved romantic conflict and crackling sexual tension fills the air as Heat and Rook embark on a search for a killer among celebrities and mobsters, singers and hookers, pro athletes and shamed politicians.

This new, explosive case brings on the heat in the glittery world of secrets, cover-ups, and scandals.

If you enjoy the humor in the TV show Castle, then you'll probably appreciate the humor in the book. It's not exactly the same, but they are trying to show Richard Castle's sense of humor in the writing. 

I'm not sure who is actually writing these books -- it feels at times as if it's a project, as if there are multiple people working on it, as the voice isn't exactly the same throughout. It's not jarring, it's similar enough, and the plot is so involved that I think having a team writing it probably helped make the plot into the huge tangle that it became. And I say tangle in a good way, it's not often that I read a book where there are so many possible people who could have done it, and when I have no clue until the actual unveiling.

As for the writing elements, the plot was superb, and pacing was well done. Prose had some issues here and there, if the show's writers are writing the books then these are writers used to writing dialogue and not prose, and that showed up a few times when we a room was being described, or when we were being told how someone felt about something. Not a huge deal, but certainly there.  Dialogue, on the other hand, was done quite well. Character development is... okay. But I think it is assumed we've all watched the show, and that some of that work has already been done. If you look at it in that light then character development is fine.

I gave the first book, Heat Wave, an 8 of 10. I think Naked Heat was better written, and I think more attention was given to the plot. Still not quite a 10 of 10 though, so I'll give it a 9 of 10. After two books I think that's probably the series rating, as well.

• Book Rating:Naked Heat:  9 of 10
• Series Rating:  9 of 10

I thought it was pretty cool that, during Monday night's show, Richard Castle said something about his book being released "tomorrow", and that this was actually the case, that Naked Heat was being released Tuesday in real life as well. I'm looking forward to Monday night's show, to see how they weave the book into the show now that it has been released.




1. Heat Wave
2. Naked Heat

Heat Wave (Nikki Heat) by Richard Castle

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Heat Wave, the fictional book written by the fictional character Richard Castle, actually exists. Which, I guess means it's no longer a fictional book. Sort of.

Being that Richard Castle is a superstar author in the show, I was hoping for a book we'd expect to see from a superstar author. Unfortunately, while it was a good book and an entertaining read, it wasn't that good.

As an adjunct to the show, it's a good book. But if it were a book on it's own without the show? Not so much.

I don't want to make it sound like a bad book... the prose and the dialogue were great, the plot was nicely done, and the pacing was perfect. Richard Castle's character is funny on the show, and we get that in the book as well.

I wasn't expecting the book to follow the show quite so closely. Same characters, different names. It was almost a biography, and I was hoping to read the fiction that Richard Castle would write. Also, I was hoping to get more of the kind of thing you can only get in a book - the stuff you don't see on TV. More of what people are thinking and feeling and hoping for, and while there was some of that, there wasn't enough for me.

Richard Castle doesn't really exist, and I'm assuming this was a collaborative effort, probably of the writers who write the show. Big kudos go to the writers for not making Nikki Heat a sex object - I was a bit worried about that. She's a strong, professional, talented, goal driven woman. And when she takes down a huge guy in hand to hand combat, it's not treated as if she's superwoman. We see her taking the time to practice her martial arts skills, we know that she works to stay at the top of her game so she can take down the bad guys when she has to.

I honestly don't know how to rate Heat Wave. If it weren't for the TV show, I doubt I would purchase the second book in the series. But with the TV thing? Yes, I will buy the next book as well. I'll split the difference and give it an 8 of 10.

Book Rating: Nikki Heat: 8 of 10

If the TV series continues then I'm sure there will be more books. Once we get at least two books I'll rate the series.