Stephanie S. (skywriter319) - , reviewed on 6/11/2011 + 784 more book reviews

HEAT WAVE suffers from spinoff-itis. It assumes that its readers know the TV show Castle and the story behind its books, and thus assumes that it doesnt have to bother with the usual writing techniques such as character development. Because Nikki Heat is (a much sexier) Kate Beckett; Jameson Rook is (a much more boring) Richard Castle (I mean, really, just look at the last names); Roach is Esposito and Ryan; and so on down the line.

The upside of this is that it does read like an extra episode of Castle, and the mystery is plenty good, with a nice amount of twists, red herrings, and unexpected revelations. The downside is that this book cannot and should not stand on its own. If it were a novel written by a real person, instead of by the fictional character Castle, it would probably be reamed by an editor for its lack of character development and the lack of developing chemistry between Heat and Rook.

For that was what disappointed me most of all: if HEAT WAVE were the manifestation of Castles imagination of a relationship between himself and Beckett (which, uh, in a sense, it is), then it was really poorly done, because the spark that Castle and Beckett have on the show is not apparent between Rook and Heat. On the show, sexual tension crackles between Castle and Beckett, a tension that is enhanced by their banter. In HEAT WAVE, Rook and Heat have just about zero banter. Any banter that they might have falls flat in about two lines, which is not really banter at all, but just the clumsy insertion of one-line quips. Rook comes across as an incompetent and bumbling reporter with not even a quarter of the appeal that Castle has, making the romance between him and Heat very unconvincing. If this were really the book that Richard Castle wrote on the TV show, then I struggle to understand how he ever made it as a bestselling mystery writer.

Still, I understand that this book was penned and published because it wanted to draw on the popularity of the TV show. I gave in and bought a copy, after all. For Castle fans, its a great indulgence. However, for more discerning readers, particularly discerning readers of mysteries and thrillers, HEAT WAVE will most likely disappoint. Dont open this book expecting greator, admittedly, even decentwriting.

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