Frozen Heat

Frozen Heat
by Richard Castle

After a vaguely disappointing third entry in this meta tv tie-in series of novels, this fourth volume was terrific. The Nikki Heat novels are supposedly written by Richard Castle, the famous writer character played by Nathan Fillion on the TV series Castle. The multiple layers of meaning to the characters' relationships -- Nikki and Jameson's relationship in most ways parallels the on-screen relationship between Castle and Kate Beckett -- means that fans of Castle will get more out of the Nikki Heat novels that the average reader. However, even standing on their own, the Nikki Heat novels are excellent mystery/thriller stories. In Frozen Heat, NYPD detective Nikki Heat is finally able to dig into the unsolved murder of her mother over 10 years earlier -- a new murder victim has distinct ties to Cynthia Heat. Ace reporter Jameson Rook assists Heat and her squad, as Nikki delves into elements of her own past that reveal previously unknown secrets. The dialog is snappy, the plot is fast-paced, and the characters are likeable, even if somewhat formulaic. This was a quick read, and I do recommend it very strongly. If I weren't a Castle fan, I'd probably rate it slightly lower, but since I love both the show and the books, it gets a 9 from me! I, like many other fans, am still intense curious as to the identity of the author who is actually writing these novels. The studio and publisher have still managed to successfully conceal who is ghost-writing these as "Richard Castle". [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the rest of the Nikki Heat novels, as well as the Castle DVD sets.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [Subscribe to Scott's monthly booklist newsletter It's All Geek to Me! - on the Books, Movies & More newsletter sign-up page]

[Also available in book-on-cd and downloadable E-book formats.]

[ Frozen Heat page on the "official" Richard Castle web site ]
 
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