Raging Heat (Castle) (Nikki Heat 6) by Richard Castle
| Raging Heat (Castle) (Nikki Heat 6) by Richard Castle | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: Best for fans of the television series Castle, but still an exciting and fun read. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 416 | Date: May 2015 |
| Publisher: Titan Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781783295333 | |
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Fans of the television series Castle will come to this book ready-prepared for what’s going on, but for those unaware, in the series there is a character called Richard Castle who is an author. He observes a homicide detective, Kate Beckett, in her work and then writes a novel, Heat Wave, based on her character, changing Kate’s name to Nikki Heat and his own to Jameson Rook. After the book was written (in the television series) it was actually published in real life. Being a fan of Castle I immediately bought it and read it. To be honest, I found that the concept messed with my head too much! I kept thinking about who was who, within the book, translating Nikki’s name to Kate’s, and Rook’s to Castle, and it all became very confusing because even though Kate and Castle are 'real' they are, of course, fictional characters too! I didn’t read any more Nikki Heat books after that first one, until this one. It’s been a little while since I watched the TV series, and somehow coming at it fresh made a big difference and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
So, the story here revolves around an illegal immigrant who falls from the sky, crash landing into a New York building and triggering a homicide investigation. Nikki Heat heads the investigation, finding herself caught up in political intrigue as well as an oncoming hurricane. Rook comes along on the investigation but their opinions clash concerning who is responsible, leaving Nikki feeling alone and afraid for her relationship with Rook.
It does help to have some awareness of the characters (and the other fictional characters whom they are based on!) as I think that adds extra layers to the story. Knowing Nikki/Kate’s back story helps you understand her character, and being aware of her relationship with Rook/Castle explains their situation within this story. Yet at the same time I felt this was just a generally good crime thriller that anyone could pick up and read and still enjoy. I felt the story worked well, so even though you know who the baddie is from quite early on, you’re still not definite that he did it, and you have no idea how things happened. Nikki herself faces lots of danger through the story, and that makes for an exciting read too. It was a good page-turner, with a good pace, and I think the setting with the oncoming storm adds to the sense of urgency throughout.
There’s plenty of humour throughout the story too, that helps lighten the tone and of course matches the television series. Rook, like Castle, manages to be both charming and annoying, and Nikki is one of those really good cops, who perseveres and follows every lead. I like the procedural side to the story, as well as the character development. Of course, you must suspend belief somewhat - it does seem unlikely that an author would just be allowed to tag along on all these murder investigations! And for the most picky of readers, the romantic conclusion is perhaps visible from the beginning and rather formulaic. Perhaps that is when knowing the characters pays off, and familiar readers forgive the expectable and just enjoy the resolution for the pay off of two loved characters getting together.
As a fan of the series, I like the mystery around who might actually be writing these stories! For the author photo they use a picture of Nathan Fillion, the actor who plays Richard Castle in the television show. I like that he plays to the role in this way, and has even featured in video clips to advertise the books! I like that the books don’t just repeat episodes from the television show and that they can stand alone by themselves. This is a fun, and exciting, book, good for a holiday read or a lazy weekend.
Further reading suggestion:
You might also like to try more New York crime with The City of Strangers by Michael Russell or Dead Rich by Katia Lief.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Raging Heat (Castle) (Nikki Heat 6) by Richard Castle at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Raging Heat (Castle) (Nikki Heat 6) by Richard Castle at Amazon.com.
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