Jenn's Review: Storm Front

Author: Richard Castle
Series: Derrick Storm #1
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Voice
Pages: 314
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Crime
Rating: 3.75
Bottom Line: Light spy read
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Library

Blurb: There's a storm front coming!

Four years after he was presumed dead, Derrick Storm--the man who made Richard Castle a perennial bestseller--is back in this rip-roaring, full-length thriller.

From Tokyo, to London, to Johannesburg, high-level bankers are being gruesomely tortured and murdered. The killer, caught in a fleeting glimpse on a surveillance camera, has been described as a psychopath with an eye patch. And that means Gregor Volkov, Derrick Storm's old nemesis, has returned. Desperate to figure out who Volkov is working for and why, the CIA calls on the one man who can match Volkov's strength and cunning--Derrick Storm.

With the help of a beautiful and mysterious foreign agent--with whom Storm is becoming romantically and professionally entangled--he discovers that Volkov's treachery has embroiled a wealthy hedge-fund manager and a U.S. senator. In a heated race against time, Storm chases Volkov's shadow from Paris, to the lair of a computer genius in Iowa, to the streets of Manhattan, then through a bullet-riddled car chase on the New Jersey Turnpike. In the process, Storm uncovers a plot that could destroy the global economy--unleashing untold chaos--which only he can stop.

Review:  In the world of Castle, we know that his Derrick Storm books made him famous, but the ABC franchise up to this point has only visited it in graphic novels and short stories.  Storm Front is the first full length novel.

With the Nikki Heat novels there are stories within stories as "Richard Castle" draws on his experiences with Beckett, giving the plots a familiarity and odd sense of deja vu.  For Derrick Storm there isn't anything else to draw from... so with the exception of a few ruggedly handsome references and a brief run-in with the 12th Precinct's Heat and Rook, it stands on it's own. I was in no hurry to solve the mystery, but even so I had no idea where it was going. The twist wasn't huge but it was completely perspective altering.

While I don't think this will win any awards, I do think it is a fun addition to the Castle transmedia collection. It also makes for a great summer read.

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Jenn's Review: Deadly Heat

 Blurb:  Picking up where Frozen Heat left off, top NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat pursues the elusive former CIA station chief who ordered the execution of her mother over a decade ago. For the hunt, Nikki teams once again with her romantic partner, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Jameson Rook, and their quest for the old spy and the motive behind the past murder unearths an alarming terror plot-which is anything but ancient history. It is lethal. It is now. And it has already entered its countdown phase.

Complicating Heat's mission to bring the rogue spy to justice and thwart the looming terror event, a serial killer begins menacing the Twentieth Precinct and her homicide squad is under pressure to stop him, and soon. The frightening murderer, known for his chilling stealth, not only has singled out Nikki as the exclusive recipient of his taunting messages, he then boldly names his next victim: Detective Heat.

Review:  As a Castle fanatic, this is a must read for me.  I have said it before and I'll write it again, this is an awesome franchise idea -television author, real books.  Although the story within a story thing continues to blow my mind.

I love the fictionalized versions of the fictional characters and I must say, the 12th precinct feels a little more real in the novels than it does on screen.  Although I can't help wonder whether the last novel was my favorite because the Rook and Heat romance was where the Castle and Beckett one had yet to venture.  Now with Castle and Beckett being together it kind of outshines Rook and Heat.

While I enjoy the novels in their own right, the last one, Frozen Heat, felt a little more independent of the television series than this one.  Not that I didn't enjoy it on it's own merit, but I knew where the plot twists were headed with very few surprises.  Still, it kept me turning pages.

Next up in my Castle-mania will be the recent Derrick Storm novel.  Yes, I love me some Castle!

Final Take:  4/5

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Jenn's Review: Frozen Heat

Summary:  NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat arrives at her latest crime scene to find an unidentified woman stabbed to death and stuffed inside a suitcase left on a Manhattan street. Nikki is in for a big shock when this new homicide connects to the unsolved murder of her own mother. Paired once again with her romantic and investigative partner, top journalist Jameson Rook, Heat works to solve the mystery of the body in the suitcase while she is forced to confront unexplored areas of her mother's background.

Facing relentless danger as someone targets her for the next kill, Nikki's search will unearth painful family truths, expose a startling hidden life, and cause Nikki to reexamine her own past. Heat's passionate quest takes her and Rook from the back alleys of Manhattan to the avenues of Paris, trying to catch a ruthless killer. The question is, now that her mother's cold case has unexpectedly thawed, will Nikki Heat finally be able to solve the dark mystery that has been her demon for ten years?

Review:  I normally would save Frozen Heat for next summer when Castle is on hiatus, but the cliff hanger in Heat Rises was too compelling. Frozen Heat is the tale of Detective Heat's mother's murder and it's far more sensational than the story of Kate Beckett's mother's murder; it's very Richard Castle ~and I loved it.

I love the relationship between Rook and Heat, and I think it's affecting the way I view Castle's relationship with Beckett... Rook and Heat are so easy together and I find myself wishing that Castle and Beckett were 'there'. The literary version does solve cases in tandem just as fabulously as the television version though and it makes for a great read.

Nikki has a wall that is not ready to come down, but this case keeps putting cracks in it.  Rook keeps pushing her to dig into her mother's past.  I have a feeling this story line runs a little closer to Castle's father than it does Beckett's mother.  The case was fascinating and I was completely unable to solve it.  That's saying something.  There were surprises around every corner and I love how Rook stood with Heat through it all, even when he wasn't sure he should.

The writing team threw in another cliff hanger here, but release dates will force me to wait for the next Nikki Heat novel.  I've said it before, if you are a Castle fan, this is a must read, if not, you might just like them anyway.

Final Take:  5/5

Jenn's Review: Heat Rises

 Summary:  The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club is just the tip of an iceberg that leads Nikki Heat to a dark conspiracy that reaches 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 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.

Review:  Although I had a hard time getting into the third Nikki Heat novel, Heat Rises turned out to be my favorite from 'Richard Castle' so far.  The beginning had me wondering if they'd changed ghost writers, though because Castle's voice just wasn't coming through for me.  But as the story pressed on, it became a lot clearer.

I think the other problem I had getting into it was backtracking Heat and Rook's relationship back to where Castle and Beckett were in Season 3 of the show which was frustrating.  However Heat and Rook's relationship blew by where we finished Season 4.  I actually think Heat Rises gives a nice glimpse of where we are heading with Castle and Beckett, at least, I hope it does (no, I can't bring myself to use the shipper term Caskett even though I fully admit to being a shipper).  Though the echos of their television show counter parts were there, the characters in the books took on a life of their own for me for the first time and I liked it.

The plot itself was fantastic.  Eventually I picked the threads of the Castle episodes that it drew from, but they didn't seem to overpower the story line as they have in the previous books.  There were some twists I definitely didn't see coming as well as some role reversals.  Though I must say [SPOILER ALERT] the death of the captain was just as sad to read as it was to watch.

I love that these books are a stopgap for the show being on hiatus.  Though I usually am able to hold off reading them, I have a feeling I will be jumping into the newly released Frozen Heat soon because I want to know more of their story... not just Castle's.

Final Take:  4.5/5

 

Jenn's Review: A Bloody Storm

Summary:  Derrick Storm is back--this time with a crack team of ghost CIA operatives. These former agents have all faked their own deaths and now work for the CIA on a strictly secret basis, taking on dangerous and illegal jobs the agency may not officially carry out. They're headed to the Molguzar Mountains to look for sixty billion dollars' worth of gold hidden by the KGB before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and taking a perilous detour to rescue FBI agent April Showers from a sociopathic torturer. But Storm's loyalties are put to the test as the mission begins to unravel into a bloody mountaintop showdown, and he and Showers must find out the hard way that their assignment may not be what they thought it was... ~blurb

Review:  This is the third and last installment of short story for the Derrick Storm releases.  I enjoyed it just about as much as the first two, but I will say it was a little obvious why Storm was sent on the mission, and who was behind everything, still there were a few small surprises.  (I loved the chase scene and Showers' final weapon, even though the easy banter during it seemed completely unrealistic -and very Castle.)  Did I think Jones went to far?  Yes, but I understand why he made the call that he did.

This fall we will be awarded 'Richard Castle's' second Storm book in graphic novel form, Storm Season.  I don't know how much further ABC plans to take Derrick Storm, but I'm enjoying what they are giving.  I will be reading the full length, Nikki Heat novel, Heat Rises, soon because I miss Castle.  (I know Frozen Heat will be out in September, but I always save the books for the summer when the show's hiatus is difficult for this die-hard fangirl.)  I don't often praise ABC, but I love what they're doing with this franchise.

Final Take:  4/5
 

Jenn's Review: A Raging Storm

Summary:  Days after being brought out of retirement to investigate a kidnapping, Derrick Storm has a dead US senator on his hands, an assassin to track down, and nearly six billion dollars' worth of gold bars--hidden by the Communist Party somewhere in the former USSR--to uncover. Teaming up again with FBI agent April Showers, Storm must talk to Ivan Petrov, a secretive millionaire who has ties to the assassination, coordinates for the gold, and a mole leaking information to the Russian government from within his inner circle. And while the CIA mission is getting heated, it's nothing compared to the growing sexual tension between Storm and Showers...

Review:  I have been missing Castle a lot this summer. Usually I just start re-watching my DVDs but my television time has been greatly reduced this summer so reading these little short stories from 'Richard Castle' help ease the ache. Even though these stories revolve around Derrick Storm, Castle's series prior to Nikki Heat, it is a lovely morsel of the Castle lore from the writers.  In fact, you can actually hear Castle's voice in Derrick Storm.

As for A Raging Storm, this brings us a little closer to the heart of the investigation that Storm has been hauled out of retirement for. The cold war may be over, but the spy game is still on. Storm uncovers what his boss has been concealing and now he must continue the investigation without reading in Agent Showers or drawing her into his world. 

I was glad to start getting into the meat of the story, and get a little more character development. We were also left with a huge cliff-hanger  These short stories are lovely little diversions and I look forward to the final installment, A Bloody Storm, due out next week. 

Final Take:  4/5
   

Jenn's Review: A Brewing Storm

Summary:  When Derrick Storm needed to leave the CIA, he couldn't just retire. He had to fake his own death. So when his former boss calls in an old favor that will bring Storm out of early retirement and back to Washington to investigate a high-profile kidnapping, he knows there must be more at stake than the life of a senator's son. Working alongside, but not exactly with, bombshell FBI investigator April Showers, Storm must make sense of a confusing flurry of ransom notes and a complicated web of personal relationships and international politics. He'll get to the bottom of the kidnapping, but the storm is still brewing . . .

DISCLAIMER:  Richard Castle is the novelist in the hit television series, Castle. Before he started shadowing Beckett for his Nikki Heat novels, he was the best selling author of the Derrick Storm series ~which ABC is now taking from the plot exposition of the show and creating and publishing in various forms.

Review: Derrick Storm isn't dead?!? I must admit, I was a little confused at first. My last encounter with Detective Storm was at the beginning of the Derrick Storm saga through the graphic novels, so I was a little surprised to pick up this short story and be dropped into the end of the saga. Apparently, Storm faked his death to go off the grid.

The short story was entertaining but held very few surprises. I enjoyed the characters, though I found Storm to be the very essence of the obnoxious playboy that Richard Castle used to be. I do wonder how Storm got here from where he started and where the next short story installment will take us. It's quite a cliff hanger and it certainly left me craving more.

Then again, maybe I'm just a little Castle starved since the season ended... And oh, how it ended!

Final Take: 3.75/5

Jenn's Review: Naked Heat

Summary:  Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook are together again in Richard Castle's thrilling follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, Heat Wave.


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.

Review:  This transmedia book is the second of the series from the Castle franchise on ABC.  While I'm not sure how much you would appreciate this if you aren't a fan of the show, it's a must for a die-hard Castle addicts such as myself.  This book came out last fall and I saved it for this summer when I knew the Castle hiatus would be killing me.  I love that it gives me a little piece of Castle for my very own.

As with Heat Wave, this is a culmination of Castle's time shadowing Beckett.  So it makes perfect sense that  the writers use some of the cases we have seen on the screen, but jumbling them up and mixing the stories together with an entirely new plot.  More to the point, they are very meticulous about keeping everything in Castle's voice.  You can really hear his character as the author.  It supplements the show with a depth of perspective on the character of Richard Castle. It's also amusing to see the characters made into characters.  However, although "Castle" includes a caricature of his mother in the book, he does not give his Jameson Rook a daughter. I think that says a lot about the man, and the protective father, Richard Castle is...

Everything has been getting more complex on the show, providing more to draw from and making for a more intricate novel with more plot twists.  Even the relationship between Lanie and Esposito makes it into Castle's book.  The story is attention grabbing so I stopped thinking about the story-within-a-story-within-a-story thing and just enjoyed it as it was meant to be. Heat is through with Rook, having kicked him out of her life professionally and personally after his article on the department turned into a feature on her. But her freeze out comes to an end when Rook's newest journalistic subject is murdered and his insight is needed once again.  It was a good case, and though I caught one of the clues planted early in the book, I didn't know the who and the why of it until it was revealed in the story.

The other nice thing about the novel is that it gives Castle-Beckett 'shippers' something to hold onto.  The romance between Rook and Heat is a virtual love letter to Beckett (and still she isn't ready to let him in...).  I also think it demonstrates that an on screen relationship could work with tension and interest still being maintained.

Heat Rises, the third book, is due out September 20, 2011 (along with the Season 3 DVDs) and it's definitely on my TBR wishlist, especially after the escalated, game-changing third season that the show had.  It will be fascinating to see what changes in "Castle's" writing and what gets pulled into the story.  I may not be able to hold out for a summer read again, though.  I'll probably read it when the show goes into winter hiatus.  The pull is that strong.

Final Take:  4.25/5

Jenn's Review: Heat Wave

Summary: 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. PulitzerPrize-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.

Review: This book is a transmedia part of the show Castle on ABC and I really can't discuss one without discussing the other. The premise of the show is that Richard Castle, a famous mystery novelist, follows around Detective Kate Beckett of NYPD homicide as research for a new series he's writing after having helped her solve a copy-cat murder based on one of his novels. The book is the first installment of Castle's new series with the lead character, Nikki Heat, based on Beckett.

Obviously, I like the show or I wouldn't have picked up the book. The dialogue is quick and witty and the characters are likable ~ in that way, it's almost like a Bones-lite. Also, as with Bones, I like the fact that the viewer doesn't figure out the whodunit ahead of time (I usually pick them out within the first 5 minutes of Mentalist, but not so here). I love the cameos by actual authors too such as Stephen J. Cannell, James Patterson ("Only one book a year, Rick?!?"), and Michael Connelly who all play poker with Richard Castle. Actually in the beginning of Season 1 they used to do this really awesome cinematography of the crime scenes to start each show and I kind of miss that... but I digress.

The book is supposed to be Castle's novel based on his exploits with Beckett and the NYPD homicide division, so it is loosely references several episodes of Castle. In that way, it was a lot like reading an episode of the show with the luxury afforded of being able to go into greater detail. It was a little strange at times because the reader is immersed in a fictional character's work of fiction. I could really 'hear' Castle's voice as the author... which is Nathan Fillion, but not because it's actually that the writer's of the show. So you can see how it could be a little mindboggling to me at times due the fact that it was a story in a story in a story, so to speak, not to mention the dejavu moments ('Oh, I remember this scene!') from different episodes of the show. Although, that means the show writers have voiced a solid character and that the continuity between book and show is flawless.

I thought it was a great addition to the Castle franchise and a winning idea from ABC (believe me, you don't hear me say -or read me type, in this case- that very often). It's a nice tie in and aussuaged the post-television-season blues. The second installment, Naked Heat, is due out in September and I've added it to my wishlist. Would you enjoy it if you haven't seen the show? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I don't know how much I would appreciate the voice of Castle-the-author if I didn't know the character. Then again, it's not quite 200 pages and a great plot with lots of twists and turns. It might just be a perfect summer read.

Final Take: 4.0/5