High Heat – Richard Castle

While Castle may have come to an end this spring, the novels supposedly written by Nathan Fillion’s character continue on.  In High Heat, the latest effort from Richard Castle, the murder of a journalist as part of a supposed jihad sets Nikki Heat and her detective squad on a case that puts Jameson Rook’s life at risk.

While the plot of the novel was fine, there were 2 things that bothered me.  First, the ending incorporated one of the things that everyone hated about the last season of Castle, a forced breakup of the main characters for contrived reasons.  Second, while the series of Nikki Heat novels has always included a few nudges and winks towards the show, this book leaves the winks behind and instead pulls out a sledgehammer to make sure you notice those in-jokes.  Beyond those two complaints, the book was enjoyable and the cliffhanger ending would lead one to believe there will be another installment.