Oct. 2023 - Mystery Book Club - Past Titles - LibGuides at Westwood Public Library

"Heat Wave" by Richard Castle

Heat Wave by Richard Castle
Call Number: MYSTERY Castle
The thrilling new novel written by' the charismatic bestselling author Richard Castle, co-star of the hit ABC show. In Heat Wave, tough, sexy and professional Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads on of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns a superstar journalist to ride along with her for his research on an article on New York's finest. But as she works to unravel the secrets of a murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between herself and the journo.'

Character Analysis:

Which character from "Heat Wave" did you find most intriguing or relatable? Why?

How does the author (Richard Castle) develop the main character's personality and motivations throughout the story?

Plot and Themes:

What were the major themes explored in "Heat Wave"? How were these themes woven into the plot?

Did you find the storyline of "Heat Wave" engaging and well-crafted? Why or why not?

Writing Style and Pacing:

How would you describe Richard Castle's writing style in "Heat Wave"? Did it remind you of any other mystery novelists?

Did the pacing of the book keep you engaged and eager to continue reading? Why or why not?

Crime-Solving and Mystery Elements:

What were the key elements that made the mystery in "Heat Wave" compelling and challenging to solve?

Were you able to identify the culprit before the revelation in the book? What clues helped or misled you?

Comparisons to Real Mystery Novels:

How does "Heat Wave" compare to other mystery novels you've read? Are there specific aspects that stand out in terms of plot, characters, or style?

Are there any renowned mystery authors whose writing style or storytelling approach you could draw comparisons to while discussing "Heat Wave"?

Crossing Fiction and Reality:

How does the concept of a fictional character (Richard Castle) writing a book influence your perspective on "Heat Wave"? Does it add to the reading experience?

In what ways does the TV show "Castle" influence your interpretation of the book "Heat Wave"?

Richard Castle is a pseudonymous author created as a marketing gimmick for the television series "Castle," which aired from 2009 to 2016. The character of Richard Castle, a successful mystery novelist, was portrayed by actor Nathan Fillion. The show was created by Andrew W. Marlowe. To enhance the show's narrative and engage fans, "Richard Castle" was credited as the author of a series of tie-in mystery novels, starting with "Heat Wave" in 2009. These novels were published in the real world and attributed to the fictional character. The books were ghostwritten by various authors, including Tom Straw, Peter David, and others. The novels are based on the fictional books mentioned in the TV series, specifically Castle's Derrick Storm and Nikki Heat book series. The character's persona, as portrayed in the show, was maintained in promotional materials and book signings, blurring the line between fiction and reality for fans of the series.

The "Richard Castle" novels include titles such as "Naked Heat," "Heat Rises," "Frozen Heat," "Deadly Heat," "Raging Heat," "Driving Heat," "High Heat," and "Heat Storm," among others. These books follow the fictional characters Derrick Storm and Nikki Heat, inspired by Castle's experiences and interactions with NYPD detective Kate Beckett in the TV series.

"Castle" is an American television series that aired from March 9, 2009, to May 16, 2016. Created by Andrew W. Marlowe, the show blends elements of crime drama and comedy-drama. The series was well-received and gained a dedicated fanbase during its run.

Plot Summary:

The show revolves around Richard Castle, a successful and renowned mystery novelist, portrayed by Nathan Fillion. Castle is known for his Derrick Storm book series and finds himself struggling with writer's block. However, his life takes a turn when a serial killer starts imitating murder scenes from his novels. To assist the NYPD in solving the case, Castle becomes a consultant to the police, working closely with detective Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic.

The partnership between Castle, with his creative imagination and understanding of criminals, and Beckett, with her detective skills and analytical mind, forms the heart of the show. Over the course of the series, they solve various intriguing murder cases while dealing with personal and professional challenges.

Main Characters:

Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion): A best-selling mystery novelist.

Kate Beckett (Stana Katic): A dedicated NYPD homicide detective.

Captain Roy Montgomery (Ruben Santiago-Hudson): Beckett's boss and mentor.

Detective Javier Esposito (Jon Huertas): A detective working in the homicide division.

Detective Kevin Ryan (Seamus Dever): Another detective in the homicide division.

Alexis Castle (Molly Quinn): Castle's intelligent teenage daughter.

Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan): Castle's mother, a former Broadway actress.

The show received praise for its engaging storytelling, witty dialogue, and the chemistry between the lead characters. It combined elements of crime procedural with light-hearted humor, making it a hit among fans. "Castle" explored themes of love, friendship, and the creative process, with a backdrop of intriguing murder mysteries.

Casanegra by Blair Underwood; Tananarive Due (As told to); Steven Barnes (As told to)
Call Number: MYSTERY Underwood
Casanegra follows the adventures of Tennyson Hardwick, a gorgeous, sexy actor and former gigolo, living on the fringes of the good life in Hollywood. This story, which chronicles the redemption of a prodigal son, combines the glamour of Hollywood with the seedy hopelessness of the inner city.In this hot and steamy mystery, Tennyson struggles to hang on to his acting career and redeem his sex-for-pay history, which estranged him from his family -- especially his father, a decorated LAPD captain who raised Tennyson to call him "sir." Now, in the wake of his father's sudden stroke, Tennyson has to save himself from taking the fall for the first murder of a female rapper. In the process he discovers his hidden talents -- the hard way.
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
Call Number: FICTION Reichs
The first Temperance Brennan novel in the "cleverly plotted and expertly maintained series" ( The New York Times Book Review ) from the #1 internationally bestselling thriller writer Kathy Reichs. Her life is devoted to justice--even for those she never knew. In the year since Temperance Brennan left behind a shaky marriage in North Carolina, work has often preempted her weekend plans to explore Quebec. When a female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in trash bags, Temperance detects an alarming pattern--and she plunges into a harrowing search for a killer. But her investigation is about to place those closest to her--her best friend and her own daughter--in mortal danger...
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
Call Number: FICTION Evanovich
Meet Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. In Stephanie's opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and hydrocarbons are all part of the great adventure of living in Jersey. She's a product of the "burg," a blue-collar pocket of Trenton where houses are attached and narrow, cars are American, windows are clean, and (God forbid you should be late) dinner is served at six. Now Stephanie's all grown up and out on her own, living five miles from Mom and Dad's, doing her best to sever the world's longest umbilical cord. Her mother is a meddler, and her grandmother is a few cans short of a case.
Burning Time by Leslie Glass
Call Number: MYSTERY Glass
A serial killer leaves a college coed to die in the California desert, his signature of fire seared into her flesh.... A beautiful Chinese-American detective, recently transferred from Chinatown to the Upper West Side, is assigned a routine missing-persons case... A famous doctor returns home from a lecture to discover that his actress wife has been living a secret life.... Now, the paths of the cop, the killer, and the psychiatrist are about to converge.... A savage killer is on the loose in New York City.nbsp;nbsp;His calling card is a tattoo of flames; his trail of victims leads from the scorched sands of Californa to the blistering heart of Manhattan. Only Detective April Woo can block this vicious madman's next move.nbsp;nbsp;And with the help of psychiatrist Jason Frank, this NYPD policewoman will prove that the predator she's hunting is no ordinary killer--but then, April Woo is no ordinary cop.
Mallory's Oracle by Carol O'Connell
Call Number: MYSTERY O'Connell
Jonathan Kellerman says Mallory's Oracle is "a joy." Nelson DeMille and other advance readers have called it "truly amazing, " "a classic" with "immense appeal." It is all of that, and more: a stunning debut novel about a web of unsolved murders in New York's Gramercy Park and the singular woman who makes them her obsession. At its center is Kathleen Mallory, an extraordinary wild child turned New York City policewoman. Adopted off the streets as a little girl by a police inspector and his wife, she is still not altogether civilized now that she is a sergeant in the Special Crimes section. With her ferocious intelligence and green gunslinger eyes, Mallory (never Kathleen, never Kathy) operates by her own inner compass of right and wrong, a sense of justice that drives her in unpredictable ways. She is a thing apart. And today, she is a thing possessed. Although more at home in the company of computers than in the company of men, Mallory is propelled onto the street when the body of her adoptive father, Louis Markowitz, is found stabbed in a tenement next to the body of a wealthy Gramercy Park woman. The murders are clearly linked to two other Gramercy Park homicides Markowitz had been investigating, and now his cases become Mallory's, his death her cause. Prowling the streets, sifting through his clues, drawing on his circle of friends and colleagues, she plunges into a netherworld of light and shadow, where people are not what they seem and truth shifts without warning. And a murderer waits who is every bit as wild and unpredictable as she.... Filled with deep, seductive atmosphere and razor-sharp prose, Mallory's Oracle is gripping, resonant suspense of tantalizing complexity--a genuinely unforgettable novel.
Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour by Mike Lupica
Call Number: MYSTERY Lupica
Melanie Joan Hall is back in Boston, riding high, refusing to have Sunny and Rosie move out. She has a Netflix series about to start shooting in Boston, based on her wildly popular new series of books for girls. Then it turns out that most of her fortune is gone. And her manager, who was in charge of the money, turns up dead. He's been with her a long time. When Sunny begins to investigate, she discovers that a lot of Melanie Joan's past is a product of her amazing imagination. And then Sunny's loyalty to her old friend is challenged by her loyalty to finding out the truth.
Ice Cold Heart by P. J. Tracy
Call Number: MYSTERY Tracy
Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth join Grace MacBride and Monkeewrench to uncover a dark and ugly conspiracy that reaches deep into the safety of homes in this latest electrifying thriller from New York Times bestselling author P. J. Tracy. It's a bitter winter in Minnesota--too cold to kill. There hasn't been a murder for a month, but the lull quickly comes to an end for Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, when they're called to the gruesome homicide of Kelly Ramage. Found in a friend's vacant house, this was no random attack, and clues reveal that she was living a very dangerous secret life. Magozzi and Gino trace her steps back to an art gallery where she was last seen alive. The gallery seems like a dead end, but the art is disturbing and exploitative. It may very well be inspiring a sadistic killer, because in this instance, art doesn't imitate life, it imitates death. Tipped off about a year-old murder that is a mirror-image of Kelly's crime scene, Gino and Magozzi enlist the aid of Grace MacBride and her eccentric, tech genius partners in Monkeewrench Software to help them decipher the digital trail that might connect the cases. As coincidences emerge, Magozzi, Gino, and the team have to work around the clock at breakneck pace to unravel a series of clues that form the framework of a larger, more sweeping, and insidious conspiracy than any of them could have imagined. Is Kelly the last person to die or just the most recent? And is there any way to stop it?
Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh
Call Number: Fiction Leigh
A homicide detective's violent family history repeats itself in #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh's novel of murder, secrets, and retribution. For more than twenty-five years, Philadelphia homicide detective Bree Taggert has tucked away the nightmarish childhood memories of her parents' murder-suicide...Until her younger sister, Erin, is killed in a crime that echoes that tragic night: innocent witnesses and a stormy marriage that ended in gunfire. There's just one chilling difference. Erin's husband, Justin, has vanished. Bree knows how explosive the line between love and hate can be, yet the evidence against her troubled brother-in-law isn't adding up. Teaming up with Justin's old friend, former sheriff's investigator and K-9 handler Matt Flynn, Bree vows to uncover the secrets of her sister's life and death, as she promised Erin's children. But as her investigation unfolds, the danger hits close to home. Once again, Bree's family is caught in a death grip. And this time, it could be fatal for her.

Mystery Book Club - Past Titles: Oct. 2023

"Heat Wave" by Richard Castle

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