Naked Heat
By Richard Castle
Hyperion/ABC Studios, 2010
Age Range: Adult

I admit it. I enjoy watching Nathan Fillion. I enjoyed watching Firefly more intensely than Castle, but I’m happy that Castle exists because I believe strongly in this man’s right to have a steady acting job so that I can enjoy a steady diet of his roguish sense of humor.

As a mostly regular Castle watcher, I noticed a smudge in the line of reality when those Nikki Heat books that Nathan Fillion’s character writes on the show suddenly starting popping up in my local bookstore. I resisted buying them for at least a year, afraid that the fairly clever merchandising tie-in masked some not so clever writing.

But last week I gave in. I blame Nathan Fillion’s smile. You know the one in the author photo that seems to say, “Yes, I know this whole thing is a little silly, but don’t you think it’s kind of fun anyway?”

And you know, I think it’s fair to say that if you enjoy watching Castle, you’ll enjoy these books.  Reading Naked Heat is like reading an episode of the show. It’s really quite remarkable. Kudos to the author for that, whoever he or she may be.

And now it’s your turn. What are you reading this week?

Related Links:

• Real authors writing fake books (Globe & Mail)
• Naked Heat and the Art of Cross Promotion (savings.com)
• Hyperion to Publish Three Original EBooks in Richard Castle’s Acclaimed Derrick Storm Series (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)