Castle and Heat Wave

One of my new favorite TV shows is the ABC comedy-drama series, CASTLE. It airs on Monday nights at 10pm and it really helps me get over the Monday blues of having to go back to work.

Nathan Fillion stars as Richard Castle, a famous mystery novelist who is initially called in to help the NYPD solve a copy-cat murder based on his novels. Stana Katic stars opposite him as the young attractive detective Kate Beckett. Following his encounter with Beckett, Castle decides to use her as the model for his next book series. He uses his contacts and receives permission to accompany Beckett while investigating cases. While technically a drama series, CASTLE also features comedy and romantic tension.

For me, the sweetheart of the show is Molly Quinn, who plays Alexis Castle, Castle's fifteen-year-old daughter. She is notably more mature and responsible than her father and is a very bright student who enjoys school. Her social and interpersonal issues often parallel some aspect of the case Castle and Beckett are investigating.

Another scene stealer of the show is Susan Sullivan, who plays Martha Rodgers, a former Broadway actress and Castle's mother. She lives with Castle and Alexis, but also enjoys an active social life.

And because I am a sucker for campy entertainment, I am anxious to read HEAT WAVE, the novel the fictional Richard Castle wrote in the series. This book has actually been published by Hyperion. Written by an anonymous author under the name "Richard Castle", it is entirely in character from the dedication to the acknowledgments. The first half of the novel was released on the ABC website in weekly increments, but the book must be purchased to be read in its entirety. HEAT WAVE was released on September 29, 2009, and debuted at #26 on the New York Times Best Seller list. In its 4th week on the list, it broke into the top 10 at #6.