OCT - Heat Wave

October review for Book Riot's Read Harder 2018: Heat Wave by Richard Castle, 2016. [book with a cover you hate category]

I had to think real hard about this, because I often do the opposite: choose to read a book purely because I am intrigued by the cover. I don't know that I have ever actively hated a book cover: I am generally OK with movie tie-in editions, although I don't profess to *love* them, as long as I can still get my own attractive copy. So I had to dig deep and think about what I would really roll my eyes at when I saw a book. I settled, in the end, on romance novel covers (inexplicably glistening pecs and mid-swoon damsels) and pulp crime novels.

Heat Wave by Richard Castle is a little bit of both, arguably. It is a sort of tie-in with Castle the TV show (starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic), and I read it just as I was starting my partner on the show. Needless to say, the similarities between the Heat Wave characters and their inspirations are many and sometimes I had to double check which case I was in. Having that backstory (from the show) certainly enriched the experience, and I felt a little closer to the story than I maybe would have if I had just picked it up with no knowledge. All in all, I enjoyed this quick little read, even if the cover drove me a little crazy.