Heat Rises

At first I didn't think this book was going to be any better than the other two in the Nikki Heat series. But with the ending and with further thought about how well it complements what's happening on the show, I decided I liked it quite a bit more. (Or maybe I was just less invested in the show when I read the first two books?) The books are mostly just official fan fiction, most of which I could take or leave, and the mysteries in and of themselves didn't really interest me (especially the second book). But the mystery played out really well in Heat Rises and was further enriched by how interestingly it reflected the show and served as Castle's recreation of the events around Montgomery's death and Beckett's shooting.

The ending was kind of heartbreaking – Rook taking the bullet for Heat when Castle couldn't take it for Beckett, with Heat at Rook's bedside in the way that Castle couldn't be for Beckett because she pushed him away. The story's resolution was also interesting as Castle's recasting of Montgomery's role in Beckett's mom's murder – Montrose was the one to lead them to the solution after his death, while Montgomery, similarly blaming and sacrificing himself, was only able to help to a point and refused to lead them to the truth.

And then of course Belvedere Castle (“looking upward at the castle that had been her salvation”!) and the Victoria St. Clair romance novel with Kate Sackett (Castle of her Endless Longing!) – more fan-fiction-fare! So many layers, and instead of just being amusing as in the previous books, they're much more interesting and even moving, because there is more at stake in their relationship now than there was in the first three seasons, especially with the secrets it looks like they'll be keeping from each other in the coming episodes.