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Derrick Storm #0.5
A Raging Storm
The second piece of the Derrick Storm trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Castle, available exclusively as an eBook short.
Days after being brought out of retirement to investigate a kidnapping, Derrick Storm has a dead US senator on his hands, an assassin to track down, and nearly six billion dollars' worth of gold bars--hidden by the Communist Party somewhere in the former USSR--to uncover. Teaming up again with FBI agent April Showers, Storm must talk to Ivan Petrov, a secretive millionaire who has ties to the assassination, coordinates for the gold, and a mole leaking information to the Russian government from within his inner circle. And while the CIA mission is getting heated, it's nothing compared to the growing sexual tension between Storm and Showers...
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2012
203 people are currently reading
5956 people want to read
About the author
Richard Castle
58 books4,891 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Richard Castle is the author of numerous bestsellers, including the critically acclaimed Derrick Storm series. His first novel, In a Hail of Bullets, published while he was still in college, received the Nom DePlume Society's prestigious Tom Straw Award for Mystery Literature. Castle currently lives in Manhattan with his daughter and mother, both of whom infuse his life with humor and inspiration.
Note: Richard Castle is a fictional character from the ABC television show, Castle, played by Nathan Fillion. The biography is of this character. His name is being used as a pseudonym for tie-in novels to the TV show.
Richard Castle is the author of numerous bestsellers, including the critically acclaimed Derrick Storm series. His first novel, In a Hail of Bullets, published while he was still in college, received the Nom DePlume Society's prestigious Tom Straw Award for Mystery Literature. Castle currently lives in Manhattan with his daughter and mother, both of whom infuse his life with humor and inspiration.
Note: Richard Castle is a fictional character from the ABC television show, Castle, played by Nathan Fillion. The biography is of this character. His name is being used as a pseudonym for tie-in novels to the TV show.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 264 reviews
August 5, 2012
This books up exactly where the last one left off. Storm is in the thick of a conspiracy reaching around the world and is trying to figure it out before it's too late. There was a slight rehashing of the events of the last book but it was just enough to refresh my memory without being too much.
The story unfolds further with more of the motive behind it all becoming clear. There's not a lot of progression in the Storm/Showers relationship though. I think these novella could be a bit longer. I was really starting to get into it when suddenly it's over and I have to wait a couple more months for the next part. But they do leave me wanting to read the next part, which isn't a bad thing. I like these little adventures I can sandwich between larger books. Bring on the next one!
The story unfolds further with more of the motive behind it all becoming clear. There's not a lot of progression in the Storm/Showers relationship though. I think these novella could be a bit longer. I was really starting to get into it when suddenly it's over and I have to wait a couple more months for the next part. But they do leave me wanting to read the next part, which isn't a bad thing. I like these little adventures I can sandwich between larger books. Bring on the next one!
February 6, 2017
priča se razvija, i nešto je zanimljivije, pa je preko 3.5, zato dajem četvorku
April 10, 2020
This was again a very quick read being only about 70 odd pages long. This continues the story from the very first book and leads to the 3rd part which I read first but the stories don't tie too much with the previous stories. Overall the story is full of action and spy stuff.
So read the entire trilogy and the 4th book is way bigger than the entire trilogy. Read and then Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
So read the entire trilogy and the 4th book is way bigger than the entire trilogy. Read and then Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
July 5, 2015
A Raging Storm was a good second e-novel. A Brewing Storm set up the story very nicely, however this was the typical middle story in a trilogy. Storm and Shower's are taken to London when they realize that their case about the senator was more than they bargained for, in many ways. Storm continues to be funny and I enjoy finding out his history, I also enjoy his flirtatious chemistry with Showers. The plot of this book was only okay. I am concerned more for the characters as people than as for what is going to happen with the case. This book was a set up for the third book, which is also the conclusion of this e-series. This book ended again with a cliff hanger and I am really hoping what I think is going to happen doesn't happen. Overall, I did enjoy reading this novel and I am looking forward to reading the last one, A Bloody Storm, but I would not consider this to be one of the best Richard Castle novels.
May 7, 2022
This one picks up right where A Brewing Storm ended. Derrick Storm and April Showers are sent to London after the assassination of Senator Windslow. Showers is on behalf of the FBI and Storm by the state department per Jedediah Jones. He’s investigating operation Midas, which is tied to the assasination. Of course, Showers is on a need to know basis, which makes her very unhappy. No doubt this is far fetched, but full of action and fun. This series is basically a full length novel broken into four parts. I’ll be quickly moving on to the third part!
October 2, 2018
Just as clichéd as the first, slightly less misogynistic, and peppered with a gazillion typos (threw for through. Whose for who's. Castle would not be amused).
Why don't eBooks get proper editing? It's annoying.
Why don't eBooks get proper editing? It's annoying.
June 19, 2020
This book was better than the first. Although Derrick Storm could really do better. I love Showers, she's a badass. I hope she survives this.
August 26, 2021
My oh my, what an excitement! I must hurry to read the last part of the series. This would also be a great tv show, or film.
February 15, 2015
“A Raging Storm” by Richard Castle is the second novella in the Derrick Storm trilogy. The most common complaints that I’ve heard about this book is that it is formulaic, trite, pulpy. All of these things are true. It’s also entertaining as hell. Seriously, not every book that you read has to be highbrow literature. Sometimes, you just want a little pulpy, ridiculous entertainment.
Enter Richard Castle.
For a more indepth review of this novella, you could just check out my review of the first book in the series “A Brewing Storm,” because there’s not really much more to say about this second book than what was said about the first.
Now, for the things that are not in my review of the first novella. Here are the things that are especially relevant just for this book:
First, this book has a nice overview of the “A Brewing Storm”. It’s not so indepth as to feel like rewarmed rehash, but it is enough that if you haven’t read the first book, you won’t be lost in this one. Of course, they’re novellas, so why not take the two hours to read the first one. But, if that’s not in your schedule, or not in your budget, there is enough of a recap to keep you from being lost (you will lose a little bit of character development, though. I’m not sure that this matters in pulp fiction).
Second, they do resolve the cliff-hanger from the previous book. So, for those who felt that it would be dragged out over all episodes, not to worry: the cliff-hanger is resolved; the overall myth-arc remains intact. Also, a new cliff-hanger is introduced to lead the reader into the third book.
Finally, I found the characters more likable in the second installment. Frankly, I feel that this is due to their being more fleshed-out. This is partly because the first book allowed some of the details that function as character building blocks for this book. It is also partly because, as the characters become more familiar with each other, they let their guard down slightly and expose more of themselves to one another (therefore the reader).
All in all, I found this book to be a solid piece of ghost-written pulp mystery, and worth the read when you are interested in a bit of light crime fiction.
Enter Richard Castle.
For a more indepth review of this novella, you could just check out my review of the first book in the series “A Brewing Storm,” because there’s not really much more to say about this second book than what was said about the first.
Now, for the things that are not in my review of the first novella. Here are the things that are especially relevant just for this book:
First, this book has a nice overview of the “A Brewing Storm”. It’s not so indepth as to feel like rewarmed rehash, but it is enough that if you haven’t read the first book, you won’t be lost in this one. Of course, they’re novellas, so why not take the two hours to read the first one. But, if that’s not in your schedule, or not in your budget, there is enough of a recap to keep you from being lost (you will lose a little bit of character development, though. I’m not sure that this matters in pulp fiction).
Second, they do resolve the cliff-hanger from the previous book. So, for those who felt that it would be dragged out over all episodes, not to worry: the cliff-hanger is resolved; the overall myth-arc remains intact. Also, a new cliff-hanger is introduced to lead the reader into the third book.
Finally, I found the characters more likable in the second installment. Frankly, I feel that this is due to their being more fleshed-out. This is partly because the first book allowed some of the details that function as character building blocks for this book. It is also partly because, as the characters become more familiar with each other, they let their guard down slightly and expose more of themselves to one another (therefore the reader).
All in all, I found this book to be a solid piece of ghost-written pulp mystery, and worth the read when you are interested in a bit of light crime fiction.
July 16, 2012
I really liked A Brewing Storm because it felt truer to the Richard Castle character on Castle than any of the Nikki Heat books, but A Raging Storm sorta takes a step back. But first, I gotta say even after just two of these Derek Storm shorts, I'm kinda getting tired of this format, send Storm out on a spy caper with some bare bones of buildup and then, boom, end on a cliffhanger. Annoying marketing ploy for the next short.
But anyway, in a way this book is better than the first, it's less silly, more serious. Storm himself's way more focused on his mission, with rare exceptions he's really in badass spy mode. Showers plays the tough female FBI agent to a tee, their banter from the first book's somewhat toned down as the two of them really focuses on the mission at hand. The conspiracy with the Russians, the big mystery of the first book, is explained and becomes the focus of this one. It's a sort of ripped from the headlines (of a few years ago) plot with a wealthy Russian tycoon versus an old school Russian President, but still not much different than one I'd expect to find in a full length spy thriller. The plotting is tighter all around, the story breezier, and I was really surprised when I got to the cliffhanger here because I didn't think I'd read that much.
But at the same time, these changes really shoehorn this book into the generic spy thriller mold. The silliness really set apart the first book, but this one, beyond the names of the holdover characters from the first book, Storm and Showers, well, reading this really didn't feel all that didn't from reading any other generic spy thriller. And that's really not what Castle's about. Sure, I appreciate the tighter plotting, but not at the expense of the Castle spirit. This one's almost a clone of the Nikki Heat books with Storm as Jameson Rook and Showers as Nikki Heat.
So my verdict, better written yet more generic. Oh, and I really don't know what to expect from the final book, A Bloody Storm, but I really wish all three were released as one book.
But anyway, in a way this book is better than the first, it's less silly, more serious. Storm himself's way more focused on his mission, with rare exceptions he's really in badass spy mode. Showers plays the tough female FBI agent to a tee, their banter from the first book's somewhat toned down as the two of them really focuses on the mission at hand. The conspiracy with the Russians, the big mystery of the first book, is explained and becomes the focus of this one. It's a sort of ripped from the headlines (of a few years ago) plot with a wealthy Russian tycoon versus an old school Russian President, but still not much different than one I'd expect to find in a full length spy thriller. The plotting is tighter all around, the story breezier, and I was really surprised when I got to the cliffhanger here because I didn't think I'd read that much.
But at the same time, these changes really shoehorn this book into the generic spy thriller mold. The silliness really set apart the first book, but this one, beyond the names of the holdover characters from the first book, Storm and Showers, well, reading this really didn't feel all that didn't from reading any other generic spy thriller. And that's really not what Castle's about. Sure, I appreciate the tighter plotting, but not at the expense of the Castle spirit. This one's almost a clone of the Nikki Heat books with Storm as Jameson Rook and Showers as Nikki Heat.
So my verdict, better written yet more generic. Oh, and I really don't know what to expect from the final book, A Bloody Storm, but I really wish all three were released as one book.
July 27, 2012
I have been missing Castle a lot this summer. Usually I just start re-watching my DVDs but my television time has been greatly reduced this summer so reading these little short stories from 'Richard Castle' help ease the ache. Even though these stories revolve around Derrick Storm, Castle's series prior to Nikki Heat, it is a lovely morsel of the Castle lore from the writers. In fact, you can actually hear Castle's voice in Derrick Storm.
As for A Raging Storm, this brings us a little closer to the heart of the investigation that Storm has been hauled out of retirement for. The cold war may be over, but the spy game is still on. Storm uncovers what his boss has been concealing and now he must continue the investigation without reading in Agent Showers or drawing her into his world.
I was glad to start getting into the meat of the story, and get a little more character development. We were also left with a huge cliff-hanger These short stories are lovely little diversions and I look forward to the final installment, A Bloody Storm, due out next week.
As for A Raging Storm, this brings us a little closer to the heart of the investigation that Storm has been hauled out of retirement for. The cold war may be over, but the spy game is still on. Storm uncovers what his boss has been concealing and now he must continue the investigation without reading in Agent Showers or drawing her into his world.
I was glad to start getting into the meat of the story, and get a little more character development. We were also left with a huge cliff-hanger These short stories are lovely little diversions and I look forward to the final installment, A Bloody Storm, due out next week.
February 4, 2014
I am enjoying these Derek Storm short stories. I bought all 3 of them for my wife for Christmas, but I am the one so far who is zipping thru them. I am already 10% into
. But in effect these 3 short stories form one longer book. Price tag for all 3 books is $7.50 or so. I might not have spent that much on myself, but my wife is worth it. Plus in effect we are sharing the cost on the Richard Castle books (she is the one who got me hooked on the TV show).
The 2nd book improved a tad over the first, as Storm started acting more like a spy than he did in book 1. These are short fun reads that you should enjoy if you like the TV show. After all, by reading a Derek Storm story you get a little insight in the author's mind (Richard Castle) on the TV show (yeah, yeah, we all know it is a gimmick to go along with the show, but who cares?).
. But in effect these 3 short stories form one longer book. Price tag for all 3 books is $7.50 or so. I might not have spent that much on myself, but my wife is worth it. Plus in effect we are sharing the cost on the Richard Castle books (she is the one who got me hooked on the TV show). The 2nd book improved a tad over the first, as Storm started acting more like a spy than he did in book 1. These are short fun reads that you should enjoy if you like the TV show. After all, by reading a Derek Storm story you get a little insight in the author's mind (Richard Castle) on the TV show (yeah, yeah, we all know it is a gimmick to go along with the show, but who cares?).
September 14, 2012
Much more tightly plotted than the first piece of the Derrick Storm trilogy, though still sloppily edited. There are several instances when their/there/they're is mixed up, as well as your/you're; I paid for these books, the least Hyperion could do is hire someone with half a brain to write and/or edit them.
But my annoyances with the editing aside, the flow of A Raging Storm is much better than A Brewing Storm. The plot moves more quickly, and the confusing use of italics to reflect Storm's thoughts (though it's never truly stated that he's thinking these passages) is kept to a minimum and used more appropriately. There are fewer characters, and with the set-up out of the way there is a lot more action and story... things actually happen this time around. Still, it's a pretty standard thriller with all the usual suspects showing up: government intelligence, corrupt politicians, a treasure hunt, etc.
Quick and fun, but relatively simple as well.
But my annoyances with the editing aside, the flow of A Raging Storm is much better than A Brewing Storm. The plot moves more quickly, and the confusing use of italics to reflect Storm's thoughts (though it's never truly stated that he's thinking these passages) is kept to a minimum and used more appropriately. There are fewer characters, and with the set-up out of the way there is a lot more action and story... things actually happen this time around. Still, it's a pretty standard thriller with all the usual suspects showing up: government intelligence, corrupt politicians, a treasure hunt, etc.
Quick and fun, but relatively simple as well.
March 29, 2013
I enjoyed the first instalment of this Derrick Storm "trilogy" of novellas (basically one story broken into 3 ebooks).
They must have switched ghost writers for the second one - everything that made "A Brewing Storm" enjoyable, "A Raging Storm" lacked. While the former was hardly going to win any awards, the latter was all but unreadable.
The writing is dreadful and I seriously doubt if the finished manuscript passed within 100 feet of an editor at any point before it was published. The characters who seemed interesting in the previous book are now lifeless caricatures of themselves, and the new evil Russian villains we are introduced to are hackneyed and dull.
I have not yet read book #3 which concludes the story so I cannot tell you if it's worth reading this book to get there.
This book was a thorough disappointment given the early promise of the series.
They must have switched ghost writers for the second one - everything that made "A Brewing Storm" enjoyable, "A Raging Storm" lacked. While the former was hardly going to win any awards, the latter was all but unreadable.
The writing is dreadful and I seriously doubt if the finished manuscript passed within 100 feet of an editor at any point before it was published. The characters who seemed interesting in the previous book are now lifeless caricatures of themselves, and the new evil Russian villains we are introduced to are hackneyed and dull.
I have not yet read book #3 which concludes the story so I cannot tell you if it's worth reading this book to get there.
This book was a thorough disappointment given the early promise of the series.
May 15, 2018
Stars: 2.5 / 5
Recommendation: A quick and easy read to have a continuity in the trilogy, but nothing as big as raging.
A Raging Storm is the second book published in July of 2012 by fictional author Richard Castle from the TV series Castle (portrayed by Nathan Fillion) (My review of the TV series here: http://inspirethoughts.livejournal.co...). This forms the second book in a trilogy within the series.
As we see in the previous book, A Brewing Storm (My review of the book here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c... ), Derrick Storm had been resurrected and brought out of his retirement to work on a high profile kidnapping case. However nothing seems as simple for Storm and FBI Special Agent April Showers with whom he is working. With Matthew Dull - the step-son of Senator Thurston Windslow - and the Senator himself being killed, April wants to bring justice for their deaths.
Reluctantly she is tagged with Storm again and this time their trails leads to London, at the doorstep of Ivan Petrov - a Russian secretive millionaire. Is this all connected to the huge amount of gold bullion belonging to Soviet Communist Party hidden somewhere in Russia? Was the Senator somehow mixed in all this? But biggest question was how did anyone know about Senator's or Storm's / Showers's movements in the first place?
In addition to finding out who was behind the deaths, Storm is also tasked to find out who was the mole along with more information on the hidden gold.
Although there is not a lot of architectural history, Richard Castle takes the readers through political history between Russia, USA and a bit of England in this plot. We get glimpses of how old Russia was and how new Russia is now.
Plot as such felt more of an extension to the first novella, with not adding a whole lot to the storyline except the part about hidden gold. No hidden loops or surprising twists weaved in; keeping it a simple and straight storyline. However, Richard kept his key players still strong and intelligent. And not to discount the obvious attraction between Storm and April. Will either of them act on it or will they simple play cat and mouse chase was definitely interesting tidbit of this novella.
Easy read that can be finished in a few hours and perhaps could be skipped since not a lot of story is covered.
On a side note, note the title choice for this novella by Richard Castle. His sixth Nikki Heat book that was published in September of 2014 has a similar title - Raging Heat (My review of that book here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...). Interesting choice of words by the author.
Spoiler Alerts:
1) Plot Reveals:
a. Richard Castle mentions two types of Russian government pracatices in this plot: Glasnost - the policy or practice of more open consultative government and wider dissemination of information, initiated by leader Mikhail Gorbachev from 1985 (More about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasnost); Perestroika -
the policy or practice of restructuring or reforming the economic and political system. First proposed by Leonid Brezhnev in 1979 and actively promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev, perestroika originally referred to increased automation and labor efficiency, but came to entail greater awareness of economic markets and the ending of central planning (More about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestr...).
b. The plot ends with Ivan Petrov being shot by his closest friend Georgi Lebedev; that both Lebedev and Antonija Nad - Chief Security Officer for Petrov - were the moles working for the current Russian President Oleg Barkovsky; the coordinates for where the gold is present; and most importantly FBI Special Agent April Showers life in jeopardy.
2) Sub Plots:
a. In the eighth Nikki Heat book, High Heat (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), Richard Castle shows the reader as having Nikki Heat met Derrick Storm as a suspect in a case she had caught a few years earlier, a brutal murder of a currency trader. I was wondering what case was that since I hadn't come across any such case in all of her eight books. However, on Wikipedia it is mentioned in the character bios of Detective Nikki Heat and her husband and Pulitzer prize winning journalist Jameson Rook that they had made cameo appearances in the Derrick Storm novel Storm Front which was published in May of 2013. I am yet to read that book and come across that scenario.
b. National Clandestine Services is a division of CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) that recruits spies who are sent to clandestine operations across the world working for United States. Richard Castle mentions Derrick Storm belongs to this organization and I wasn’t sure if it even existed. Looks like it does. Check here: https://www.cia.gov/offices-of-cia/cl....
c. We see frequent mention of another agent, Clara Strike, who also worked for Jedidiah Jones at NCS. There definitely seems to be some kind of romantic link between Derrick Storm and Clara Strike; that Clara also faked her death and had retired similar to Storm. Will she be resurrected in a future book by Richard Castle is something one will have to wait and see.
3) It’s still a mystery as to who wrote truly wrote these books, be it Nikki Heat series or Derrick Storm series. Obviously not the fictional character Richard Castle or Nathan Fillion the actor who portrayed the role. Unlike Murder, She Wrote books (Check my reviews of this series here: http://inspirethoughts.livejournal.co...), the actual author of these books is really hidden deep.
4) Grammatical / Historical / Geographical / Character / Mythological / Plot Errors:
a. On Pg. 182, line 5, it should be "..to see if your palates…"
b. On Pg. 187, line 14, it should be "Isn't it dangerous for…"
Recommendation: A quick and easy read to have a continuity in the trilogy, but nothing as big as raging.
A Raging Storm is the second book published in July of 2012 by fictional author Richard Castle from the TV series Castle (portrayed by Nathan Fillion) (My review of the TV series here: http://inspirethoughts.livejournal.co...). This forms the second book in a trilogy within the series.
As we see in the previous book, A Brewing Storm (My review of the book here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c... ), Derrick Storm had been resurrected and brought out of his retirement to work on a high profile kidnapping case. However nothing seems as simple for Storm and FBI Special Agent April Showers with whom he is working. With Matthew Dull - the step-son of Senator Thurston Windslow - and the Senator himself being killed, April wants to bring justice for their deaths.
Reluctantly she is tagged with Storm again and this time their trails leads to London, at the doorstep of Ivan Petrov - a Russian secretive millionaire. Is this all connected to the huge amount of gold bullion belonging to Soviet Communist Party hidden somewhere in Russia? Was the Senator somehow mixed in all this? But biggest question was how did anyone know about Senator's or Storm's / Showers's movements in the first place?
In addition to finding out who was behind the deaths, Storm is also tasked to find out who was the mole along with more information on the hidden gold.
Although there is not a lot of architectural history, Richard Castle takes the readers through political history between Russia, USA and a bit of England in this plot. We get glimpses of how old Russia was and how new Russia is now.
Plot as such felt more of an extension to the first novella, with not adding a whole lot to the storyline except the part about hidden gold. No hidden loops or surprising twists weaved in; keeping it a simple and straight storyline. However, Richard kept his key players still strong and intelligent. And not to discount the obvious attraction between Storm and April. Will either of them act on it or will they simple play cat and mouse chase was definitely interesting tidbit of this novella.
Easy read that can be finished in a few hours and perhaps could be skipped since not a lot of story is covered.
On a side note, note the title choice for this novella by Richard Castle. His sixth Nikki Heat book that was published in September of 2014 has a similar title - Raging Heat (My review of that book here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...). Interesting choice of words by the author.
Spoiler Alerts:
1) Plot Reveals:
a. Richard Castle mentions two types of Russian government pracatices in this plot: Glasnost - the policy or practice of more open consultative government and wider dissemination of information, initiated by leader Mikhail Gorbachev from 1985 (More about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasnost); Perestroika -
the policy or practice of restructuring or reforming the economic and political system. First proposed by Leonid Brezhnev in 1979 and actively promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev, perestroika originally referred to increased automation and labor efficiency, but came to entail greater awareness of economic markets and the ending of central planning (More about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestr...).
b. The plot ends with Ivan Petrov being shot by his closest friend Georgi Lebedev; that both Lebedev and Antonija Nad - Chief Security Officer for Petrov - were the moles working for the current Russian President Oleg Barkovsky; the coordinates for where the gold is present; and most importantly FBI Special Agent April Showers life in jeopardy.
2) Sub Plots:
a. In the eighth Nikki Heat book, High Heat (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), Richard Castle shows the reader as having Nikki Heat met Derrick Storm as a suspect in a case she had caught a few years earlier, a brutal murder of a currency trader. I was wondering what case was that since I hadn't come across any such case in all of her eight books. However, on Wikipedia it is mentioned in the character bios of Detective Nikki Heat and her husband and Pulitzer prize winning journalist Jameson Rook that they had made cameo appearances in the Derrick Storm novel Storm Front which was published in May of 2013. I am yet to read that book and come across that scenario.
b. National Clandestine Services is a division of CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) that recruits spies who are sent to clandestine operations across the world working for United States. Richard Castle mentions Derrick Storm belongs to this organization and I wasn’t sure if it even existed. Looks like it does. Check here: https://www.cia.gov/offices-of-cia/cl....
c. We see frequent mention of another agent, Clara Strike, who also worked for Jedidiah Jones at NCS. There definitely seems to be some kind of romantic link between Derrick Storm and Clara Strike; that Clara also faked her death and had retired similar to Storm. Will she be resurrected in a future book by Richard Castle is something one will have to wait and see.
3) It’s still a mystery as to who wrote truly wrote these books, be it Nikki Heat series or Derrick Storm series. Obviously not the fictional character Richard Castle or Nathan Fillion the actor who portrayed the role. Unlike Murder, She Wrote books (Check my reviews of this series here: http://inspirethoughts.livejournal.co...), the actual author of these books is really hidden deep.
4) Grammatical / Historical / Geographical / Character / Mythological / Plot Errors:
a. On Pg. 182, line 5, it should be "..to see if your palates…"
b. On Pg. 187, line 14, it should be "Isn't it dangerous for…"
August 27, 2013
I must admit I got this e-book from my local library on a bit of a lark, since I enjoy the television show "Castle". I started reading this not aware at first that it is the second in the series. That did not affect its ability to catch my interest. The plot was somewhat predictable, but the characters were engaging. One of the more corny things was that the main female characters name was 'April Showers'! I kid you not! It was a quick, easy read, but did not grab me enough to make me want to continue the series. Guess I will just watch the TV show instead.
June 24, 2015
This second installment was much better than the first. Full of action, decent writing, and better character development.
March 18, 2023
Very good book. A must read.
May 5, 2022
Mi piace questa serie, nonostante abbiano diviso in tre una vicenda che poteva stare in un solo volume; è pieno di azione, suspense, idee carine, davvero bello; proseguo con il terzo!
May 3, 2025
Cykl powieściowy „Derrick Storm” jest dziełem amerykańskiego autora Richarda Castle, który jest postacią fikcyjną znaną z serialu „Castle” stacji ABC. W Polsce jako trylogię wydano 0.25 „A Brewing Storm”, 0.50 „A Raging Storm” i 0.75 „A Bloody Storm” (odpowiednio pod tytułami 1 „Nadchodzący sztorm”, 2 „Wściekły sztorm” i 3 „Krwawy sztorm”). No i tu polska mania nadawania tytułów innych niż wszyscy odbiła się czkawką. Bohater nazywa się Storm więc tytuł oryginalny jest logiczny. W polskim wydaniu nazwisko protagonisty pozostawiono (Storm), ale tytuł przetłumaczono i teraz nijak ma się do powieści.
W mojej ocenie, właściwie, biorąc pod uwagę konstrukcję fabuły, nie jest to trylogia, cykl powieściowy, lecz powieść w trzech odcinkach (tomach), w dodatku niezbyt długich. To jednak tylko taka dygresja formalna.
Jeśli lubicie klimaty kryminalne i sensacyjne w których dominuje akcja, to jest to rzecz dla Was. Mnie się podobało, nawet bardzo, choć nieco brakowało mi głębi tła i interesującego drugiego planu z ukrytymi w nim ciekawymi tematami, które można wypatrzyć w dobrych nowoczesnych dziełach z tego i podobnych gatunków. Jestem pewien, że szybko zapomnę o „Derricku Stormie” (już teraz fabułę niemal zapomniałem). Na czym polega intryga nie będę zdradzać, ale trzeba przyznać, że choć szybko znika z pamięci, w momencie czytania (lub słuchania) jest spójna, logiczna, w miarę realistyczna. Wyraźnie jednak zaznaczam, że pomimo jednorazowości skutkującej tym, że o tej lekturze pewnie każdy szybko zapomni, słucha się tego (wybrałem wersję audio w interpretacji Filipa Kosiora) bardzo fajnie. To takie coś pomiędzy Kennem Folletem i Ianem Lancasterem Flemingiem, ale na szczęście bez bondowskich gadżetów i całej tej bajery. Jeśli lubicie kryminały, sensację oraz klimaty CIA i macie chęć na lżejszą, bardziej dynamiczną odmianę gatunku, to jest to pozycja, którą mogę gorąco polecić.
Pierwszy tom jest niemal genialny (w swoim kanonie oczywiście), ale potem widać minimalny spadek, aż do wtop w tomie trzecim. Kilka kwiatków:
♦ Komando Storma udaje się w góry, w dzikie rejony SUV-em. Sorry, na takie zabawy bierze się terenówkę – SUV to całkiem co innego.
♦ Kula z glocka podrywa faceta do góry – malina za takie bzdury.
♦ W trzecim tomie niezręczności gramatyczne.
♦ „Kropki z broni laserowej” – ta fraza chyba się przekleiła z powieści SF (LOL).
No, ale całość, zwłaszcza w formie audiobooka z głosem Filipa Kosiora, super. Gorąco polecam
W mojej ocenie, właściwie, biorąc pod uwagę konstrukcję fabuły, nie jest to trylogia, cykl powieściowy, lecz powieść w trzech odcinkach (tomach), w dodatku niezbyt długich. To jednak tylko taka dygresja formalna.
Jeśli lubicie klimaty kryminalne i sensacyjne w których dominuje akcja, to jest to rzecz dla Was. Mnie się podobało, nawet bardzo, choć nieco brakowało mi głębi tła i interesującego drugiego planu z ukrytymi w nim ciekawymi tematami, które można wypatrzyć w dobrych nowoczesnych dziełach z tego i podobnych gatunków. Jestem pewien, że szybko zapomnę o „Derricku Stormie” (już teraz fabułę niemal zapomniałem). Na czym polega intryga nie będę zdradzać, ale trzeba przyznać, że choć szybko znika z pamięci, w momencie czytania (lub słuchania) jest spójna, logiczna, w miarę realistyczna. Wyraźnie jednak zaznaczam, że pomimo jednorazowości skutkującej tym, że o tej lekturze pewnie każdy szybko zapomni, słucha się tego (wybrałem wersję audio w interpretacji Filipa Kosiora) bardzo fajnie. To takie coś pomiędzy Kennem Folletem i Ianem Lancasterem Flemingiem, ale na szczęście bez bondowskich gadżetów i całej tej bajery. Jeśli lubicie kryminały, sensację oraz klimaty CIA i macie chęć na lżejszą, bardziej dynamiczną odmianę gatunku, to jest to pozycja, którą mogę gorąco polecić.
Pierwszy tom jest niemal genialny (w swoim kanonie oczywiście), ale potem widać minimalny spadek, aż do wtop w tomie trzecim. Kilka kwiatków:
♦ Komando Storma udaje się w góry, w dzikie rejony SUV-em. Sorry, na takie zabawy bierze się terenówkę – SUV to całkiem co innego.
♦ Kula z glocka podrywa faceta do góry – malina za takie bzdury.
♦ W trzecim tomie niezręczności gramatyczne.
♦ „Kropki z broni laserowej” – ta fraza chyba się przekleiła z powieści SF (LOL).
No, ale całość, zwłaszcza w formie audiobooka z głosem Filipa Kosiora, super. Gorąco polecam
January 16, 2019
What is it about?
This is a collection of 3 short stories featuring Derrick Storm. The Storm novels are Richard Castles’ claim to fame in the TV show Castle.
In the first of these stories, Storm is called upon to help figure out who kidnapped a powerful senator’s son. The next two stories follow directly from the first story which quickly develops international tension.
Was it good?
I have read most of the Nikki Heat novels by Richard Castle, which are also mentioned in the show, and I watched the show to completion. (I apparently have failed to write any reviews for the books but I would describe them as “entertaining”.)
While I enjoyed the Nikki Heat books because I was familiar with the character from watching the show, I felt nothing for Storm and felt that all the characters were flat and unrealistic. Storm acted like an ass the whole time, and I don’t understand why he’s so special. I’m not one to notice a lack of character development, but in these stories it was painfully obvious: there was no background, no middle, and no future.
The story was predictable and contained all of the usual spy novel gimmicks.
These are short stories. If they had been full blown books I would have been more likely to DNF the books, but I powered through it. Honestly, I’m not sure that this “Richard Castle” is the same “Richard Castle” from the Nikki Heat books.
This is a collection of 3 short stories featuring Derrick Storm. The Storm novels are Richard Castles’ claim to fame in the TV show Castle.
In the first of these stories, Storm is called upon to help figure out who kidnapped a powerful senator’s son. The next two stories follow directly from the first story which quickly develops international tension.
Was it good?
I have read most of the Nikki Heat novels by Richard Castle, which are also mentioned in the show, and I watched the show to completion. (I apparently have failed to write any reviews for the books but I would describe them as “entertaining”.)
While I enjoyed the Nikki Heat books because I was familiar with the character from watching the show, I felt nothing for Storm and felt that all the characters were flat and unrealistic. Storm acted like an ass the whole time, and I don’t understand why he’s so special. I’m not one to notice a lack of character development, but in these stories it was painfully obvious: there was no background, no middle, and no future.
The story was predictable and contained all of the usual spy novel gimmicks.
These are short stories. If they had been full blown books I would have been more likely to DNF the books, but I powered through it. Honestly, I’m not sure that this “Richard Castle” is the same “Richard Castle” from the Nikki Heat books.
August 25, 2017
I could have finished this last night, even though I started it late, but I wanted sleep more. This does not feel like reading a book. It's like reading short installments with no real beginning and end. I hope at the end of the series it will feel like combined I read a full book or something is even more seriously wrong here. They are short enough that if I had a solid block of time, I could probably finish the entire series in one day. Seriously, they are that short. This is not a book, which is part of why it can't get more than a 2 star "okay" rating. A book might be liked and get 3 stars even if it isn't great, but this isn't really a book, so it fails on default. It's enjoyable, but it feels like you barely get back into the swing of the story and, oops, over. Go find the next "book."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2019
This is book 2 of a series of short books about fictional character Derrick Storm. I would rather have had the short books combined into a larger book to read all together, instead of in individual books.
The second book also apparently didn't have a very good editor. I found "your" used when "you're" should have been used, "you're" used instead of "your" a few pages later, and a "she had ran" instead of "she had run".
Other than the glaring grammar errors the book wasn't bad, just too short. Now on to book 3.
The second book also apparently didn't have a very good editor. I found "your" used when "you're" should have been used, "you're" used instead of "your" a few pages later, and a "she had ran" instead of "she had run".
Other than the glaring grammar errors the book wasn't bad, just too short. Now on to book 3.
June 28, 2025
*3,5
Cheguei nesse livro com pouquíssimas expectativas depois da minha leitura do primeiro, mas talvez por eu já estar mais acostumada com os personagens e ritmo da história e esse livro ter começado exatamente onde o último parou, me pegou.
Foi interessante ir para um cenário que não nos EUA, apesar de não ter diminuído o patriotismo da coisa toda e ter conhecido outros personagens. Eu achei que tinha descobrido quem era o traídor entre os russos, mas ainda assim fui surpreendida no final (mas vou aceitar meu 1/2 acerto).
Cheguei nesse livro com pouquíssimas expectativas depois da minha leitura do primeiro, mas talvez por eu já estar mais acostumada com os personagens e ritmo da história e esse livro ter começado exatamente onde o último parou, me pegou.
Foi interessante ir para um cenário que não nos EUA, apesar de não ter diminuído o patriotismo da coisa toda e ter conhecido outros personagens. Eu achei que tinha descobrido quem era o traídor entre os russos, mas ainda assim fui surpreendida no final (mas vou aceitar meu 1/2 acerto).
May 21, 2024
The plot thickens in this second installment, drawing Storm further into what started as a murder investigation and rapidly escalated into an international conspiracy involving missing Soviet gold, oligarchs, and a likely mole somewhere in the organization. As plots go, it's not Le Carre or Clancy, but it's not really trying to be. These seem to occupy a space between those lofty international thrillers grounded in real spycraft and geopolitics and the much more forgettable stuff that authors like Bolan churned out.
Curious to see how it all plays out in the final act, but this was definitely a fun enough read to push me along to the denouement.
Curious to see how it all plays out in the final act, but this was definitely a fun enough read to push me along to the denouement.
November 27, 2017
Storm was actually kind of likeable in this one. Maybe it's the British air haha :p I am so glad that Showers is a strong character who stands up for herself and doesn't take Storms bs. Plot wise, I'm not blown away, but they are super quick reads and I'm definitely invested to see how the hell this is going to conclude.
May 28, 2019
1.5 Stars. While this book was a little more action packed, I feel like it would have been much better as part of the third novella instead of all by itself. The entire novel was mainly build up for a plot that happens in Book 3. It’s a good car ride or airplane read, but would I recommend it? Probably not.
April 13, 2022
Short, cliff hanger, and still some unproofread parts after all these years. Does not hold up to the Nikki Heat stuff. Middle of the road effort, ok when you have nothing better to do for a few hours.
April 20, 2022
Dude, you want to think these are silly pieces of fluff with names like “April Showers”, but the mystery is keeping me enthralled. I wanna know about the gold! Is April still alive? Is Storm gonna make it? What other secrets Jebediah is hiding??? I WANT MORE!
June 27, 2017
great short read can't wait to read #3!!!
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