Tempt your readers with these book tie-ins to daring private investigators featured in the media.
Bodacious Bounty Hunter
Based on Janet Evanovich's 1994 novel (Scribner), One for the Money (PG-13), a crime comedy/drama from Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment, premiered last week in theaters. Katherine Heigl takes on the role of Stephanie Plum, a New Jersey native with plenty of moxie and a knack for getting things done. Out of work and out of money, Stephanie convinces her disreputable cousin Vinnie (Patrick Fischler) to hire her as a recovery agent at his bail bonding company, though her experience and skills in the area of law enforcement add up to absolute zero. Still, she has her smarts, loads of brazen attitude, and a can of pepper spray in hand, and boldly goes after Vinnie's most challenging (and highest paying) case: bringing in Joe Morelli (Jason O'Mara), a local vice cop and murder suspect-and the same guy who also happened to seduce her and dump her back in high school. Hunting bail jumpers is a daunting and dangerous job, but Stephanie is taken under the wing of an expert in the field—the coolly competent and incredibly hot Ranger (Daniel Sunjata)—and quickly begins to learn the tricks of the trade. Before long, she realizes that there's something suspicious about the case against Morelli, and her investigations soon have her embroiled in a mystery involving a cast of seedy characters and a possibly homicidal boxer. And there just may be some sizzle left between Stephanie and the man she is determined to apprehend. Teens can visit the movie's official website for a look at the fast-paced action, snappy dialogue, and filled-with-humor encounters (Debbie Reynolds looks to be a hoot in the role of Stephanie's Grandma Mazur).
St. Martin's Griffin has reissued Evanovich's One for the Money (2011; Gr 10 Up) with a movie-photo cover showing Heigl in character as the likable protagonist, clasping a pair of handcuffs and looking ready to go to work. The first in a popular mystery series (Explosive Eighteen was recently published by Random House), the book reels readers in with colorful and cleverly depicted characters, a plot that unwinds at a pleasing pace, and loads of laugh-out-loud humor. A down-to-earth daughter of blue-collar Trenton, Stephanie is an irresistible blend of self-sufficient toughness and appealing vulnerability, and her first-person narrative zings with endearingly self-deprecating honesty, astute observations of her fellow man, and consistently entertaining wit ("Embarrassing as it was to admit, I was beginning to enjoy the role, thinking there was nothing like packing a pair of cuffs to put some spring into a woman's step"). Scenes depicting the antics of her overbearing family, her clueless first attempts at apprehending criminals, and the sparks that fly between she and Morelli are played to the hilt. At the same time, Evanovich keeps the action realistically gritty and rapid-fire, as her heroine encounters all manner of low-life criminals (including a frightening maniac with a history of sexually assaulting women) and finds herself solidly placed in harm's way. It all adds up to a smart, funny, and satisfying page-turner. An appended section tempts teens to explore more of the series with plot summaries, humorous quotes, and quick factoids.
Author Turned Investigator
Now in its fourth season, Castle is still going strong. In fact, this TV series produced by ABC Studios recently won honors as Favorite TV Crime Drama at the 2012 People's Choice Awards, with Nathan Fillion, who plays the title role, chosen as Favorite TV Drama Actor. When viewers first encountered Richard Castle, the rakish and self-assured best-selling mystery novelist had just killed off his most famous protagonist (a P.I. named "Derrick Storm") and was suffering from a major case of writer's block. However, a run in with the NYPD soon resulted in inspiration. Brought in for questioning regarding a series of murders staged to mimic crime scenes from his novels, Castle met the beautiful Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), a tough and smart homicide detective known for taking on unusual cases and getting results. Realizing that he had found the perfect model for the heroine of his next book series ("Detective Nikki Heat"), Castle pulled some strings and got permission to tag along on the case, and ultimately proved instrumental in solving the crime. Although it took some time for them to find their grove, the ever-imaginative Castle and no-nonsense Beckett have since formed an effective partnership, one that brings out the particular skills of each individual along with a whole lot of humorous banter and romantic tension. YAs can visit the official website to get the scoop on the characters, browse show recaps, and watch videos and full episodes.
Teens who watch the show will enjoy perusing several titles "penned" by Richard Castle, who gets full author credits along with a bio on the back flap, endorsement lines from real-life best-selling writers, and a suave-looking author photo (of Fillion) on the back cover. Castle's newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat, is introduced in Heat Wave (Hyperion, 2009; Gr 10 Up), as she takes on a case involving a murdered real estate tycoon and embarks on a twist-turning investigation that challenges her abilities and places her in danger. To make things even harder, Heat has been saddled with the presence of Jameson Rook, a wise-cracking journalist who is shadowing her squad to research an article. Though he can be a bit infuriating, he's also insightful, and Nikki reluctantly begins to realize that Rook might just be worth having around. And, as the investigation heats up, the romantic sparks begin to fly. The mystery is complex enough to keep the pages turning, the action unfolds quickly, and the dialogue is entertainingly witty. Depicted with amusing ups and downs, the relationship between the two protagonists alternates between sweet, cantankerous, and scintillating sexy. Readers will get a kick out of the parallels between the characters on the show and those featured in the book (after all, Beckett is the "author's" muse). The adventures continue in Naked Heat (2010) and Heat Rises (2011, both Hyperion).
Derrick Storm, Richard Castle's most popular fictional hero, finally makes his way into print, in the form of a graphic novel entitled Deadly Storm (Marvel, 2011; Gr 10 Up). Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Kelly Sue Deconnick and with artwork by Lan Medina, the book is billed as an "adaptation" of the first (and, of course, nonexistent) Derrick Storm novel, and includes an introduction "penned" by Castle, who expresses his enthusiasm for the genre and confides, "...my first real male role models were found in the pages of comic books." TV show devotees will appreciate meeting Castle's much-touted private-eye-turned-spy protagonist. When Storm is hired by a distraught wife to track down her missing husband, he soon discovers that the man in question is actually a rouge CIA operative who's wanted for selling national security secrets to enemy organizations. Things get even more complicated—and dangerous—when Clara Strike, a gorgeous and gutsy CIA agent, enlists Storm's help in bringing down the bad guy. Fistfights, gun battles, and hair-raising showdowns are balanced with moments of humor, as plot twists are revealed and the action reaches a satisfying climax (leaving Storm ready to step into a career as a CIA spy). The crisp artwork depicts the protagonist as appropriately square-jawed and muscle-bound, while his rakish grin reveals that he doesn't take himself too seriously. The book ends with an interesting section that shows the evolution of several pages from the graphic novel-from type-written script to sketched-out breakdowns of the art to inked page to full-color rendition. Developed in close consultation with Castle creator Andrew Marlowe, this graphic novel makes a fan-pleasing foray into the TV universe.
Publication Information
EVANOVICH, Janet. One for the Money. media tie-in ed. St. Martin's Griffin. 2011. Tr pap. $14.99. ISBN 978-0-312-60073-0; mass market pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-312-54700-4.
CASTLE, Richard. Heat Wave. 2009. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4013-2382-0; pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0786891412.
_____. Naked Heat. 2010. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-1-4013-2402-5; pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0786891368.
_____. Heat Rises. 2011. Tr $25.99. ISBN 978-1-4013-2443-8.
Ea vol: Hyperion.
BENDIS, Brian Michael & Kelly Sue Deconnick. Castle: Richard Castle's Deadly Storm: A Derrick Storm Mystery. illus by Lan Medina. Marvel. 2011. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-7851-5327-6.
This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
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