As television networks brainstorm dizzying high-tech ways to promote shows online and via social networks, ABC is adopting a decidedly retro medium to excite viewers for the upcoming second season of "Castle": a book.
Because the show's protagonist, Richard Castle, is a best-selling author of mysteries, what more appropriate tie-in than to publish a mystery novel credited to the character?
The first chapter of Castle's novel "Heat Wave" will debut August 10 on ABC.com.
The network will post the first half of the book, a chapter a week, for 10 weeks. The full novel will be published September 29 by Disney sister company Hyperion. The story apparently is a stand-alone mystery with elements that relate to the on-screen story.
The show's second season premieres in late September.
The network teamed with Hyperion for 2006's "Lost" tie-in "Bad Twin" and "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer," which tied in to the ABC miniseries "Rose Red." The real author of "Heat Wave" is not being unveiled.