Richard Castle

Living… in a swanky New York apartment with his daughter Alexis and mother Martha. The relative maturity levels of the three seem to decrease with age.

Profession… mystery novel writer. He got famous and rich for his character Derrick Storm, but after killing off Derrick, Castle has no idea what to do next. Luckily (for him, anyway), he’s brought in as a consultant for the NYPD when they discover a series of murders that are seemingly based on his novels. Working that one case with Detective Kate Beckett cures his writer’s block entirely, giving him a new spark of inspiration.

Interests… cooking, poker, attending galas full of incredibly rich people, and spending money.

Relationship Status… twice-divorced and something of a womanizer. However, there’s definitely heat between him and Beckett, although that might just be the flames of Beckett’s irritation.

Challenge… getting over his writer’s block and getting Detective Beckett to accept him as a presence in her life. He’s been tailing Beckett on the job to spark ideas for his new series of novels featuring “Nikki Heat,” a character based on Beckett. She would probably say Castle was “getting in the way” instead, but Castle’s friendship with the mayor means she can’t kick him off the case. But since he’s sticking around, Castle is also determined to help solve real-life murder mysteries, where people actually die.

Personality… charming but immature. He spends his money on frivolous things like a bulletproof vest that says “Writer” instead of “Police.” Castle can be petulant and stubborn when he doesn’t get his way, and regularly ignores Beckett’s instructions that are meant to keep him out of the way of official police work. However, his knack for solving cases makes Beckett (however grudgingly) have to admit that having him ride along is useful. Also, he’s witty and intelligent, which might make up a little for his occasional childishness.