Castle is something of a "method writer", endlessly researching his subjects and acquiring new skills to put himself in the mind of his characters. Amongst the useful skills Castle (and to some extent, partner-in-crime Alexis) have acquired are lock picking, safe cracking, fencing, and a basic grounding in forensic science and criminal psychology. Because he's a writer, although he notoriously shirks "boring paperwork," his ability to speed-read allows him to sift through information faster than most of the precinct (a skill Gates puts to use when hunting for a bomber) and he retains almost everything he reads, especially when it comes to case files (making him the closest approximation to an expert when Jerry Tyson, aka 3XK, returns in Season 7 after stealing his entire case file in Season 6). He also has researched crimes and serial killers, such as the original crime spree of serial killer Jerry Tyson aka The Triple Killer or 3XK for "When It Comes to Slaughter". In the pilot episode, "Flowers For Your Grave", Castle displays an uncanny knack for behavioral observation when he observes Beckett and is able to accurately profile her, to which a visibly shaken Beckett responds "cute trick".