Frozen Heat

December 24, 2012
The entertaining fourth Nikki Heat thriller, ostensibly written by the mystery novelist character of the ABC-TV drama Castle, showcases the feisty relationship between Nikki, an NYPD homicide detective, and Jameson Rook, a journalist who featured in 2011's Heat Rises. At a crime scene on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Nikki examines a woman's frozen body found in a suitcase inside a refrigerated delivery truck. To her shock, Nikki recognizes the suitcase, which was stolen from her mother the night her mother was murdered years earlier. Since her mother's killer was never found, Nikki naturally thinks the new death may be her best chance yet of determining the truth. Fortunately, if implausibly, her superiors allow her to handle the investigation. The new case forces Nikki to learn more about her mother's life, in particular why she abandoned a promising classical music career. Diverting banter ("Isn't domestic spying illegal?" asks Nikki; "It is if you're doing it right," replies a former CIA agent) helps compensate for a less than credible main storyline.

December 24, 2012
The fourth novel in Castle’s Nikki Heat series—an offshoot of ABC’s Castle, about a bestselling Manhattan-based crime novelist (Jameson Rook) paired with an NYPD homicide-squad detective—follows Heat’s investigation of the murder of her mother and the recent killing of a family friend. Narrator Johnny Heller offers up a winning rat-a-tat delivery that perfectly captures the spirit of the novel. His Heat is a combination of a by-the-book tough copper and a starry-eyed lady in love. The installment’s introduction of an assortment of international characters allows Heller to demonstrate his vocal range, but this is icing on the cake. His performance is entertaining enough to satisfy fans of the TV series, and even mystery fans who’ve never tuned in before. A Hyperion hardcover.