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Nikki Heat #8
High Heat
An ISIS-style beheading of a journalist, carried out by a New York City group pledging fealty to that rogue state, becomes more than just another case for NYPD Captain Nikki Heat when the killers announce their next her husband, magazine writer Jameson Rook. Meanwhile, Heat is haunted by a fleeting glimpse of someone she swears is her mother... a woman who has been dead for nearly twenty years.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2016
287 people are currently reading
5075 people want to read
About the author
Richard Castle
58 books4,891 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Richard Castle is the author of numerous bestsellers, including the critically acclaimed Derrick Storm series. His first novel, In a Hail of Bullets, published while he was still in college, received the Nom DePlume Society's prestigious Tom Straw Award for Mystery Literature. Castle currently lives in Manhattan with his daughter and mother, both of whom infuse his life with humor and inspiration.
Note: Richard Castle is a fictional character from the ABC television show, Castle, played by Nathan Fillion. The biography is of this character. His name is being used as a pseudonym for tie-in novels to the TV show.
Richard Castle is the author of numerous bestsellers, including the critically acclaimed Derrick Storm series. His first novel, In a Hail of Bullets, published while he was still in college, received the Nom DePlume Society's prestigious Tom Straw Award for Mystery Literature. Castle currently lives in Manhattan with his daughter and mother, both of whom infuse his life with humor and inspiration.
Note: Richard Castle is a fictional character from the ABC television show, Castle, played by Nathan Fillion. The biography is of this character. His name is being used as a pseudonym for tie-in novels to the TV show.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 362 reviews
December 13, 2016
With the return of Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook, Castle seeks to extend his book series past the ill-fated conclusion of his eponymous television program. With a presidential election only a few months away, New York is abuzz with candidate visits and fundraisers. However, it is the release of a video by a rogue ISIS group that has the NYPD buzzing. A young woman is beheaded and Jameson Rook is called out as the group's next victim. Captain Nikki Heat is in a panic, both to find out who is behind this heinous act and to locate her husband, whose life is obviously in danger. When Jameson turns up after an assignment covering one of the candidates, the investigation shifts focus to finding out more about the ISIS video. Rushing from one scene to another, Heat spots a woman she feels strongly resembles her mother, a woman dead for seventeen years. Trying to chase her down, Heat is unable to locate the woman, but is so baffled that she disturbs the cremains to take a sample for testing. After Heat's team zeroes in on location of the execution, a local mosque, real policing and racial profiling clash in a city where echoes of Islamic terrorism are not yet silent. Heat and her team soon reveal that the woman killed in the video was a high-profile journalist with one of the New York newspapers, who had been poking around on an undetermined story that took her to Ohio. Juggling this case and more about her mother, Heat faces trying to piece together the reality she thought was firm, only to realise that it might be as porous as the alibis some perps offer. Looking into some of those who were close to Cynthia Heat, the mystery continues. Could she still be alive and is someone trying to tie off the loose ends of those who could offer insight to a curious Nikki? The ISIS case breaks wide open, though not before Jameson tries to use his vast connections to impress his wife. With Rook on their radar, will ISIS capture and execute another journalist, causing more embarrassment for the NYPD? If she is alive, what is Cynthia Heat doing in the shadows while her daughter questions everything she thought she knew? Castle delivers a strong story, peppered with off-hand and silly humour for which his character was so well known on screen. An interesting read for series fans and curious mystery readers alike.
While I tired and stopped watching the television series, these books have usually been well worth my time. The writing is fairly strong and the ongoing development of series characters keeps the reader interested. While there is use of the ISIS angle, it is not belaboured or done in such a way as to condone and fuel the 'us vs. them' mentality. Castle paces his novel well with the parallel storylines working in conjunction with the dramatic build-ups throughout. Drawing the strong Castle/Rook parallels, Jameson Rook's dry wit and silly humour bleed through the characters dialogue, perhaps the only thing that grates on my nerves to no end. Castle panders to a large cross-section of readers in this novel, entertaining as well as educating the masses as the series grows. A few twists should keep readers wondering until the next novel's release, where much is left to be unveiled. I think I will check it out, if only to see what might be resolved.
Kudos, Mr. Castle for another decent novel. I can see this series working well as long as backstories continue to evolve over time.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
While I tired and stopped watching the television series, these books have usually been well worth my time. The writing is fairly strong and the ongoing development of series characters keeps the reader interested. While there is use of the ISIS angle, it is not belaboured or done in such a way as to condone and fuel the 'us vs. them' mentality. Castle paces his novel well with the parallel storylines working in conjunction with the dramatic build-ups throughout. Drawing the strong Castle/Rook parallels, Jameson Rook's dry wit and silly humour bleed through the characters dialogue, perhaps the only thing that grates on my nerves to no end. Castle panders to a large cross-section of readers in this novel, entertaining as well as educating the masses as the series grows. A few twists should keep readers wondering until the next novel's release, where much is left to be unveiled. I think I will check it out, if only to see what might be resolved.
Kudos, Mr. Castle for another decent novel. I can see this series working well as long as backstories continue to evolve over time.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
June 21, 2017
Great mystery, with plot of new storyline featuring Nikki's Mom
Another nice mystery, quick reading that flows nicely, as a new ISIS group threatens in New York. Great, well described characters that are easy to want to hear about, and interesting scenes around New York city. Nice addition to the Nikki Heat stories...
Another nice mystery, quick reading that flows nicely, as a new ISIS group threatens in New York. Great, well described characters that are easy to want to hear about, and interesting scenes around New York city. Nice addition to the Nikki Heat stories...
December 31, 2016
Honestly, my rating is closer to 3.5 stars (not possible on most book ratings websites) - but it's written well enough to round it up to 4. That said, those expecting much more than a book that reads like a TV show script most likely will be disappointed. It also helps, I think, to be familiar with the Castle TV show on which the book series is based; the supposed "author," Richard Castle, is the character, a mystery novelist, played on the show by Nathan Fillion. I was a big fan, although by the series' eighth and final season, the show had pretty much dissolved into just plain silliness and the main reason I watched was to see the hunky Fillion.
The same can be said about the books. This is No. 8 in the series; somehow, I missed out on No. 7, but I'm not really complaining. This one, like the No. 6 Raging Heat, which I did read, makes for a relatively fun and quick read (I polished it off in a single day). It's well written and the personalities of the characters from the TV show shine through, but as police procedurals go, it's not close to what I'd call outstanding.
Here, New York police captain Nikki Heat - who is based on TV show character Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic - has married Jameson Rook, the book series' name for the well-known, uber-wealthy mystery writer and title character played by Fillion in the TV show who serves as a police consultant (are you still with me)? At the station, Heat and her crew watch a video in which a woman is brutally murdered in the name of ISIS; the first task is identifying her (and perhaps her killers) by way of a fuzzy video. But at the end comes an even more ominous situation: Rook, the killers announce, is the next-in-line victim.
To complicate matters even further than they already are, Rook is gone much of the time early on, tagging along with a "rogue" Presidential candidate somewhat in the blustery style of current President-elect Donald Trump (with a bit of the aw-shucks, down-home country barbecue flavor of former President George W. Bush thrown in). Rook is, it seems, writing a pre-Election Day article on what he's really like. Having him away, of course, puts Heat on a roller-coaster of worry that she can't protect him.
Meanwhile, her mind is totally blown when she sees a "homeless" woman she's sure is her mother. But that can't be right - her mother was murdered years earlier, dying in Heat's arms. Unbeknownst to Heat at the time, her mother was a spy - and eventually, the murderer was captured and the case was closed. Now, of course, Heat's world has been turned upside down; and as might be expected by TV show fans, she won't rest until she finds the truth about what happened to her mother.
The rest of the book centers around investigations of the videotaped murder, keeping Rook safe and, to a lesser extent, chasing down the story of Heat's mother. The ending, I must warn, is a cliffhanger; one part of the investigative efforts goes nowhere in this book. Judging by that, I'm thinking the next one in the series, assuming there is one, will delve into the silliness that made the last couple of years of the series so ho-hum.
Along the way here, though, I did get a special kick out of the part of the story that takes place in Lorain, Ohio - maybe an hour from our home and a city we visit at least once a summer to see and photograph the Lorain West Breakwater Lighthouse and the beautiful rose garden in Lakeview Park. In this story, it's described as a city full of bars that cater to steelworkers.
"They're the kind of places that pretty much serve both beers," a Lorain police official tells Heat at one point.
"What does that mean?" Heat asks.
"Bud and Bud Light," was the response.
Yeah. My kind of town.
The same can be said about the books. This is No. 8 in the series; somehow, I missed out on No. 7, but I'm not really complaining. This one, like the No. 6 Raging Heat, which I did read, makes for a relatively fun and quick read (I polished it off in a single day). It's well written and the personalities of the characters from the TV show shine through, but as police procedurals go, it's not close to what I'd call outstanding.
Here, New York police captain Nikki Heat - who is based on TV show character Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic - has married Jameson Rook, the book series' name for the well-known, uber-wealthy mystery writer and title character played by Fillion in the TV show who serves as a police consultant (are you still with me)? At the station, Heat and her crew watch a video in which a woman is brutally murdered in the name of ISIS; the first task is identifying her (and perhaps her killers) by way of a fuzzy video. But at the end comes an even more ominous situation: Rook, the killers announce, is the next-in-line victim.
To complicate matters even further than they already are, Rook is gone much of the time early on, tagging along with a "rogue" Presidential candidate somewhat in the blustery style of current President-elect Donald Trump (with a bit of the aw-shucks, down-home country barbecue flavor of former President George W. Bush thrown in). Rook is, it seems, writing a pre-Election Day article on what he's really like. Having him away, of course, puts Heat on a roller-coaster of worry that she can't protect him.
Meanwhile, her mind is totally blown when she sees a "homeless" woman she's sure is her mother. But that can't be right - her mother was murdered years earlier, dying in Heat's arms. Unbeknownst to Heat at the time, her mother was a spy - and eventually, the murderer was captured and the case was closed. Now, of course, Heat's world has been turned upside down; and as might be expected by TV show fans, she won't rest until she finds the truth about what happened to her mother.
The rest of the book centers around investigations of the videotaped murder, keeping Rook safe and, to a lesser extent, chasing down the story of Heat's mother. The ending, I must warn, is a cliffhanger; one part of the investigative efforts goes nowhere in this book. Judging by that, I'm thinking the next one in the series, assuming there is one, will delve into the silliness that made the last couple of years of the series so ho-hum.
Along the way here, though, I did get a special kick out of the part of the story that takes place in Lorain, Ohio - maybe an hour from our home and a city we visit at least once a summer to see and photograph the Lorain West Breakwater Lighthouse and the beautiful rose garden in Lakeview Park. In this story, it's described as a city full of bars that cater to steelworkers.
"They're the kind of places that pretty much serve both beers," a Lorain police official tells Heat at one point.
"What does that mean?" Heat asks.
"Bud and Bud Light," was the response.
Yeah. My kind of town.
November 11, 2016
I hope the book series continues even though the show has been cancelled. But they have to get them back together, enough already of the separation, it failed in the show, let's not kill the books too.
April 10, 2021
Nikki Heat, Captain of the NYPD’s 20th precinct becomes involved in events far larger than the typical murder investigation. This time terrorists, apparently affiliated with ISIS have kidnapped and killed a prominent reporter (and a previous character in the series). Now they plan to do it again, this time targeting world-famous magazine reporter, and Nikki’s husband, Jamison Rook. Set amidst the backdrop of a US presidential campaign, as well as the multi-book story arc involving Nikki’s mother, this entry in the series has plenty of irons in the fire.
It helps if readers are familiar, and even fans, of the TV show Castle, but it is not necessary. I suspect those that are familiar will enjoy these books more than those who are not who would probably categorize these as just another cop thriller book series. I still enjoy reading these books even though they seem to be getting a little bloated with extraneous scenes and dialog. The similarity with the TV show continues in this one, right down to one notorious plot element that some say was the beginning of the end for the TV show. However, that said, there is an intriguing surprise at the very end of the book that will help lead into the follow-on novel.
Tom Straw is the confirmed author behind the “Richard Castle” moniker for the first seven books. However, it is not clear at this time who has taken over the series starting with this book. The style is remarkably similar to Straw’s but perhaps that is why this one seemed a little more in need of an editor than the first seven. I do plan to continue because I am invested in these characters, but I do hope for a bit more streamlined approach for the next outing.
It helps if readers are familiar, and even fans, of the TV show Castle, but it is not necessary. I suspect those that are familiar will enjoy these books more than those who are not who would probably categorize these as just another cop thriller book series. I still enjoy reading these books even though they seem to be getting a little bloated with extraneous scenes and dialog. The similarity with the TV show continues in this one, right down to one notorious plot element that some say was the beginning of the end for the TV show. However, that said, there is an intriguing surprise at the very end of the book that will help lead into the follow-on novel.
Tom Straw is the confirmed author behind the “Richard Castle” moniker for the first seven books. However, it is not clear at this time who has taken over the series starting with this book. The style is remarkably similar to Straw’s but perhaps that is why this one seemed a little more in need of an editor than the first seven. I do plan to continue because I am invested in these characters, but I do hope for a bit more streamlined approach for the next outing.
April 15, 2020
Another high tension adventure for Rook and Heat. I enjoyed it every bit as much as the others.
Just a little niggle. Proof readers/editors dropped the ball on this one. There were a couple of instances of typing errors missed - p4 'She loved the way the way it hummed when there was a big case.' and shortly after that (I can't actually spot it at the moment) were two words run together.
These should have been picked up.
However, they pale to insignificance in the light of the content error on p51. Shame on the author for writing it. Bigger shame on the proofers/editors for not picking him up on it....
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
I don't care how brilliant Lauren Parry is, there isn't ANY way a Medical Examiner could tell that the victim was 'a conscientious flosser' since they HADN'T FOUND THE HEAD YET!!!
That one line threw me right out of the story for a minute. Rookie mistake 'Richard Castle'. Shame on you.
Just a little niggle. Proof readers/editors dropped the ball on this one. There were a couple of instances of typing errors missed - p4 'She loved the way the way it hummed when there was a big case.' and shortly after that (I can't actually spot it at the moment) were two words run together.
These should have been picked up.
However, they pale to insignificance in the light of the content error on p51. Shame on the author for writing it. Bigger shame on the proofers/editors for not picking him up on it....
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
I don't care how brilliant Lauren Parry is, there isn't ANY way a Medical Examiner could tell that the victim was 'a conscientious flosser' since they HADN'T FOUND THE HEAD YET!!!
That one line threw me right out of the story for a minute. Rookie mistake 'Richard Castle'. Shame on you.
March 18, 2017
Βαθμολογία: ★★★★
Ακόμη δεν μπορώ να το πιστέψω ότι αυτή η σειρά έφτασε στο όγδοο και σύντομα στο ένατο (και τελευταίο;) βιβλίο της. Πρόκειται για κλασικά αμερικανικού τύπου μυθιστορήματα (police procedural) που διαδραματίζονται κάπως σαν τη σειρά Castle, πάνω στην οποία βασίζονται (αν και δεν χρειάζεται να την έχει δει κανείς για να τα διαβάσει). Γεμάτα δράση και αγωνία, με μυστήρια αρκετά πειστικά χωρίς να σε κάνουν να τραβάς τα μαλλιά σου, και ο τόπος δράσης η Νέα Υόρκη για την οποία αγαπώ να διαβάζω. Κρίμα που δεν έχουν μεταφραστεί.
Ακόμη δεν μπορώ να το πιστέψω ότι αυτή η σειρά έφτασε στο όγδοο και σύντομα στο ένατο (και τελευταίο;) βιβλίο της. Πρόκειται για κλασικά αμερικανικού τύπου μυθιστορήματα (police procedural) που διαδραματίζονται κάπως σαν τη σειρά Castle, πάνω στην οποία βασίζονται (αν και δεν χρειάζεται να την έχει δει κανείς για να τα διαβάσει). Γεμάτα δράση και αγωνία, με μυστήρια αρκετά πειστικά χωρίς να σε κάνουν να τραβάς τα μαλλιά σου, και ο τόπος δράσης η Νέα Υόρκη για την οποία αγαπώ να διαβάζω. Κρίμα που δεν έχουν μεταφραστεί.
December 7, 2016
Not sure who the real author is, but they did not watch the series, can't write dialog for books, and is not a big fan of women. I flipped off the book so many times while reading it. I only finished it because it was last of the series. The only thing it did do is confirm my theory that Michael Connolley wrote the books before they switched publishers. If you are not a completionist, don't bother with this book.
February 22, 2019
The story is good. And because I like the show it’s hard to be hard on the book, but the writing is awful. Just awful. Editing is horrible - my 11-year-old could do better. And so many character inconsistencies. They’ve been driving me nuts the whole series. Good thing the fact that I enjoy the show makes me predisposed to enjoy the book!
February 24, 2018
Stars: 3 / 5
Recommendation: If you like crime plots and follow closely how day-in and day-out law enforcement personnel solve a case along with tinge of romance and a boat load of twists that spin the plot like a top, then this is a perfect series to read through.
High Heat is the eighth book in the series of Castle Books written by fictional author Richard Castle from the TV series Castle (portrayed by Nathan Fillion) (My review of the TV series here: http://inspirethoughts.livejournal.co...) published in October of 2016. Although the TV Series ended with the final season – Season VIII – in May of 2016, Hyperion Books went on to publish two more books in this series. The first of which is High Heat. And one still see references to the last season in this plot. The plot is set a year after Captain Nikki Heat and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jameson Rook are blissfully married.
Richard Castle again toys with Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook as their blissful marriage life is rocked. But this time the rocking is neither caused by Nikki or Jameson but by American ISIS who have killed a journalist on video and announced that their next target would be Jameson Rook. And Rook is on an assignment for First Press writing a profile about Legs Kline – independent presidential candidate – and is not reachable. And to her horror Nikki catches a glimpse of a homeless person who resembles her mother – one who had been dead for over seventeen years and Nikki had solved her murder case (It was covered in two books and my reviews of those are here: In the fourth book Frozen Heat (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) and the fifth book Deadly Heat (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...). Or did she? Was Nikki feeling hallucinations or is Cynthia “Cindy” Heat is really alive? If so, why had she stayed hidden for so long? And why is she reappearing now?
However neither the murder nor reappearance of Cynthia Heat was what captured me. What made me take a second look at this book was in the bold way that Richard Castle brings up the religious conflicts and wars we are seeing all over the world and the role America is playing in it, especially with regards to Muslims vs the USA and world. The other aspect Castle brings in is the presidential elections which were actually happening in USA at that time. And to top it Castle doesn’t hesitate to portray Legs Kline based on Donald Trump and his daughter Lana Klein based on Ivanka Trump. Michael Gregory “Legs” Kline comes out as a stand-in from Donald Trump although the parties being represented by both of them are different. Of course since there is a Donald Trump stand-in we have to have a Hillary Clinton stand-in too – Lindsay Gardner. Although the presidential elections are not covered in detail, but a lot of it is imbedded subtly within the plot.
Despite the strong elements Castle uses in the plot, somewhere around chapter 15 or 16 I kind of guessed who was behind the murder of one journalist and putting a hit on Jameson Rook. Once I guessed it was easy to imagine the ending which was pretty close to what I imagined. That kind of popped the bubble on the mystery. But a small bubble still retained when it came to regarding the reappearance or not of Cynthia Heat. That will definitely keep me interested to read the next installment in this book – which according to the publishers perhaps might be the last book in the series.
Castle still doesn’t solve the dilemma that Nikki Heat is facing with her co-squad leaders Detective Raley and Ochoa. Will he make her decide one squad leader eventually or will they continue to be co-squad leaders with all their bickering and squabbles, not that they don’t add a humor element to the plot?
Castle has references to Season VIII of the TV show, albeit a bit modified – one of the witness in the case refers to a cop show on TV with a hot lady cop and her writer husband clearly alluding to the TV Show Castle; Detective Miguel Ochoa gets hit in his behind by a stray bullet which is a scene from one of the Castle episodes in which Detective Javier "Javi" Esposito gets into a similar situation (BTW, Miguel’s character is based on Javi’s character); In a roundabout way Jameson Rook brings up the book Wild Storm written by Richard Castle, which actually was released in 2014, but the mentioning of Castle by Rook forms kind of a vicious circle in this crazy Castle world again; Legs Kline private hangar belongs to LokSat Aviation which funnily relates to LokSat project that consumes Castle and Beckett in Season VIII of Castle TV Series.
Richard Castle again leaves a few doors open that could potentially continue in future books. All in all another good book for those lazy days that will not disappoint you, even though you end up figuring out the ending midway like me.
Spoiler Alerts:
1) Plot Reveals:
a. Richard Castle introduces Derrick Storm at the end of the book, giving a segue that his next book would be a Heat and Storm combo. Naturally there would be a next book considering the reappearance of Cynthia Heat has to be solved. However bringing in Derrick Storm – even though I distinctly remember that he was killed off by Castle when he was introduced in Season I of the TV Series – adds another layer of strength and power. It would be interesting to see how the two strong alpha characters fare in the next book.
b. Richard Castle portrays as having Nikki Heat met Derrick Storm as a suspect in a case she had caught a few years earlier, a brutal murder of a currency trader. I have to go back and read the earlier books again more particularly the first three books to see if any of this was mentioned in there and I missed catching it. But I don’t remember any currency trader murder since Frozen Heat though.
2) It’s still a mystery as to who wrote truly wrote these books. Obviously not the fictional character Richard Castle or Nathan Fillion the actor who portrayed the role. Unlike Murder, She Wrote books (Check my reviews of this series here (http://inspirethoughts.livejournal.co...)), the actual author of these books is really hidden deep.
3) Richard Castle mentions a performance by Margaret Rook – Jameson Rook’s mother – as Blanche Dubois in a celebratory revival of the classic film A Streetcar Named Desire. This movie had been on my list to watch for so long. I guess it’s time to watch now.
4) Nikki mentions about Morton Williams Store in NYC and it reminded me of Morton Salt. Not sure if the store and salt have any connection but there are indeed at least 15 stores in NYC. More about the store here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morton_....
5) One of the suspect / witness – Muharib Qavi, imam of Manhattan's Masjid al-Jannah mosque – talks about a write-up that Jameson Rook had written about Hittites – an ancient nation of people who had vanished from Earth more than two thousand years ago. That part intrigued me and I looked up about them. Indeed they were an Ancient Anatolian people who established an empire centered on Hattusa in north-central Anatolia around 1600 BC. There is so much more about them which you can read at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hittites. However, what made me think was that no matter how one is might today they will fall one-day if there is no unity, morality or humanity in them.
6) Grammatical / Historical / Geographical / Character / Mythological / Plot Errors:
a. On Pg. 4, there is a repeat of “the way” in the line starting with “Still, Nikki Heat loved…”
b. On pg. 46, where Richard Castle retells the horrific story of how Cynthia Heat gets murdered and how Nikki heat hears it. However when it was originally told in Frozen Heat and Deadly Heat, it was mentioned that Nikki Heat calls her mom from the store if she needed anything else. However here in this book, Richard Castle mentions that Cynthia Heat calls Nikki heat. A clear error in the plot depiction.
c. On Pg. 175, there is an extra “been” between “had” and “already” in the line starting “went as a place her mother had…” which is not necessary. In the same line, it should read “went was a place…” instead of “went as a place…..”.
d. On Pg. 192, we read that Bart Callan had been transferred from the supermax facility in Colorado to a medium security prison in Cumberland in Maryland three weeks ago. But on pg. 219, it is mentioned that Bart Callan was transferred to Cumberland six months ago. A clear error in the plot.
Recommendation: If you like crime plots and follow closely how day-in and day-out law enforcement personnel solve a case along with tinge of romance and a boat load of twists that spin the plot like a top, then this is a perfect series to read through.
High Heat is the eighth book in the series of Castle Books written by fictional author Richard Castle from the TV series Castle (portrayed by Nathan Fillion) (My review of the TV series here: http://inspirethoughts.livejournal.co...) published in October of 2016. Although the TV Series ended with the final season – Season VIII – in May of 2016, Hyperion Books went on to publish two more books in this series. The first of which is High Heat. And one still see references to the last season in this plot. The plot is set a year after Captain Nikki Heat and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jameson Rook are blissfully married.
Richard Castle again toys with Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook as their blissful marriage life is rocked. But this time the rocking is neither caused by Nikki or Jameson but by American ISIS who have killed a journalist on video and announced that their next target would be Jameson Rook. And Rook is on an assignment for First Press writing a profile about Legs Kline – independent presidential candidate – and is not reachable. And to her horror Nikki catches a glimpse of a homeless person who resembles her mother – one who had been dead for over seventeen years and Nikki had solved her murder case (It was covered in two books and my reviews of those are here: In the fourth book Frozen Heat (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) and the fifth book Deadly Heat (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...). Or did she? Was Nikki feeling hallucinations or is Cynthia “Cindy” Heat is really alive? If so, why had she stayed hidden for so long? And why is she reappearing now?
However neither the murder nor reappearance of Cynthia Heat was what captured me. What made me take a second look at this book was in the bold way that Richard Castle brings up the religious conflicts and wars we are seeing all over the world and the role America is playing in it, especially with regards to Muslims vs the USA and world. The other aspect Castle brings in is the presidential elections which were actually happening in USA at that time. And to top it Castle doesn’t hesitate to portray Legs Kline based on Donald Trump and his daughter Lana Klein based on Ivanka Trump. Michael Gregory “Legs” Kline comes out as a stand-in from Donald Trump although the parties being represented by both of them are different. Of course since there is a Donald Trump stand-in we have to have a Hillary Clinton stand-in too – Lindsay Gardner. Although the presidential elections are not covered in detail, but a lot of it is imbedded subtly within the plot.
Despite the strong elements Castle uses in the plot, somewhere around chapter 15 or 16 I kind of guessed who was behind the murder of one journalist and putting a hit on Jameson Rook. Once I guessed it was easy to imagine the ending which was pretty close to what I imagined. That kind of popped the bubble on the mystery. But a small bubble still retained when it came to regarding the reappearance or not of Cynthia Heat. That will definitely keep me interested to read the next installment in this book – which according to the publishers perhaps might be the last book in the series.
Castle still doesn’t solve the dilemma that Nikki Heat is facing with her co-squad leaders Detective Raley and Ochoa. Will he make her decide one squad leader eventually or will they continue to be co-squad leaders with all their bickering and squabbles, not that they don’t add a humor element to the plot?
Castle has references to Season VIII of the TV show, albeit a bit modified – one of the witness in the case refers to a cop show on TV with a hot lady cop and her writer husband clearly alluding to the TV Show Castle; Detective Miguel Ochoa gets hit in his behind by a stray bullet which is a scene from one of the Castle episodes in which Detective Javier "Javi" Esposito gets into a similar situation (BTW, Miguel’s character is based on Javi’s character); In a roundabout way Jameson Rook brings up the book Wild Storm written by Richard Castle, which actually was released in 2014, but the mentioning of Castle by Rook forms kind of a vicious circle in this crazy Castle world again; Legs Kline private hangar belongs to LokSat Aviation which funnily relates to LokSat project that consumes Castle and Beckett in Season VIII of Castle TV Series.
Richard Castle again leaves a few doors open that could potentially continue in future books. All in all another good book for those lazy days that will not disappoint you, even though you end up figuring out the ending midway like me.
Spoiler Alerts:
1) Plot Reveals:
a. Richard Castle introduces Derrick Storm at the end of the book, giving a segue that his next book would be a Heat and Storm combo. Naturally there would be a next book considering the reappearance of Cynthia Heat has to be solved. However bringing in Derrick Storm – even though I distinctly remember that he was killed off by Castle when he was introduced in Season I of the TV Series – adds another layer of strength and power. It would be interesting to see how the two strong alpha characters fare in the next book.
b. Richard Castle portrays as having Nikki Heat met Derrick Storm as a suspect in a case she had caught a few years earlier, a brutal murder of a currency trader. I have to go back and read the earlier books again more particularly the first three books to see if any of this was mentioned in there and I missed catching it. But I don’t remember any currency trader murder since Frozen Heat though.
2) It’s still a mystery as to who wrote truly wrote these books. Obviously not the fictional character Richard Castle or Nathan Fillion the actor who portrayed the role. Unlike Murder, She Wrote books (Check my reviews of this series here (http://inspirethoughts.livejournal.co...)), the actual author of these books is really hidden deep.
3) Richard Castle mentions a performance by Margaret Rook – Jameson Rook’s mother – as Blanche Dubois in a celebratory revival of the classic film A Streetcar Named Desire. This movie had been on my list to watch for so long. I guess it’s time to watch now.
4) Nikki mentions about Morton Williams Store in NYC and it reminded me of Morton Salt. Not sure if the store and salt have any connection but there are indeed at least 15 stores in NYC. More about the store here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morton_....
5) One of the suspect / witness – Muharib Qavi, imam of Manhattan's Masjid al-Jannah mosque – talks about a write-up that Jameson Rook had written about Hittites – an ancient nation of people who had vanished from Earth more than two thousand years ago. That part intrigued me and I looked up about them. Indeed they were an Ancient Anatolian people who established an empire centered on Hattusa in north-central Anatolia around 1600 BC. There is so much more about them which you can read at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hittites. However, what made me think was that no matter how one is might today they will fall one-day if there is no unity, morality or humanity in them.
6) Grammatical / Historical / Geographical / Character / Mythological / Plot Errors:
a. On Pg. 4, there is a repeat of “the way” in the line starting with “Still, Nikki Heat loved…”
b. On pg. 46, where Richard Castle retells the horrific story of how Cynthia Heat gets murdered and how Nikki heat hears it. However when it was originally told in Frozen Heat and Deadly Heat, it was mentioned that Nikki Heat calls her mom from the store if she needed anything else. However here in this book, Richard Castle mentions that Cynthia Heat calls Nikki heat. A clear error in the plot depiction.
c. On Pg. 175, there is an extra “been” between “had” and “already” in the line starting “went as a place her mother had…” which is not necessary. In the same line, it should read “went was a place…” instead of “went as a place…..”.
d. On Pg. 192, we read that Bart Callan had been transferred from the supermax facility in Colorado to a medium security prison in Cumberland in Maryland three weeks ago. But on pg. 219, it is mentioned that Bart Callan was transferred to Cumberland six months ago. A clear error in the plot.
August 18, 2024
Having been a fan of the TV series Castle it was fun to see that the fictional author had actually published the books so referenced in the series. So of course I had to give them a go.
This was the first and yes I know it was not the chronologically best place to start but hey it worked and I have to say I did enjoy it. Having watched the series I can see so many similarities from the show to the characters in the book - which I think was part of the plan - after all how many of the early episodes made reference to who was based on who.
Yes the book in places was over the top but you know what that was part of the appeal and the action was pretty nonstop so yes it is not going to make it to the top seller list ( regardless of the comments from the show) but it is certainly now failure either and was surprisingly good fun
This was the first and yes I know it was not the chronologically best place to start but hey it worked and I have to say I did enjoy it. Having watched the series I can see so many similarities from the show to the characters in the book - which I think was part of the plan - after all how many of the early episodes made reference to who was based on who.
Yes the book in places was over the top but you know what that was part of the appeal and the action was pretty nonstop so yes it is not going to make it to the top seller list ( regardless of the comments from the show) but it is certainly now failure either and was surprisingly good fun
January 13, 2019
Rook and Heat a la Beckett and Castle again. Always tongue in cheek.
February 12, 2017
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This is part of the Nikki Heat series which is written by the fictional character of Richard Castle. Richard Castle was a main character of the show Castle and he was an author of books. These books actually exist from a ghost writer. In this one, the NYPD is sent a video from ISIS of a beheading of a unknown female. This group says Rook is their next target.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that they are continuing this series even though the show has been canceled. The Nikki Heat series isn't serious literature but it is nice that this universe still exists. It was nice to see the gang again. I though the characters were true to themselves besides Nikki. There were a couple of instances were I thought she was a little off. As of the mystery I enjoyed it and I thought it was well done. It could have been an episode of the series. The problem I had with this book and the reason I lowered my rating was the B plot which is probably going to be the basis of the next book. Once again we are dealing with Nikki's mother. In my opinion, we have devoted enough time to her and it is time to move on.
This was a nice entry for this series. I do think these are geared towards the fans as newbies will miss a lot of the easter eggs that relate to the show. Fans will get a kick out of these easter eggs as they recall the episodes they were taken from.
This is part of the Nikki Heat series which is written by the fictional character of Richard Castle. Richard Castle was a main character of the show Castle and he was an author of books. These books actually exist from a ghost writer. In this one, the NYPD is sent a video from ISIS of a beheading of a unknown female. This group says Rook is their next target.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that they are continuing this series even though the show has been canceled. The Nikki Heat series isn't serious literature but it is nice that this universe still exists. It was nice to see the gang again. I though the characters were true to themselves besides Nikki. There were a couple of instances were I thought she was a little off. As of the mystery I enjoyed it and I thought it was well done. It could have been an episode of the series. The problem I had with this book and the reason I lowered my rating was the B plot which is probably going to be the basis of the next book. Once again we are dealing with Nikki's mother. In my opinion, we have devoted enough time to her and it is time to move on.
This was a nice entry for this series. I do think these are geared towards the fans as newbies will miss a lot of the easter eggs that relate to the show. Fans will get a kick out of these easter eggs as they recall the episodes they were taken from.
February 14, 2017
Well this wasn't the best one. However, this is a unique situation. Even though this is an original story, it carries the same story arc for the season of the show it's based on, as with the previous books. So not surprisingly the book does take a massive dip in quality because the series during season 8 did the same thing. That being said, it was a frustrating read to get through. I hate it when police procedurals decide to do conspiracy/spy themes, especially when in this case, there is a spy series called Derrick Storm that could handle this plot well. In the end the plot and characters are just forced. According to Goodreads there's one more book to go. Curious to see what will happen since it's going past the series.
December 7, 2021
E con questo siamo ad 8, cioè questo è l'ottavo libro della serie con protagonista Niki Heat, che gli amanti del telefilm "Castle" non possono non leggere.
Nonostante la serie si stia allungando, la qualità dei libri sembra non risentirne: storie originali, buon ritmo della narrazione, tanta sana e piacevole ironia, qualche buona battuta e alla fine un colpo di scena che costringerà a leggere anche il nono libro della serie.
Ho letto la versione in lingua originale (american english) e tutto sommato l'ho trovata comprensibile anche per un non madre lingua.
Nonostante la serie si stia allungando, la qualità dei libri sembra non risentirne: storie originali, buon ritmo della narrazione, tanta sana e piacevole ironia, qualche buona battuta e alla fine un colpo di scena che costringerà a leggere anche il nono libro della serie.
Ho letto la versione in lingua originale (american english) e tutto sommato l'ho trovata comprensibile anche per un non madre lingua.
October 23, 2016
Definite page turner, spot on in terms of current events but sadly the author went with one of those cheesy "cliffhangers" at the end which are unsatisfying and come across merely as ploys to get you to buy the next book.
October 29, 2016
This book was lots of fun! I hope "Richard Castle" keeps writing this series, even though the TV show is over! (Hmm... maybe that will give him more time to write books...)
June 7, 2017
These books remind me so much of the tv show. I can't believe they cancelled it! This book was a great read!
May 12, 2023
The book reads like it was written by someone who has never read the Nikki Heat series. Everything was retconned, Nikki acts like any character growth of the past was just a dream, the story was so bland that there was zero mystery in this mystery novel. The culprit was clear from the start. And then the end feels rushed, the conclusion comes out of nowhere and it ends without any climax whatsoever which is usually the most exciting part of any Nikki Heat novel. Also the universe collapsing in on itself with the mention of the Derrick Storm books even though the characters exist in the same universe.
Was it the worst book I've ever read? Probably not. Would I recommend it to any fan of the Nikki Heat series? HELL NO!
Was it the worst book I've ever read? Probably not. Would I recommend it to any fan of the Nikki Heat series? HELL NO!
July 1, 2017
I loved the TV Series and find the books a quirky companion - love the little veiled references to the series. The books are good stand alone reads - well written American Cop murder/thrillers. Though the ending of this one irritated me - won't say why as wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone.
December 25, 2023
lol we love an author confident enough to reference his other book series in his own book
January 12, 2024
heart: broken
gonna pretend like the last pages don’t exist and focus on the cute moments Richard Castle gave us because istg if I ever catch you for writing that ending Rick Castle 😍😍😍
gonna pretend like the last pages don’t exist and focus on the cute moments Richard Castle gave us because istg if I ever catch you for writing that ending Rick Castle 😍😍😍
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2024
This was a very entertaining read. I did not like the main character's decision at the end, that felt very meh to me and I just don't like the dynamics of the two main characters that much, I get it is supposed to be funny that she is so desperately attracted to him but it does get a bit annoying and takes me out of the story for a bit.
August 13, 2025
It’s really unnecessary to keep going with the series. It should have ended after the last book. I don’t like it that the author brought the plot with her mother back into the picture.
March 18, 2020
This one was better than his last installment. I prefer when Heat and Rook work together and enjoy the interplay when Rook is the object of female attention from other women and exes. This one was action packed and ending in a manner that made you want to immediately start the next book in the series. (Which, by the way, is exactly what I did.)
February 24, 2017
Uno de los mejores de la serie. Esperando impaciente el último volumen que se publicará, en lengua inglesa, en el mes de Mayo si no hay retrasos.
November 17, 2016
My feelings for this book are complicated. I really enjoyed the show, and I have so far enjoyed the Heat series of novels (while the Storm stories did not impress me). However, I'm not entirely certain that the same ghost writer from the previous novels wrote this book. I have two reasons for that thought: 1) the tone seemed somewhat off to me, with a lot more "in" joke references and shout outs to the TV show than before and 2) there was no author's note at the end of this book. Which brings me to the end of the book. The ending leads me to come to an unhappy conclusion about the ghost writer of this novel, and I will leave it at that. As for the actual story, I knew right away that things were not what they seemed (and you will, too). Some of the dialogue was a little ham-handed in how the whole Islamic terrorist/profiling issue was handled. I enjoyed that there was a character named Joanna in the book, which was a required point from the show itself. Heat and Rook's chemistry was amazing, as always. But that ending. The mystery wound up as I expected, and the secondary mystery, like the show, annoyed me and is a set up for a long game I'm not sure I want to play. I will have to see how the next book goes (I have heard there will be one) before I make a final judgment on the future of the series now that the show is over, but I think that will be my last even if more are done. Changes are afoot, and, as with the show, I don't like them.
February 10, 2017
I enjoyed this novel although I thought some of characters' behavior was light hearted for the seriousness of the plot. Also, I do not like it when the stupid actions of the characters leads to suspense. In this novel, Heat's husband is threatened by a terrorist group. She lets him travel and do things without any protection. Is it any surprise that he gets kidnapped? That aspect of the plot disappointed me.
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