Frozen Heat

Nikki Heat #4

by Richard Castle

Hot on the heels of Richard Castle's #1 New York Times bestseller Heat Rises comes the fourth novel in the Nikki Heat series, Frozen Heat. Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook are together again, facing an unsolved murder mystery that has haunted Nikki for ten years.

NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat arrives at her latest crime scene to find an unidentified woman stabbed to death and stuffed inside a suitcase left on a Manhattan street. Nikki is in for a big shock when this new homicide connects to the unsolved murder of her own mother. Paired once again with her romantic and investigative partner, top journalist Jameson Rook, Heat works to solve the mystery of the body in the suitcase while she is forced to confront unexplored areas of her mother's background.

Facing relentless danger as someone targets her for the next kill, Nikki's search will unearth painful family truths, expose a startling hidden life, and cause Nikki to reexamine her own past. Heat's passionate quest takes her and Rook from the back alleys of Manhattan to the avenues of Paris, trying to catch a ruthless killer. The question is, now that her mother's cold case has unexpectedly thawed, will Nikki Heat finally be able to solve the dark mystery that has been her demon for ten years?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Romance, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2012

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Wherein photographs, cassettes, and marginalia are artifacts of pre-digital antiquity: Rosetta Stones to a secret world.

[Sahara Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

No false pretenses here - I'm a major fan of this television series. I have the t-shirt. I wear it proudly. Part of the appeal (besides Nathan Fillion) is the sharp and intelligent writing, which doesn't "dumb down" to its audience. That style has carried over to the books based on and around this series. Congratulations to the REAL Rick Castle, whoever you are.

Sure, these are not highly complex, technically magnificent tomes of suitable gravitas. The four Castle novels are good reads (pardon the pun) with enough depth to last more than an afternoon, and an ability to translate into visual imagery for us fans. They are well-paced, entertaining and FUN. Do we really need more from a relaxing few hours with a book? I don't think so.

This one, the fourth, is every bit as sharp as the first. Once again we revisit Nikki Heat and her nemesis/lover Jameson Rook. And yes, we clearly see Kate Beckett and Rick Castle in every line of dialogue. I enjoy "episode spotting" - seeing brief references to some of the plot lines which featured during the previous season. The interrelationship is detailed and extraordinarily well-done. If you didn't know that statue of a fist was in one episode you'd simply think it was just another bit in the story. I enjoyed this particular novel, dealing as it does with the fictional matter of Heat's mother's murder. (Fictional accounting of a fictional character's tragedy. There's something Mobius-like in that concept!) Anyway, before my ears start to bleed trying to grasp the tortured symmetry, I will simply say that this is another MUST for fans of Rick Castle. Of which I am most definitely one. I also caught the charming reference to another series in the two detectives named Malcolm and Reynolds. Captain Tightpants lives!!!! But that's another series.

If you like Castle, read this book. If you've never seen Castle the series, you'll still enjoy this book, but you'll like it even more if you broaden your knowledge base and watch the latest season on Monday nights. And beyond anything, admire the promotional brilliance of whoever came up with the idea of having a fictional writer from a tv show write a REAL book! Extraordinarily smart. Wish to hell I'd thought of it. LOLLOL

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I find myself embarrassed reading the Richard Castle books because most would not call it "great" literature but it's definitely entertaining literature and anything that can take your mind out of your life and into a fictional one is pretty great as well.

I admit I started to read the Castle books because of my love for the ABC television program but that isn't necessarily my continued draw. The characters, while easily mirroring of the television counterparts Castle and Beckett, are surprisingly well developed and continuity from book to book is remarkable. The ghostwriter of this book is supremely talented at keeping the plot moving without neglecting character details and an exciting story.

This edition of the Nikki Heat saga finds her delving further into the murder of her mother nineteen years ago and its relation to a current murder. With the help of the usual cast of characters from the previous three books Nikki not only solves the current murder but finds out so much more than maybe she ever wanted to know about her mother's past.

I would definitely recommend this book to any fan of Castle and really for anyone that likes a quick, entertaining, suspense-filled read that doesn't skimp of quality in favor of common "crime novel" ploys.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

When will we find out who really wrote these, so we can read their other books?

The mystery writer has not been solved yet. Which is too bad, because that was such a fun book! I'm sorely disappointed that the language and sex allusions were even worse in this book than the previous ones, especially since the show is a lot cleaner than most of prime time. Great mystery; terrific lead-ins to inevitable next bookS. Rook gets to show in ways that Castle never does.

[Darya Silman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though FROZEN HEAT ends on a cliffhanger, I don't think I'm be able to read another book by 'Richard Castle,' at least, not for now. It kind of gets boring when you know all the tricks an author uses to create tension: endless dialogues, every character matters (if a passersby stops near Nicky, you know it's not just a passerby), cops' black humor, and constant hints to Nicky's and Jameson's sexual relations. The books such as these give nothing except entertainment: no food for thought, no double meanings.

When I was in my teens, my grandmother, a woman of strict rules and controlling mind, wanted me to read only Russian classics. I was very good at literature classes, as a result. Until I reached 18, I read almost all Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, etc. After that, I spend 4 or 5 years reading classics strictly for university and reading lots of cheap paperback one-time detective stories. It's nice for a change. Not for long, though.

My notes on HIT RISES
My notes on NAKED HEAT

[Ana Herondale · Rating 5 out of 5]

En su momento solo leí hasta este libro, y sinceramente me pareció el mejor de la saga. Impresionante. Al volver a leerlo me dí cuenta de todo lo que había olvidado en su momento, y gracias a ello he podido volver a revivirlo. Es que ni si quiera recordaba quién era el asesino de la madre de Nikki, poder leerlo como la primera vez ha sido increíble.

[Marijan Šiško · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quite solid crime novel. I admit, it was a slow read at some parts. but the meta-humor and connections to the TV show more than make up for it, so I actually quite liked it.

[❀ Tina ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve missed the Castle TV show and I used to read these books during the summer hiatus but luckily I’d only read a few so I still have six more to read. Today I found out that Tom Straw is the author behind the books.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

I don’t usually care much for police procedurals, they are usually to mired in facts and I prefer quirky characters. But this series is the exception, I gotten to love the characters over the course of the TV run and the novels really draw out the same feelings for me.

This book in particular is very good and extremely personal to Heat/Beckett.

[Mogsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hovered between giving this one 2 stars or 3 stars. I wanted to like it, but there were just too many things about this book that didn't sit right with me.

First of all, even though I'm not regular viewer of Castle, I'm aware this series is ghost written and attributed to the fictional protagonist of that show. Therefore I understand how in some ways these books have to read like a TV show to appeal to the fans of said show. Frozen Heat, however, takes that to a whole other level. It felt like every single crime show trope, cliche and tension-building gimmick was unleashed for this novel, everything from one-in-a-million coincidences to prime-informant-dies-just-before-he-can-offer-up-his-case-breaking-lead.

I think part of the problem is that whoever wrote this was in way over their head. I mentioned in my review of the last book that the reason why I enjoyed it so much was because for the first time I felt that Nikki Heat was involved in something much bigger than herself. But as is often the case, moderation is key. Frozen Heat tried to be even better and bigger than book three, and while I give it A+ for effort, I felt the execution of those ideas could have used some work.

Don't get me wrong, I don't expect these kinds of books to be realistic to a T (since I consider them fun, fluff reads after all) but I do find I enjoy them much better when they're more plausible. Using book three as an example, it's one thing to present a mystery around corruption in the police force; the details are manageable and the resulting story is at least halfway convincing. This book on the other hand, attempting a realistic and believable story about international espionage, the CIA and secret spy networks? Let's just say that whoever wrote this, it seemed like all he or she knew about those topics came from James Bond and spy movies. At times, I also found it hard to take the story seriously or believe that a case so huge would have remained at the hands of an NYPD detective.

I also get that this book was perhaps trying to show a different side to Nikki Heat, but I'm not sure it's a side I like. The last three books paint her as a driven, confident, compassionate cop, and it's these qualities that endear her character to me. For the first half of this novel, however, I barely recognized her. She is impulsive, mean-spirited, dismissive, and careless. For example, we know that her tendency to check every lead no matter how small is what makes her such a great detective, so her refusal of Rook's suggestion to dig deeper in her past for clues seemed way out of character. I've also liked how she empathized and connected to the families of murder victims in the past books, and so her frigid and guarded behavior towards her own father was very bewildering. Also, knowing someone could be watching and listening to her every move, but still she doesn't take every step to secure key suspects and evidence, plus blithely walking into traps? Given the personal nature of the case she was working on, I guess all these inconsistencies to her character would make sense, but then she would also have been pulled off the case a long time ago.

Sad to say, but Rook hardly fared better. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say they don't stick with the same ghost writer for these books, because personally I felt the writing style differed slightly from the last book, which I loved. In contrast, the prose in this book felt more awkward, and the dialogue more campy and forced. The result was that Rook also felt more clownish and juvenile, like whoever wrote him overdid it.

By now I've probably written more for this review than is warranted, but as usual I just wanted to get my thoughts out there, and explain why this latest installment disappointed me whereas I've greatly enjoyed all the previous books in the series so far.

[J. Lynn Else · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the four novels. Yes, I groaned (loudly) when it was discovered this plot would revolve around Nikki Heat's mother's death, just like with the TV series which drug things out WAY too long. But I have to admit that I enjoyed the book’s mystery and backstory of Nikki's mother's death much better than the series’ plot and discovery of Kate’s mother’s death. If you don’t get the episode nods, it’s no big deal because everything is tied together well. The book has a great flow (as the mystery is slowly unveiled) and pace to the investigation. The novel has enough depth to keep you guessing. Solid stand-alone novel with a fun cast of character relationships. There’s also character development! You see Nikki begin to open up and face her demons. She undergoes a lot of personal trials in this book, and you see a change in her personality as the plot flows along. So while some reviewers would be quick to judge this is just a rip-off of the TV series episodes, there is character growth as well as an engaging mystery within the pages! A fantastic crime drama without needing to watch the entire series to know what’s going on! But lets face it, why are you NOT watching "Castle?" That's just insane!

[Timothy McNeil · Rating 2 out of 5]

The faux Richard Castle still thunders through the Nikki Heat novels like someone seeking to fill pages more than tell a story -- see every awkward instance of referring to characters by their full names or the repeated explanations as to nicknames of characters -- but at least Frozen Heat made an attempt to do more than follow the 'let's visit the same suspects repeatedly until one of them turns out to be guilty' device that had been the trademark of the earlier novels.
This one loses points for the odd need to people the detective force with characters who are little more than just names as well for having the repeated violations of personal dwellings not seem to have much of an emotional impact on Rook or Nikki.
If it weren't for an odd sense of devotion to the TV show, I'm sure I would never have read this. Having done so, however, it did nothing to enhance the experience of watching the show.

[Marla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would say I didn't like this one as much as the previous Nikki Heat books, but they didn't really stick with me so I can't say that for certain. I didn't really pick up, like the other books, where events had been drawn from various cases/episodes and incorporated into this storyline, which is what I really like about the books. And the author tried too hard to tell/show us how awesome Nikki Heat was in how all the other detectives rallied around her. It was just a little too over the top and irritating for me. And again, the characters were slightly disconcerting, being almost like their tv show counterparts, but just slightly off enough to make it feel like something wasn't quite right.
I did like the subway station setting at the end and the mention of Storage Wars. =D

[Alexis]

Need to read this book! Don't want to wait till September! I can't wait to see the dedication in this one since the finale happened the way it did!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had nor read earlier books in the series, but I thought it could be read as a stand alone and thought that until the ending with too many unresolved issues. A lot of characters and I was surprised by the turn of events, one more believable than a man coming back from the dead. A bot of a slow start but it pivcked up and was interesting. A cop homocide investigation with a personal twist and a little bit of a romantic relationship rolled in,

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to surpass my expectations. I enjoy the series because I really miss the tv show Castle, and I feel like I’m right back with the gang. However, this is another edge-of-your-seat entry into this series. Nikki continued to irritate me early on because she is so straight-laced, but that soon changes. There is a murder that ties in with her own mother’s unsolved decade-old murder case, and she is off to find the killer at all costs. Very near the end I began to get extremely pissed at how I thought this one would end, but when finished, I believe it’s a great set up for the next one. Can’t wait to read it!

[reea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Összeesküvésből, csavarokból nem mutatkozik hiány, de engedjük el a sorozatban látottakat, mert más irányba haladunk, és különböző utakat járunk be. Ez a része kimondottan tetszett, de azt nem állítom, hogy tövig rágtam a körmeimet az izgalomtól.
https://napifalat.blogspot.com/2019/0...

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun. I’m really hopeful to watch some Castle in the new year, reading this reminded me how much I liked the show. This was a great story and I loved the twists and turns, even the ones that gave me a heart attack.

[Rbucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book by far the best of the four. I still have trouble remember it’s not the tv show, though.

[Сибин Майналовски · Rating 4 out of 5]

Красота... но недовършено :( И за жалост, последно от обработките в Читанка. Чакаме реакция...

[Калоян Захариев · Rating 3 out of 5]

Поредната история за Ники Хийт. Обичайната американска кримка, превърнала се в еталон. Силна жена, полицай до мозъка на костите си, смела, умна, решителна и т.н. Иначе историята се върти около миналото на главната героиня и нейното разследване около смъртта на нейната майка.
На мен лично ми хареса именно защото е клише. По принцип в последно време трудни се среща обикновен криминален роман. Чете се лесно, бързо и приятно. Няма да отричам, че съм фен на поредицата.

[Luanne Ollivier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a latecomer to the world of 'Castle' - which is a hit television series built around author Richard Castle's time with the NYPD as a ride along observer with Detective Kate Beckett. Castle has turned those ride alongs into a series of successful books featuring Detective Nikki Heat and writer Jameson Rook. But.....Richard Castle isn't real either. He's portrayed by actor Nathan Fillion who does a fantastic job pitching 'his' writing. With me so far? It's a great fun premise! I enjoyed Heat Rises last year. I don't watch a lot of television, but you don't have to be a fan of the show to enjoy the books.

The fourth book is Frozen Heat. Detective Heat's latest case involves a woman found stabbed and stuffed into a suitcase in Manhattan. Nikki is in shock - her own mother was found killed in this manner. It can't be coincidence. And when she looks closely at the suitcase, she finds her own initials - the suitcase belonged to her. Nikki's mother's murder is unsolved after ten long years. Who has duplicated her murder? Why? Did the two women know each other? As she digs further, whoever is out there seems determined to make Nikki number three.....

I chose to listen to Frozen Heat as I knew the reader - Johnny Heller - was excellent. Although you might think that a male reader for a female protagonist might be an unusual choice, in this case, it just really works. Heller has a unique gravelly voice that is perfect. He modulates it to differentiate between the male and female voices. Much of the charm of Castle's books lies in the short, snappy dialogue and one liners. Heller's animated delivery of these lines is really entertaining.

But, along with all that snappy dialogue, Frozen Heat is a good mystery as well. The plot was well-paced and action filled. The ending left me a bit unsatisfied, but the door has been left open for the next book in the series. And I'll be listening!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth instalment of the HEAT series by Castle has outdone itself. Fans of the show are aware that the book is the main character's literary attempt to present his desire to have a romantic relationship with Detective Beckett. Whomever is using the nom du plume of Richard Castle, has caught many of the nuances the character shows on the screen and reflected them into the pages of the book, highlighting the strong romantic relationship between the two main characters. If that makes any sense, I am sure you know what I mean.

The book examines a (pardon the pun) cold case and a more recent one with strong parallels. Heat and Rook work together with the rest of the squad to crack the case wide open, while bringing a flood of emotions back to Heat, whose mother was murdered ten years before. Travelling to Europe for answers, Heat and Rook blast the case wide open, but at what cost? Is what has been discovered too painful and too close to home to really help? WIll Heat stop at nothing to solve her mother's murder, even if it leads to her own?

I found this series of Castle books to be a lot more mature and thorough. Having read the Storm short stories, I can say that, while we have some of the corny puns and the obvious romantic undertones, the Heat series tells a great mystery. Great nuances and dialogue makes up for some of the cheesy moments. Knowing the series as I do, I can surely see Rick presenting this to his audience to show his passion for Kate... even if they cannot outwardly admit it to themselves.

Kudos Mr. Castle. Keep us proud with more books like this.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book series and the TV show have completely melded in my mind. It felt like reading a more detailed version of the TV show. Which was entertaining enough, and I guess could be what they're going for. The only difference that stands out to me is that Rook does not have a daughter in the books. He's still a writer, has a theatrical mother (although she doesn't live with him), and Kate, er, Nikki, is a lead homicide detective who is haunted by the murder of her mother. Which is actually what this book is about. A new murder is linked to her mother's cold case, and all of a sudden Nikki is in the midst of an investigation that could lead her to her mother's killer. (She wouldn't be allowed to investigate her own mother's murder in real life, would she? I don't buy it.)

I liked the plot / underlying story in this book better than the last in the series, and it had a couple twists I didn't see coming, for which I am always appreciative. And while some issues are resolved, it also sets the stage perfectly for the next book's launch.


P.S. Am I the only one who thinks these books are written by James Patterson? They seem very much his fare. He already writes a bajillion books every year, what's a couple more? He even named the Castle/Rook character after himself. Jameson. Jame[s Patters]son. Right? Maybe? Anyone? Anyone?

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story, Nikki's quest comes to a close and the responsible people are the ones who were closest to her. This one was another awesome part from the team behind the books written by Richard Castle the star of Castle TV series.

This one was wonderful with lot of twists and turns. One new case connects directly to Nikki's mother's murder from 10 years ago. And then things move from one extreme to another and I loved every moment of it. Just again few issues with pacing.

As always having seen the series it helps to envision the characters as they move about, So do give them a chance and maybe you would enjoy them. Hopefully then you would keep on reading.

People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[Fen · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books just keep delivering and I find myself, once again, wondering who the ghost writer is... because I want to read more by him or her! I continue to love how plotpoints from the previous season of the show get woven into the storyline of the book, as if the author had really run across them while riding along with the police... making them recognizable, but still giving them a bit of a twist to keep it fresh for fans of the show.

Had a good laugh at the shout out to "Firefly" fans in this one. Seriously... it actually startled a chuckle out of me and I had to explain to my husband what was going on.

Also really loved that the larger story arc got a bit of a kickstart in this one, moving forward but leaving even more mysteries to be solved in future books. Can't wait for the next one!

[Fergie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be the first to admit that although I like crime/cop shows like SVU & Castle, I was a bit hesitant to read this book for two reasons: (1) I thought a book "written" by a T.V. character (one Richard Castle) would most likely be beyond cheesy, and (2) mystery novels are not typically a genre I enjoy (as much as I might enjoy watching it on my t.v. screen). Nonetheless, I decided it was worth the chance to see if it would live up to the television series (which I think is superbly written and acted -- one of the smartest shows on T.V.). I'm glad to say, I wasn't disappointed. The book had a similar feel to the show with the same fast-paced action and smart writing. As a result, I plan to start at the beginning with the first book in the Nikki Heat series. FINISHED: June 2, 2013.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Richard Castle books are just so much fun to read. In the latest, Beckett finds out who killed her mother and why, so it's a most satisfying read for fans of Castle following that storyline on the television series.

[terpkristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the little nods to the show in the books. It's interesting to see the difference between the books and the show. This book might have had the biggest parallels and biggest departures. This was also the first book to end up semi-unresolved. Guess I'll have to get the next book soon. ;)

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am actually very pleased with this one. The first two Nikki Heat novels were a bit underwhelming for me, but I liked the third one, which is why I was pretty hopeful going into the fourth. Although it is not perfect, it certainly is a solid read.

What I liked:
- More than any of the previous books, Frozen Heat seems like a book by Richard Castle. The ghostwriter they got for the series is really great - he truly nails the style that is attributed to Rick in the show. But while the previous installments all seem to have something to do with the show, this is the first one that completely does the trick. Change the names and it could easily be an episode of Castle. I appreciate that a lot.
- I also think that this would be a solid read for someone who isn't familiar with the show. The case is well constructed and I didn't notice any flaws in the logic.
- Although I had a good idea of what was going to happen (as I've watched the show countless times), I still found the narrative suspenseful.
- The book introduces a few side characters that do not have direct TV counterparts. I thought that these characters were nicely chosen and constructed.

What I disliked:
- The ending is open in a way that copies a cliff hanger from the show. Although we do find out who's behind the murder, there is no satisfying conclusion so that one would have to read the next book(s) to know how the case ends.
- There were a couple more little things I can't quite put my finger on, but I get the feeling that while Frozen Heat might be a solid read for someone who hasn't watched the show, it would still fail to engage them as it did me.

This might actually be the best novel in the series yet. I genuinely hope that they keep getting better, because I am pretty sure that I will read the next book eventually.