Deadly Heat

Nikki Heat #5

by Richard Castle

Picking up where Frozen Heat left off, top NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat pursues the elusive former CIA station chief who ordered the execution of her mother over a decade ago. For the hunt, Nikki teams once again with her romantic partner, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Jameson Rook, and their quest for the old spy and the motive behind the past murder unearths an alarming terror plot-which is anything but ancient history. It is lethal. It is now. And it has already entered its countdown phase.

Complicating Heat's mission to bring the rogue spy to justice and thwart the looming terror event, a serial killer begins menacing the Twentieth Precinct and her homicide squad is under pressure to stop him, and soon. The frightening murderer, known for his chilling stealth, not only has singled out Nikki as the exclusive recipient of his taunting messages, he then boldly names his next victim: Detective Heat.

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

291 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2013

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-) 80% | Very Good
Notes: Wherein light-bulb moments have oral switches, like Password clues, flashing out shadows for targeted retrospection.

[Nathi *Shut it and let me read* · Rating 5 out of 5]

YESSSSSSS new Castle's novel!


I'm one of those HUGE Caskett shippers! Yep, I am!
So, like it's not enough to have a series that you love, but they also have books inspired in the series that are from a genre that I simply loveeeeeee
So, Rook and Nikki are pretty much like Castle and Becks....ownnnnn *sigh*



Here we continue the saga and the mystery that was left from the previous book (yep, those books must be read in order) and there so many mystery in those book and the beauty how they are all solved (pretty much like the series).
I must say that I'm one of those people that enjoy a little drama, so I was hoping for more in the jealous front from Nikki but the whole theme wasn't front approached it which from the last page of this book it may be happening on the next book.

This book was just great and I don't to spoil from you, we get light steamy romance as always and the interaction between Nikki and Rook are always a mix between fun, sexy and romantic.
If you have read the others books here you gonna get the same level of excellence delivery in others, though I must say that this was one of the best plot-wise.

Nikki Heat is one of those sexy hot kickass female characters that as a woman myself I just love to read about strong female characters and Nikki totally delivers on that front. She's a complex and strong character.
Jameson Rook is IMO sexier than Castle (tv) and almost as funny but that's because the book genre is different from the series which is awesome cause you get the feel that you are getting twice as much from the series and characters that you love.

I just love the author, the series, the plot, the characters, everything. This entire series is a mix between awesome and perfection.

To sum up:

[Monnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woo hoo - it's another fun, easy-reading book in the series featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jameson Rook and his police detective pal (and lover), Nikki Heat. Nothing mind-bending here, but just an excellent follow-up to Frozen Heat, the most recent. Although the book can stand alone, those who've been following the series - which in many ways mirrors the popular TV show "Castle" and often reads like a TV script - will wrap up some nasty issues that have been plaguing the dynamic duo from the beginning.

In this one, the two begin with trying to find the motive behind the murder of an old spy (the guy who gave the order for the execution of Nikki's mother more than 10 years ago), which in turn leads to a possible terrorist plot that's apparently been on hold for years - until now. Then, a serial killer makes himself known with a [red] string of murders. His next target? None other than Nikki Heat.

As in the TV show, Jameson's witty banter is everywhere (in the TV show, it comes from Richard Castle, wonderfully played by Nathan Fillion). And as usual, there are not-so-sly references to the show (at one point, a group of producers consider developing a show based on Jameson's work and agree that "Nathan" would be a good choice for the lead).

I also noticed what may be a trend in books: The mention of other books and/or authors within the plot. Here, Janet Evanovich (perhaps best known for her Stephanie Plum series) gets a tip of the hat. The same thing happened in the latest book by Sue Grafton (W is for Wasted), wherein the late Robert B. Parker's name turned up more than once. Thanks in large part to the ability to record TV shows and skirt those obnoxious advertisements, we're seeing more and more "product placements" - the cast sitting around drinking Coke or working on iPads, for instance - so I suspect this is something we may see more of in the world of books.

[Paullette · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes so very little for this series to make me happy, Dear Reader, that I should probably be embarrassed (I'm not, FYI, perhaps due to the ridiculously high quality of these crime novel tie-ins to the ABC TV series Castle). However, even *I* must say that this latest installment of the Nikki Heat series is sloppy and disappointing. The books have grown larger in scale and page number after Heat Wave (the first-and-best), a development that worked well in Naked Heat (Nikki Heat #2), but not so much in the three installments since. The trade-off for more complex plots appears to be less screen time for the sexy central relationship between Det. Nikki Heat and journalist Jameson Rook, to the point of practically no heat at all (I'm sorry) in this latest offering. The focus on forensics over foreplay might have been forgivable (***discreet spoiler, avert your eyes!!!***) if not for an out-of-the-blue POV shift that sets into motion a clumsy, overly-long homestretch of loosely-knotted ends in this novel that is, in itself, an unofficial sequel to the cliffhangered Frozen Heat (Nikki Heat #4).

If there is indeed a Nikki Heat #6 in the works, Mr. Richard Castle might consider a retreat in scope--the world (and/or NYC, depending on your coast) has now been saved a couple times over, and good on ya! What say next time we just solve a few muggings and dive into that fruit basket from George Clooney??

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fifth book in the Castle series goes over the top as Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook go after both the traitor unveiled in the last book, but also face a genius serial killer who likes to kill detectives. Castle tries to shove in so much tension and suspense it almost becomes cartoon-ish.

[Marijan Šiško · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imam osjećaj da je ova bila dulja nod ostalih, ali je fino zaokružila priču, vodila dva na izgled nepovezana slučaja koji su odlično uklopljeni na kraju, i, po običaju puna je aluzija i meta-zezancija. nije petica samo zato što nije re-read materijal

[Сибин Майналовски · Rating 3 out of 5]

Значително по-добре от предишните, но все още нещо липсва, за да е също толкова очарователно, колкото беше и сериалът...

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good as the previous installment, with some good twists and turns, even if I found out who the killer was pretty early on. He was kinda of like a Scott Dunn meats 3XK kind of killer. Definitely a fun read for fans of the show, as it is cool seeing what they have Richard Castle use from the cases he's worked with Detective Beckett. Not to mention seeing all his little fantasies, which really aren't fantasies anymore since his muse finally hooked up with him at the end of Season 4. Also, I've noted that the books often had little hints about the upcoming season. NAKED HEAT hinted about Esposito and Lanie hooking up in Season 3, and FROZEN HEAT hinted at Paris in Season 5. So I'm intrigued to see if that little tradition continues and something from within these pages comes out on the show.

On a side note, as a fan of the show, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't just a random character named Eunice. In 5x03, Beckett makes a deal with a guy to get his money to help Castle win the auction for the contents of a storage unit. Part of the guy's deal was that Castle named a character after his mom in his next book. While it was simply a little scene, usually they're very good at including anything mentioned about the books in the show in the actually books they publish. Such as in Season 4, Martha interrupted Castle writing a scene about a character getting thrown off the Brooklyn Bridge. And that then does in fact happen to a character in FROZEN HEAT. So, just disappointed there was no Eunice, as I was kind of hunting for her name while reading.

[Ana Herondale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joder, menudo lío. El libro es muy complejo, tiene un montón de traiciones y conecta de forma maravillosa la trama con el anterior y el asesinato de la madre de Heat. Está genial.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a fun ride

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the latest installment of Castle’s Heat series, the author picks up the narrative and storyline where the previous book left off; with a plethora of questions for Heat surrounding her mother’s death. While she tries to piece the clues together, a fresh murder sidetracks her. People are dying with coloured string left by the bodies. Is the killer toying with Heat or has she stumbled upon a larger plot? Boyfriend-go-writer Rook tries his best to help solve both case by pulling ‘strings’ and bringing the feds on the scene. Is this more a hindrance than help for Heat and her NYPD squad? And how does a coded message left by the senior Heat turn her murder on its head? A must-read for fans of the book and television series alike.

Ghost writer Castle captures all the nuances of the characters from the ABC hit Castle. While the knowledgeable reader will see the parallels between the two sets of main characters, the attentive one sees the jokes and smaller details found within the larger story. While hokey at times, it plays well into the generalities seen in the television show and addresses the dry and sometimes juvenile humour the author exhibits on the show. Weaving the larger Heat case with the book-focused one is done well and the pace of the plot and storyline flow well throughout. A great piece of work, though nothing I would call stellar.

Kudos Mr. Castle on another entertaining read. I look forward to seeing what else you have on offer in the coming months.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better and better! I didn’t think the last one could be topped, but this one sure did. It picks up about 3 weeks after the last book. Heat is still searching for her mother’s former CIA handler, Tyler Wynn and his accomplice Salena Kaye, along with working a serial murder case. I never would have guessed that these Richard Castle books could be so intense, all while keeping the humor that the show was also known for. There are many twists and turns and it was impossible for me to put this book down. I was completely satisfied with the ending. Can’t wait to read the next one!

[Rbucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best book, yet. I spent most of the book thinking one person was the mole. Not only was I wrong about who it was, there were two of them. It was very clever the way the two cases Nikki Heat was working on were intertwined. I look forward to reading the next one.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of addictive ...

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 💫

Un poquito denso pero la trama chulísima. Conspiraciones, terrorismo, asesino en serie… y todo bien unido; me ha gustado mucho.

[Fergie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's true that the Castle books are a great escape -- a guilty pleasure read, so to speak. I'm usually not a fan of the "fluff" side of literature, but after having read some heavy duty books (both fiction and non-fiction), I felt I needed something a bit lighter. The Castle books are just the kind of read that fits the bill. They're the kind of read that generally keeps the reader on his/her toes with suspense while remaining exciting with entertaining dialogue very similar to the show.
Deadly Heat is the latest addition to the five book series based on the popular ABC television show. Of the five, this was my least favorite. Perhaps after having read all of the books and being a fan of the show, the Nikki Heat saga becomes a little trite to read. The storyline in this book in particular seems more than predictable. The main character of Nikki Heat is so often in danger that it seems a natural state for her.
The dialogue is consistent with the previous books and there are enough reminders about what occurred in the past novels to make the new reader to the series keep up with the pace of what's occurring. However, the wildly "out of bounds" detours and outcomes are so transparent and predictable that the reader is left to wonder if the book series has lost its potential for creativity. Like the television series itself, the stories told are a mix of pure genius with the sometime fantastical. Unfortunately, it's during these rare visits into the fantastical that the story suffers. It's when Castle stays true to its core -- witty writing, interesting storylines that don't stray too far from the norm, that Castle is at its best. So can be said of the written version of the book. This one strayed a bit too far and used too trite of a formula in its attempt to keep the reader interested and excited. Unfortunately, it's because of this that the story lost its interest for me.
I'll continue to watch Castle for those episodes that are superbly written and acted. When at its best, no other show on television can balance the comic with the dramatic edge quite like Castle. When the written version does the same, it's a great literary escape in the same vein. Unfortunately, Deadly Heat was not the Castle-esque escape I had hoped and come to expect.

[Bryan Higgs · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife and I have listened to many of these "Richard Castle" audio books during car trips. We find them very entertaining, and they serve very well to pass the time -- and more.

This one follows on with Nikki Heat's attempts to discover why her mother was murdered 10 years prior. She is actually the lead investigator in two major crimes, one a serial killer, and the other a conspiracy to commit mass murder (the latter associated with her mother's murder). The plot is complex and interwoven, figuring out who perpetrators are was not easy, and the dialog was highly entertaining -- the reader of this audio book did a great job.

For those of you who don't know, these books are supposedly written by Richard Castle, the character in the TV series "Castle", but the copyright for the books is held by ABC, and the actual author's name is a secret. (At the end of this audio book, the author gives credit to several characters in the "Castle" series, and is good for a few chuckles in itself.)

You'd think that this kind of publicity stunt would produce second-rate books, but, on the contrary, this series is consistently entertaining. Jameson Rook (Castle's alter ego, and presumably chess partner) always has some funny observations, come-backs, half-assed theories, and so on, which usually give rise to our audible chuckles.

No, it's not great literature, but it is highly entertaining, and so I still give this one 5 stars.

I'm not sure whether I would find it as good if I read the book rather than listened to it. Perhaps?

[Clark Hallman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Heat by Richard Castle is the fifth novel in the popular and very enjoyable Nikki Heat series. Heat and Rook are embroiled in several complex investigations in this installment. Heat is still pursuing some details of her mother’s murder, but now an intelligent egomaniac serial killer calls her to discuss his latest and future murders. In addition, she works with federal law enforcement (one of whom is Rook’s former lover) in a desperate attempt to prevent a terrorist attack in New York City. As always, the relationship between Heat and Rook is fun to experience, as are Rook’s humorous comments. Heat’s intense, intuitive, tough and competitive approach to her job results in heated confrontations with her federal comrades. At times it seems they are hindering her investigations. This is a complex story that challenges Heat with plenty of violent action, and grave danger. The story also entangles the seemingly separate cases in a very interesting way. Deadly Heat is another very engaging and satisfying book.

[Dan Dundon · Rating 3 out of 5]

One has to marvel at the cross marketing of a TV show with a series of crime novels. Even the acknowledgments in the back of the book cite the contributions of the fictional characters on the TV show. The person at ABC who came up with the idea to tie in a book publishing deal with Hyperion Books (also owned by ABC) should get a bonus.
I enjoyed Deadly Heat but I had a hard time separating the book characters on the TV show. Whenever Nikki Heat was speaking in the book I saw Kate Beckett in the TV show. One big reason for this crossover difficulty is the similar dialogue and banter between the characters of the TV world and the print world. It would appear that the same writers contribute to both endeavors.
Nevertheless, the book is a good read even it at the end I had the impression I had just watched a TV show rather than completed a novel.

[Bea]

I like the show and was curious about the books so I got this from the library. These are books that Castle writes on the show. The problem is, the characters in the books are thinly based on the characters in the TV show and I kept hearing their voices when the book characters would talk. And, just like in the show, a key plot is the murder of the female lead's mother when she was a college student. It was just too meta for me and I couldn't get into the story. Plus the print was too damn tiny for these old eyes. So I gave up.

[Sandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come già scritto per i precedenti 4 libri con protagonista la detective Nikki Heat: se amate la serie TV "Castle" il libro non potrà non piacervi.
Buon ritmo della narrazione, qualche colpo di scena, qualche equivoco, qualche battuta fortunata...... viene da confondere i personaggi del libro con quelli della serie TV.
Comunque, anche se non siete amanti del telefilm e vi piacciono i libri gialli/thriller, rimane un ottimo libro da leggere, ma vi consiglio di leggerli in ordine di uscita.
Ed io sono pronto per leggere il sesto....

[justabookseller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich liebe diese Reihe einfach! Auch der 5. Band war wieder unglaublich mitreißend und spannend. Die sympathischen Charaktere tun ihr Übriges. Freue mich sehr auf Teil 6.

[Relwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love these two fluffy fictional characters invented by another fictional character uuuuugh

“Nikki, if I believed for one second that Tyler Wynn was a threat to you, I would drop everything and move heaven and earth to protect you”

“What about me? The idiot who jumped in front of a bullet for you. Do you still trust me?”

“Just hearing his voice had soothed her nerves” SOBBING

“Heat laughed for the first time in days. When her laughter choked in her throat and stifled tears, he held her, and Nikki let herself fold into him, wrapping her long arms around his back and pressing his cheek against his chest just for the grace of hearing a loving heart”

“I know all I want, and I know what I like”
“So do I”
“Show me”
And he did

!!!!!! I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

[Lizzy Seitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 out of 5 stars

I listened to this via audiobook and that made it even better as I got pulled in so deep! I fell so in love with this particular plot and even missed my turns a few times driving because I was too invested with the plot of this book!

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading these for fun. They are an extension of the TV show and really are the further adventures of Castle without the names. With their humor and modern noir feel these books are a quick read and enjoyable. Nothing of deep substance, just entertainment. They do have an over arcing storyline that gets some answers in this one. The who-done-its are not always easy to figure out too quick which is good considering they are meant to be a bit camp which gives them a quality some novel that take themselves too seriously lack. I’ll try the next one.

[Stefan Zondag · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again pretty good! I'm getting a bit bored by the "jealousy" side stories of the protagonist: she is smarter than this and it feels a bit cheap and unnecessary. The serial killer case was amazing, also how it ties with the overarching terror plot. Very good.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lakis Fourouklas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the Heat series, until now. No, I’m not saying that all of a sudden I’ve stopped enjoying the books; I’m only saying that Deadly Heat is so predictable that it just makes no sense.

It was the suspense and the mystery that kept the pages turning in the previous novels, and these two elements seem to have gone missing from the latest installment. What’s not missing is the humor, but is that enough to keep the reader going?

My first thought, as I finished reading, was that in here we have the same heroes, more or less the same storyline, but a different author, one that’s somehow clumsy, as they give away too many clues about most of the villains, and as a result, the expected reading pleasure is nowhere to be found – perhaps Heat can look for it.

When the readers embark on a journey with the words of an author as a vehicle, they expect to be thrilled, or feel simply excited, to get to know inside out the souls of the characters, good or bad, to seek and find all the hidden clues that may or may not lead them to solving the various riddles. Well, that doesn’t exactly happen here, and that’s a shame.

I don’t want to give away any clues because that could ruin the fun for some people but, I will say though, that if the answers are going to be so obvious in almost every single question, then one shouldn’t even bother posing any questions at all.

But of course, not all is black. I’ve already said the humor is quite good and the interactions between Rook and Heat are great too; their chemistry is pretty much alive. They could do with a breath of fresh air though, something that will turn the spark into a flame again. As for the action, that’s good too, but it seems to me as though the first couple of episodes of the Castle TV Series would emerge as the big winners in a possible Mexican standoff.

I give the book three stars out of five, because no matter how hard I try I can’t say that it’s a bad book; it’s just bad if compared to the its predecessors. I hope the next one will be better and thus able to restore my faith in the power of team ‘Heat and Rook’ to impress.

[Aymee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The summary doesn’t lie. I think Deadly Heat picks up a few weeks after Frozen Heat ended. That caused some issues for me because it’s been some time since I read Frozen Heat, so I had some brain wracking to do. But that’s no fault of the author’s, purely my own.

There is a lot going on in this novel. Nikki is still trying to tie up the loose ends surrounding her mother’s murder while also trying to handle a case that evolves into a series of murders. Sometimes, I think there was too much emphasis on Nikki’s cold case because it seems like she forgets she has an active case to solve. On the other hand, I really wanted her to find justice for her mother and to finally put that demon to rest.

I have to say, I’ve not done a good job picking books lately. The last one I read – For a Few Demons More – contained a character death. This one? This one contains so much betrayal that I couldn’t stand it. One I expected and had kind of predicted in the last book. But the other took me by surprise since I was really beginning to like that particular character. I suppose that says an awful lot about my judgment (or lack of).

All in all, this was an exciting and engaging story full of all my favorite characters. Heat and Rook, of course, but also Raley and Ochoa (Roach), Rhymer, Malcom and Reynolds, and of course, Lauren the ME. They’ve added quite a few characters to this series, but the author does an excellent job of managing to include them all without making the page feel crowded with characters. It probably helps that in a murder investigation, you’d need as many hands as you were able to get.

[Pupottina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un tocco di umorismo tinto di sangue

È come ritrovarsi a guardare un episodio della serie tv “CASTLE – Detective tra le righe”, perché questo libro, come gli altri della serie di romanzi soft thriller, è l’essenza del programma televisivo, solo che il sorriso di Nathan Fillion lo si vede nel ricordo che il lettore e telespettatore ha del suo volto e della sua mimica facciale molto espressiva ed accattivante.
Il personaggio da lui interpretato dà il nome che firma il romanzo DEADLY HEAT.
RICHARD CASTLE è nel romanzo, nelle indagini, nelle immancabili battute. Richard Castle cambia nome nel romanzo e diventa per la quinta volta (poiché è il quinto romanzo della fortunata saga editoriale) il giornalista premio Pulitzer Jameson Rook, l’uomo che flirtando con l’attraente detective Nikki Heat riesce a offrire i suoi importanti consigli per giungere alla soluzione dei casi che di volta in volta si presentano all’attenzione della squadra investigativa.
Jameson Rook è Richard Castle, in tutto e per tutto.
Mentre Nikki Heat segue nuove prove che aprono una vecchia pista per il cold case del brutale assassinio di sua madre, un nuovo misterioso caso attrae l’attenzione della squadra e riguarda un esperto di ristorazione singolarmente posizionato in un forno e mortalmente cotto a puntino.
Una lettura leggera, divertente, misteriosa ed intricata quanto basta per non deludere il lettore alla ricerca di avvincenti ore di intrattenimento.

http://youtu.be/cpeb9uWHkT0