Naked Heat (Nikki Heat) [Mass Market Paperback]

Naked Heat is the second Nikki Heat novel. Much of what I said about Heat Wave can also be said about Naked Heat. It is still like watching an alternate reality Castle in your head. Because of this, the story still very much tied to the Castle TV show. Some of the research we see Castle do in the show, mainly the tied-to-the-chair experiment, makes an appearance in the book. This leads to several 'Aha!'-moments, where you'll recognise stuff from the second season of Castle in the book. At the same time, funnily enough, I noticed stuff in the book I'd missed in the series. Such as Lanie and Esposito, Lauren and Ochoa in the books, hooking up! So reading the books and watching the show can act in a complementary manner.

The writing is much improved from Heat Wave; where in the last book the prose was workman-like, it's much better here, though still not soaring, and the story flows much better. Partly, this is due to the fact that in Naked Heat we're not limited to Nikki's point of view. We witness scenes from Rook's point of view and go on ride-alongs with Raley and Ochoa when they go interview a relative of one of the victims in Spanish Harlem. I liked these switches a lot and, especially in the case of Roach, it means that there are less infodumpy updates where they have to inform Nikki - and the reader - of their progress on the case. Now the reader looks over their shoulder and they presumably update Nikki off-stage. This makes for a lot less stopping to explain the clues and where we're going next. Of course, this being the second book in the series, there's no need to introduces any of the main cast and that also helps with the flow of the book, we can get right to the action.

Naked Heat's plot was also much to my liking. With the murdered woman being as much a villain as a victim and, due to her profession, the necessary delving into sordid 'celeb' secrets and the world of gossip that Cassidy Towne inhabited, it added a little scandal to this otherwise straight police procedural. The public's fascination with gossip and the latest '15 minutes of fame'-celebrity is also echoed in the way Nikki and Rook have to deal with the aftermath of his article. Nikki's is recognised everywhere--when she rolls up to the book's first crime scene, the witness who discovered the body is more interested in having his picture taken with her than in giving a testimony. In addition, due to Rook's focus on Nikki in his article, the rest of the squad is somewhat ticked off at him as well, rightly feeling as if they didn't the credit they deserve. Raley, especially, is angry since Rook revived his old nickname of Sweet Tea, much to Raley's disgust. Rook spends a large part of the novel figuring out what went wrong, between him and Nikki and him and the squad. It's interesting to see Rook realising his mistakes and trying to make up for them.

In all, Naked Heat is another fun read, which might even be attractive to the more hardcore crime reader. I'm even tempted to pick up Heat Rises when it comes out, just to see how this series progresses and whether the upward momentum will hold. If you're headed off to the beach, this is a good book to bring along!

'Naked Heat' is just as entertaining as 'Heat Wave' but a bit longer. The beginning of the novel echoes the start of series 3 of 'Castle', Heat and Rook have been out of touch for months and when they do meet up again it is at a crime scene. Rook is writing a profile of Cassidy Towne, a hated gossip columnist and finds her dead at her home, he calls in the murder and who should show up but Nicky Heat. Any fan of the show has got to read these books but they also work as stand alone humorous crime novels. The added bonus with 'Naked Heat' is that there is a photo of Richard (Nathan Fillion)Castle on the inside back cover and the book includes an excerpt from the next novel 'Heat Rises'. As there is going to be a 4th series of this great show I think it is safe to assume that another novel is currently being written - and I still don't want to know who the 'author' is'.

Book2 in the Nikki Heat series

Without any doubt this charming series is intended for fans of the TV program 'Castle'. Each new addition mimics the warm chemistry created by the show. The plot sends the readers' imagination on a wild ride that has ample cute and amusing twists. This latest is undeniably entertaining, although the writing is run of the mill and predictable; we nevertheless find red herrings, snippets of police work, moments of tensions and romance between the two leads and a snappy dialog.

'Naked Heat' centers on the murder of a well-known gossip columnist famous for her revealing articles on people in the public eye. It is rumoured that she is about to release a career making tell-all, one that will blow the minds of all concerned. We follow Nikki Heat and her partner hotshot reporter/writer Jameson Rook and her team of detectives on the trail of the murderer of this high profile columnist. The clues some good some misleading takes us through a maze of information, a world of secrets, cover-ups and scandals as they trade barbs and innuendos all the while taking heat from the press and their superiors.

This fun and fast read will appeal to both regulars of the TV show and enthusiasts of simple, exciting mystery novels.