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Naked Heat (Nikki Heat) Hardcover – September 28, 2010

by Richard Castle (Author)

4,230

Book 2 of 10: Nikki Heat

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Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook are together again in Richard Castle’s thrilling follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, Heat Wave.

When New York’s most vicious gossip columnist, Cassidy Towne, is found dead, Heat uncovers a gallery of high profile suspects, all with compelling motives for killing the most feared muckraker in Manhattan.

Heat’s murder investigation is complicated by her surprise reunion with superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook. In the wake of their recent breakup, Nikki would rather not deal with their raw emotional baggage. But the handsome, wise-cracking Pulitzer Prize-winning writer’s personal involvement in the case forces her to team up with Rook anyway. The residue of their unresolved romantic conflict and crackling sexual tension fills the air as Heat and Rook embark on a search for a killer among celebrities and mobsters, singers and hookers, pro athletes and shamed politicians.

This new, explosive case brings on the heat in the glittery world of secrets, cover-ups, and scandals.

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Book 2 of 10

Nikki Heat
Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Hyperion
Publication date

September 28, 2010
Grade level

5 - 9
Dimensions

6.13 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

1401324029
ISBN-13

978-1401324025
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Castle is the title of a television cop show in which a mystery novelist, Richard Castle, teams up with a female NYPD detective (under the pretense of conducting research). In the show, Castle writes novels about a female New York cop, Nikki Heat, who reluctantly pairs up with a writer, Jameson Rook, who’s a fictionalized version of Castle himself. Got all that? Anyway, Naked Heat is the second Nikki Heat novel, credited, like the first (Heat Wave, 2009) to “Richard Castle.” Leaving aside the fiction-within-another-fiction conceit, it’s a pretty fair mystery. Heat and Rook are written in the familiar “contempt-breeds-familiarity” style: they start out antagonists and wind up partners (and more). We’ve seen them before, with other names in other stories, and we like them because they’re comfortable. The story, which begins with a pair of murders that appear to be connected only by their MO, is slick and enjoyable without being too taxing on the reader’s imagination. The book is exactly what it’s supposed to be: an entertaining but undemanding mystery that should draw attention to the TV series from which it’s spun off. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The TV series Castle is a big hit, and many of its fans will be curious to read a “real” book by their favorite fictional mystery writer. --David Pitt

About the Author

Richard Castle is the bestselling author of the Nikki Heat and Derrick Storm bestsellers. He is played by actor Nathan Fillion.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hyperion; First Edition (September 28, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1401324029
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1401324025
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #305,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,804 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction
- #6,258 in Murder Thrillers
- #7,236 in Police Procedurals (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4,230

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Richard Castle

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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.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

4,230 global ratings

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great read with twists

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2023

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Character of Nikki and Rook are rich and full of layers. The story moves quickly with the plot line and descriptive dialogue

Betty-Anne Olton

The book I wanted to read the first time around

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2011

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Naked Heat turned out to be the book that I wanted to read when I picked up the first book of the series, Heat Wave. This second book in Richard Castle's Nikki Heat series, published to tie-in with the hit ABC show Castle, was much more substantial than the first, and an all-round better read. The plot revolves around the death of a not-much-liked gossip columnist, Cassidy Towne, and around uncovering the many layers that obscure the reason for her death. To add to the drama, Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook have not seen each other for a while, and the way in which they reconnect at the beginning of Naked Heat sets the stage for some interesting byplay in their (re)developing relationship. Of course, this plotline echoes the Season 3 premiere of the show, in which Castle is found with the victim of a murder, and this initial tie-in sets the stage for the rest of the book.

Many of the issues that I did not like with the first book didn't arise in the second. Naked Heat was even more solidly plotted, with an engaging mystery and characters (suspects and victims) that were varied and interesting. There was a much better sense of polish, with lots of attention being paid to producing a well told story, and not so much going to establishing the book as a tie-in to the show. It certainly benefitted from this treatment, as well as possibly from the fact that the writer(s) simply may have had more time to work on this one. Both Heat Wave and Naked Heat contain vastly entertaining, not unduly taxing, extremely engaging `whodunit' mysteries, but Naked Heat does it much, much better.

In Naked Heat, there's also a much clearer distinction drawn between Richard Castle and Jameson Rook, as well as Kate Beckett and Nikki Heat. While the conceit of asking the reader to see the show's characters in the ones on the page still applies, Rook and Heat seem more fully drawn, with identifiably separate personalities from their television counterparts. As much as I want to be able to `see' something of Beckett and Castle in the main characters of the books, I also want Rook and Heat to not merely be carbon copies, but to be able to stand on their own as well-rounded characters. After reading the first book, I thought that maybe I was expecting too much, but in Naked Heat this expectation was well realized.

Jameson Rook is a more abrasive character than Richard Castle. He's a little less likeable and so it's definitely not as easy to forgive his foibles. Additionally, Rook comes over as more self-serving than Castle and, along with some other minor differences, this serves to give Rook more ground to stand on as a character in his own right. The same can be said for Nikki Heat, who is a little rougher, a little less tolerant, and quite a bit `sluttier' (to use the show's term) than Kate Beckett. At the same time, Nikki is clearly seen to be working through the conflicts of what she wants in her personal life, especially as it concerns Rook, and this serves to make her as likeable and engaging as Beckett, while still establishing that she is someone different.

What didn't change between the first and second books of the series were the references to the show, which added another interesting level on which to read the book. Once you're a fan of the TV series, you can't help but notice the not-so-subtle references to the show and it feels like you're discovering little treasures along the way. The practice in the show to referencing other projects which the stars have done (especially Nathan Fillion's `Firefly') also makes its appearance in the book, and enhances that level of enjoyment. There's one surprise however, that belongs purely to the book and was utterly hilarious, with the potential for lots more gags in upcoming books. The theme in the book of people having secrets is extended to Jameson Rook having one of his own, and the results are very, very funny indeed.

I also felt that more research went into this book, as there were lots of minor details about people and especially places that was missing from the first - at least for me - and really made this book come alive. It's those things that, as a reader, you'd never know if they weren't there unless you're an expert on the subject, but when they are included, makes for a much richer reading experience and makes the story come alive. This is something that I tend to look for, and I'll always give kudos to an author who does this for me.

I was really surprised when I realized that I was only about ten pages from the end. On the heels of that surprise was disappointment - I was truly sorry when Naked Heat ended, and that's a feeling a reader always wants to have at the end of a book.

7 people found this helpful

Emily J. Morris

A whole lot of chaotic fun

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2023

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While I enjoyed the first Nikki Heat book, this one is a thoroughly enjoyable ride steps above, a big mystery thriller with plenty of twists, red herrings, and personality galore. There's a lot indeed packed into the mystery, but it all tied together nicely, the details even taking on lives of their own. A great choice if you need a juicy mystery.

Kindle Customer

Enjoyable and easy read!

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

Excellent character development and continuous action with surprises along the story. Being a fan of the TV show, this book is even more entertaining.

Watching TV in a book

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024

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Another episode of the TV show “Castle” in a book. Kate Beckett (oops, I mean Nikki Heat) on the trail of a killer or two. Richard Castle (I mean Jameson Rook) hanging on to her coat tails, trying to get a story, help solve the crime, get himself into trouble doing it and wooing the detective, all at the same time. Another light read that made me feel I watching TV.

Ethan A. Winning

Characters Aren't Half As Enjoyable As In The TV Show

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2013

Verified Purchase

I'm a newcomer to the TV show, "Castle." I discovered it just two months ago, and now I'm all caught up with my wife and I having had "Castle" marathons for a couple of weeks in a row. If you'll simply buy the premise that a mystery writer who happens to be friends with the mayor gets to "ride along" with a senior Detective Beckett and help her solve crimes, then you're in for an enjoyable treat. The writers (plural) of the TV show also give us two other detectives, plus Castle's actress mother and extremely smart and adorable daughter, all of whom are tremendously likeable, often funny, and who interact as though they like/love each other. It becomes utterly believable and each episode is wrapped around a murder or three.

I just happened to be looking for a new mystery to read, and found "Richard Castle" and the character-becomes-author twist. While the TV show at times becomes a little convoluted, I honestly felt that if the author of the book had added one more character, I was going to need an organization chart, and me without a DVR to rewind. A gossip columnist is murdered, and off we go...on an fairly enjoyable read (3 ½ stars actually).

However, the characters are not as likeable - as fleshed out if you will - or as funny. The two "minor" detectives have even lesser roles, and the coroner who on the TV show can crack you up with a look, is along with the daughter and mother, nonexistent. The give-and-take between Castle (or Rook as the case may be) and Beckett (Heat) is flat, and there are few references to the reader's day-to-day real lives that makes you smirk, smile, or just laugh when you hear them on the show.

If there were no TV show, I probably would still give it 4 stars, not 5. Five stars to the show (until the first three of this season) which has the advantage of having excellent actors who make it seem as though they probably like each other off-camera, and without seeing of having facial expressions described, the book is simply lacking.

It's doubtful that I will spend that much to read another "Nikki Heat"/Richard Castle book. If you enjoy the TV show, this may be a disappointment. If you've never seen the show, this may be a pleasant surprise.

ew

5 people found this helpful

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Paul S

For lovers of complex plots & crime stories with plenty of characters and blind alleys.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2019

Verified Purchase

I downloaded this book when it was on special offer on Amazon, not knowing anything about the author, the TV series 'Castle', or having read the first book in the series. As a result, I have read 'Naked Heat' as a stand-alone 'police procedural who dunnit'. However, from reading the reviews on Amazon, it appears that one of the key aspects of the novel that others enjoy is based on their being familiar with the TV series Castle. Clearly this is something I will have to address in the near future to see if it further enhances my enjoyment of the book.
What I particularly like about this novel are the characterisation and the writing, but I am less enamoured by the plot. The characters are a delight to behold and you can easily imagine what they would be like in real life. In the telling of the tale you get different perspectives about the crimes from various police officers and from the fictional award-winning journalist, Jameson Rook. The key murder victim is Cassidy Towne, a gossip columnist who has upset a large and varied group of individuals, all of whom would have reason to kill her. Here again these potential victims / villains are brought to life by the author. The writing is crisp and while peppered with Americanisms, is quite easy to follow for us British readers. What I also like is the humour that not only raises a smile but also adds a human dimension to the main police characters in the story.
What I am less enamoured with is the plot. It is just a little too complex for my liking. There is a huge cast of characters and potential suspects for the murders that take place and we are taken down plenty of blind alleys, all of which would usually appeal to readers who, like me, want to 'solve' the crime before the climax of the story. But in this novel there are just a little too many to easily keep track of, and the motive for the killings is not as straight forward as one would expect. This complexity doesn't spoil my enjoyment of the story but I found I had to use the kindle 'search' facility a few times to remind myself who various characters are and, on a couple of occasions, had to re-read a couple of chapters to remind myself of what was happening.
So, if you are already a fan of the Castle TV series, then it would appear from other reviewers that you will take delight in 'Naked Heat' and the other novels in the series. If you are like me and not familiar with the TV series and / or the other books in the series, then don't let this put you off reading this novel ... just be aware however that it has quite a complex plot. As for me, I am now off to watch 'Castle' to see what I may have been missing!

One person found this helpful

Ghost walks by

Castles nächster Treffer

Reviewed in Germany on August 15, 2018

Verified Purchase

Für Castle Fans wieder ein muß, für alle anderen ein soll. Dieses Buch ist eine wirklich gute Unterhaltung und für mich eine weitere gute potentielle Folge in der Serie. Lohnt wieder auf jeden Fall die Zeit!

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Jeff Parvin

Good follow up, tighter and better ending

Reviewed in Australia on July 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

Good read generally, well developed plot line with reasonable charecter interaction
Not as deep as Eve Dallas but ok, may read next one soon

Line Jais

Ruggedly handsome

Reviewed in France on August 14, 2015

Verified Purchase

I tried to read the first one in French, but I was disappointed about the translation. So I bought the next in English. What a pleasure! Thanks Mister Castle =)

jlaki

Nikki and Rook Characters play dominant roles

Reviewed in Canada on May 1, 2013

Verified Purchase

Rook, Nikki Heat's love interest plays a major role in the story line. The relationship between the detective and journalist are intertwined as they try to solve another murder together. Love those parts of the story line taken almost entirely from the Castle TV show. I got a chuckle whenever one of things Castle says he will put in his book actual appear in the book.

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