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    Naked Heat: Nikki Heat Book 2
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    Naked Heat: Nikki Heat Book 2
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    Naked Heat: Nikki Heat Book 2
    Ebook391 pages7 hours

    Naked Heat: Nikki Heat Book 2

    By Richard Castle

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTitan Books
    Release dateOct 26, 2012
    ISBN9781781166307
    Unavailable
    Naked Heat: Nikki Heat Book 2
    Author

    Richard Castle

    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 humour and inspiration.

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    Reviews for Naked Heat

    3.5/5

    471 ratings42 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Mini Book Review: I have to read these since I am a huge Castle fan, I just can't help myself. I love the fact that they have a picture of Nathan Fillion on the back cover as the author, makes me giggle. I know they are gimmicky and the writing not the best, but I still really enjoy them. This story was no exception. It's fast paced and filled with fun TV style dialogue. The characters are loosely based on the actual characters on the show which makes it lots of fun. Also some of the plot is taken from various episodes of the show and it appeals to my nerdy humour to figure out which one. My only complaint no naughty scenes between Rook and Nikki, that was hilarious to read in the first installment. A perfect book for a day at the beach and a must have for fans of Castle. I have the first book in paperback and will be buying this one as well when it comes out in that format. Hopefully one day I will be able to get Nathan Fillion to sign my copies, and I am still dying to know who ACTUALLY writes them.3.5 Dewey'sI borrowed this from Natasha and didn't have to review (But I will be buying my own copy when it comes out in paperback)
    • 4/5
      Richard Castle books are not the most layered of mysteries, but they are frankly enjoyable to read with the subtext of the companion television series in the back of your mind. Not for serious mystery fans, but fun for Castle fans.
    • 3/5
      Well, this is a weird book. It's the second book written by Richard Castle, who is a fictional character on the TV show "Castle". Like the first, it's about characters who are very similar, though not identical, to the characters on the show.In this one, a gossip writer has been killed, and Nikki Heat is struggling with her own brush with fame as a result of Jameson Rook's article about her.I'm not a fan of the writing style. There are words that trip me up. There are acronyms that aren't explained. There are metaphorical verbs 'goose', 'clotheslined', 'weather vaned'. And just weird things, like her mouth turning into an upside down U. And while I'm all for doors 'irising open', at least that's something I understand and can visualize. Without having to conjure up roosters whirling about on top of a barn.The action scenes bore me to tears. Well, not to actual tears. They bore me into skipping ahead.While I did enjoy this book a little more than the first one, it had some new flaws that the first one didn't. Or that I didn't notice the first time. Everyone is obsessed with irony in this one. Everything that happens turns out to be ironic in some fashion.But, again, the writer's mother only makes a brief appearance and could've easily been left out entirely.And like with other mysteries I've read, there are way too many characters. And it's a sort of knowledge of and view of characters that I don't particularly enjoy. Maybe I need to reread Sherlock Holmes to figure out why I do like reading those, but don't like reading most mysteries.And a final note, about something in the acknowledgements. Dear California writers, when your characters are from the NYC area, they are less likely to refer to Disneyland in a joke than they are to use Disneyworld or some other, more local amusement park.
    • 4/5
      good book - but too violent for my taste! Liked the first book in the series better!
    • 4/5
      Beyond meta, this one: 'Castle' is, of course, a TV show about a crime fiction writer, Richard Castle, played by the lovely Nathan Fillion, who, for various flimsy and unconvincing reasons, is permitted to ride alone with New York detective Kate Beckett in order to research his writing. Beckett inspires a character, also a New York detective, named Nikki Heat; and this is, purportedly, one of the books inspired by the collaboration.My head, just for one, is hurting rather badly about now.Anyway, all that notwithstanding, this is a perfectly decent police procedural mystery, with a good plot and enough twists to keep the reader entertained. It’s a step or two up from an episode of ‘Castle’ – necessarily having to be a little more complex just for reasons of length, if nothing else. It’s even fairly well-written, although the author (we will assume not Castle, and not Nathan Fillion either) has a bit of a problem with descriptives, and Nikki Heat is ‘Heat’, ‘Nikki’, ‘Detective Heat’, ‘Detective Nikki Heat’ and ‘the detective’, if not all on one page then certainly all in quite short order.The supporting characters from 'Castle' are mainly present, and only very thinly disguised, including Castle’s mother. We’ve lost his daughter, but gained an additional female detective. Castle himself is represented by journalist Jameson Rook – ohhhh, Rook, I see what they did there – whose excuse for tagging along after Nikki Heat is even less convincing than Castle’s. Castle the character, that is. Not Castle the writer. Who doesn’t exist.Ummmm …Incidentally, if any of these characters did exist (which, we have established: no), I can’t think that Kate Beckett would be very pleased with Castle at his giving Nikki Heat a murdered mother, since that’s something she’s tried to keep private throughout the show. But then, Castle often needs a smack. If he weren’t the lovely Nathan Fillion, he would undoubtedly get a lot more than he does.
    • 5/5
      This is the second book in the Nikki Heat series. The books are the tie in to the ABCtv show, "Castle", being written by the main character, Richard Castle. The Nikki Heat books are inspired by the TV characters, Kate Beckett (Nikki Heat, and Richard Castle (Jameson Rook). A celebrity gossip columnist, Cassidy Towne, is found murdered in her home. When the detectives arrive, they also find Jameson Rook sitting there waiting for them. He was shadowing Towne for a magazine article. Towne was writing a book that someone doesn't want published. These novels don't pretend to be anything more than they are, enjoyable reading about familiar characters. If you enjoy "Castle", you will enjoy the books.
    • 2/5
      Although I enjoy this tv series (and its characters) for light and fluffy viewing, and there are some laughs in this book because of this context, overall I found it hard going and sometimes even tedious.
    • 4/5
      Much better than the first book. The characters are more three dimensional than they were in the first book. Aspects of the plot have been pulled from episodes of the TV series to aid the conceit that Richard Castle is inspired by his experiences on his ride-along with Beckett, which add the fun for a fan of the series. A fun enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      This is like an episode of the TV show, this one seemed like a very long episode. It was funny and the relationships are worth reading the book for. Fun, witty, mystery and suspense all in one package with characters you already know.
    • 4/5
      Fun for Castle Fans!
    • 4/5
      Clever, fun, exciting, and sexy, just like the TV show that inspired
    • 3/5
      Fans of the TV series Castle will enjoy this book. It runs closely to the TV series with the exception of the characters’ names which are all fictitious anyway.

      Writing a review about a work of fiction written by a fictitious author is weird; but it is worth a read.
    • 4/5
      Naked Heat (In der Hitze der Nacht) ist wieder eine kurzweilige Lektüre, die Serienfans zum Schmunzeln bringt. Anders als im ersten Buch zeigt dieser zweite Teil mehr Romancharakter und wirkt weniger wie eine Serienepisode. Die Anzahl der Figuren ist dabei beachtlich doch immerhin, man kann sie sich leicht merken. Nicht so einfach dagegen empfand ich die zahlreichen Abkürzungen des amerikanischen Ermittleralltags, die mir in Heat Wave (Hitzewelle) nicht derart häufig aufgefallen sind und öfter einmal zu Fragezeichen vor dem geistigen Auge führten. Ab einem gewissen Punkt ist dann auch leicht zu erahnen wer dieses mal der Täter ist, da sich das Schema aus dem ersten Buch etwas wiederholt.Davon einmal abgesehen macht die Erzählung aber wieder fast soviel Spaß wie die Fernsehserie selbst und die vielen Überschneidungen sorgen regelmäßig für fröhlich zuckende Mundwinkel. Vor allem die deutlich fortgeschrittenere Beziehung zwischen Nikki und Jameson gewinnt eine humorvolle Steigerung, wenn man zeitgleich die Ereignisse der ersten und zweiten Staffel von Castle verfolgt und sich überlegt, was wohl in Becketts Kopf vorgeht, während sie Castles Phantasien verfolgt. Ohne diese Verwicklung von Fanfiction und Serie macht das Buch wahrscheinlich nicht so viel Spaß, aber wie schon zuvor erwähnt, bietet die Kombination einen hohen Unterhaltungsfaktor.
    • 4/5
      For those readers that follow the TV program CASTLE, reading the books that are "written" by its character Richard Castle are entertaining throughout. This second book written by Castle definitely utilizes the characters from the original but also blend in a bit of Beckett and Castle too. The reader is gratified by the emotional relationship development which viewers can only see and desire.Nikki and Rook come back together at the crime scene - Cassidy Towne, gossip columnist has been murdered and throughout their investigation not only are they both endangered physically but their emotions are at risk.This book was completely fun and entertaining. Certainly hope that there will be another!
    • 3/5
      I read the first Castle novel on the beach a couple of years ago. I don't remember much about it other than it seemed to be an ideal beach read. It had a funny media-tie in, didn't stress my grey cells, and kept the pages turning.

      This one seemed much better. I don't read a lot of mysteries, so I'm not up with the tropes and standards in the genre, but as a casual read between professional development titles, this was entertaining and funny. All the self-referential loops and connections between the author character who was written by a character portrayed by an actor and penned by a ghost-writer was also entertaining and they didn't drop the ball on keeping the references from breaking the fourth wall. Worth picking up of you are a fan of the series or stuck in an airport.
    • 4/5
      Great tie-in for any fan of the tv show Castle. The mystery seems a little less clunky than the first novel. This time, a celebrity death seems right up Rook and Heat's alley.
    • 2/5
      I had a hard time reading this book because it kept making me want to go to sleep, it just didn't catch my attention but neither did the show.
    • 4/5
      Interesting detective thriller purported to be written by the fictional character Richard Castle. Characters in the book loosely resemble the TV characters that they are based on. Maybe a bit less cute than the Castle TV show which definitely makes it a bit more fun.
    • 3/5
      I bought this because I like the Castle tv series and wanted to see the book that began it all. Let me say, I think the TV series far surpasses the voices in my head. The dialogue is flat and uneven
    • 4/5
      If you're not a fan of the TV show Castle, this book isn't going to do anything for you... in fact, you'll probably pick it up, read five pages, and wonder "what the heck is this garbage?" and throw it away. On the other hand, if you love the show and the characters, you'll likely adore the book (especially if you've already read Heat Wave). High literature it's not -- rather, it reads like a series of inside-jokes for those who are familiar with Castle, Beckett, and the rest of the 9th Precinct. You'll also recognize elements from various episodes woven into the storyline, which makes the book feel even more like "Castle" wrote it... since he's supposed to be shadowing Beckett for inspiration for his novels. And that's exactly what we get! The story itself is entertaining enough -- a tabloid reporter is murdered to cover up the secrets she knows -- and the cast of suspects is wide and I'd argue further-reaching than we get in a 60-minute TV episode. Police procedure seems a little more true-to-life, and of course, there are more romantic elements (continuing the setup in Heat Wave). Overall, a whole lot of fun for fans of the series, but very little to hold anyone not already familiar with the cast of characters and personality of "the writer."
    • 3/5
      This is the second book in what I assume will be a series of them (as long as the TV show stays on the air). In this one Jameson Rook (the Mary Sue of Richard Castle, who's played by Nathan Fillion on TV) is found in the same apartment as one of Nikki Heat's dead body's. (Nikki Heat is the character based on Kate Beckett who's played by Stana Katic on the TV show). The body is of a famous gossip columnist. The story that unfolds is one that revolves around celebrity.Just like the previous Nikki Heat book the one big stumbling block for me was that if 'Rick Castle' is really such a great author with all those Derrick Storm books then why on Earth would he write such a thinly veiled series like the Nikki Heat one?Still, even though it had the same problems as 'Heat Wave' it was a better written book in a lot of ways. And, of course it was fun to be reading along and be able to think back to where all the different scenes happened during the show and how they were changed. If they had removed the Nikki/Jameson relationship stuff it might have even been four stars instead of three.
    • 4/5
      Fun & fast read.
    • 4/5
      A fun read for a true Castle fan. The 4 stars are just for the fun idea.
    • 4/5
      As with the first book, this next installment in the Nikki Heat series reads very much like a Castle episode. The relationship between the characters is so tangible and easy to relate to. The mystery in this book dragged a bit more than in the first book, but the action and plot twists kept me wanting more.There were a good handful of moments that had me rolling around in my chair flailing because I was picturing Kate Beckett and Richard Castle.What I love most about this book (and series, aside from the fact that I love the TV show Castle) is that it’s a quick and entertaining mystery read. It contains plot twists, dramatic scenes and a healthy dose of tantalizing romance. And of course plenty of cop humor. If you’re looking for a good and entertaining mystery to read on a gloomy or snowy day this series has the books for you. With these books it is so easy to fall into the captivating New York homicide scene that is dominated by Nikki Heat and the police in the 20th precinct.
    • 3/5
      This is the second book in the Nikki Heat series "written" by the Richard Castle character on ABC's Castle. As the story opens Rook has been collecting information to write an article on NYC's most vicious gossip columnist. He arrives at her home for an interview and finds her dead. He uses this as a way back into get Nikki to team up with him again to solve the murder and hopes do find out why she quit speaking to him.
      I liked the book, but it's just not as fun as watching the program on TV. Surely this is because the interaction of the actors is so much fun to watch. It adds some background to the TV characters and there are a couple of good laughs in the book. The mystery was OK but not as thrilling as some so it gets 3 stars.
    • 4/5
      Let's face it, the Richard Castle books are a gimmick--a tie-in for television fans who just can't immerse themselves enough in the Castle experience. That said, whoever the "real" Rick Castle is--the ghostwriter pulling off the hoax--he (or she) is no slouch. For that reason, it's actually hard to believe it's NOT one of the frequently guest-starring famous mystery writers from the series--someone like Michael Connelly. There's nothing life-changing here, but Naked Heat is a very enjoyable whodunit--well-paced, charming, and complicated in all the right ways. I am a fan of the series, and I actually read the book on a lark, not expecting to like it, but I finished it confident that you wouldn't have to be a fan of the series to enjoy the book. (Although I imagine that most people who WOULD enjoy the book are already fans of the series, unless they don't have a television or live in a country where it isn't broadcast.) If you ARE a fan of the series, of course, the whole conceit of the book is pure fun, but be forewarned, you're likely to get a little bit of vertigo--these characters are transparently based on the characters from the television show, but much like characters based on real people, they AREN'T the characters from the television show. That's part of the fun, of course, but it's also a little disorienting. Altogether, not a bad beach/airplane book at all.
    • 3/5
      Enjoyable light read. A novel version of the show "Castle." Lots of possible suspects and motives so not an easy mystery. Expert knowledge of Manhattan evident in exciting motorcycle chase. Maybe, I'll read another?
    • 4/5
      No surprises here - a quick, enjoyable read. It was like eating popcorn - couldn't stop reading once I started. This was better than the first in the series. If you like "Castle," this book won't disappoint. Only complaint: Jameson Rook. Really? Couldn't think of a better name for the 'Richard Castle' character? 'Nuff said.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable light read. A novel version of the show Castle but I like Castle so not a problem. Lots of possible suspects and motives so not an easy mystery to solve which I like.My only complaint is the nickname of Roach for the 2 male detectives - Yuch, it just seems a lazy shortcut and it jarred with me. Maybe I just don't like roaches!
    • 4/5
      After the success of Heat Wave, the first tie-in novel to ABC's hit mystery/police procedural/comedy Castle (yeah, it even made the New York Times' Bestsellers List), ABC is continuing the adventures of Detective Nicki Heat and reporter Jameson Rook in Naked Heat. Not only does it have an already built-in fan base, but the entire show serves as essentially "free" advertising. Even better, in the Castle episode that aired the day before the book came out (the typically Monday time slot), the writers threw in a casual conversation between characters where they just happened to mentioned that Castle's new book is "coming out tomorrow -the actual release date of Naked Heat.In Naked Heat, reporter Jameson Rook's juicy piece on Nicki Heat has just hit stands. Though his summer ride-along is over, Jameson is eager to get back on Detective Heat's case. Though Heat would rather avoid her former lover, and the emotional baggage that comes with him, she crosses paths with Jameson while investigating the murder of famous New York gossip columnist Cassidy Towne. As the mystery unfolds, the relationship between Jameson and Nicki heats up.Much better than Heat Wave, Naked Heat reads like an expanded episode of the show, except that Nicki is a romanticized version of Beckett that is probably drawn from Castle's fantasies about the detective. Even though one of the show's writers probably didn't ghost write this book, the characters' dialog is dead on. I could even hear Castle and Beckett talking in my head. The cast of suspects feels like something out of an episode of the show and while the mystery is somewhat predictable, its obviously drawn from the show.Though its not great literature (more in the vein of James Patterson), Naked Heat is a fun mystery that's great for Castle fans.