Good Reads: Nikki Heat Series by Richard Castle

I’ve always been an avid reader (or a bookworm, as some would call me), so much so that I’ve been told that I often used books to escape real life. But sometimes the world written about in books was often more warm, safe, and inviting than the real world.

My love of reading, and writing, started at a very early age. But nowadays, I rarely get an opportunity to actually crack open an actual book. I do read an actual book when I’m doing cardio at the gym, or I’ll read a book on my Kindle app on my phone or iPad. So imagine my surprise when I discovered books on CD, which just happened earlier this year! I mean, how long have books been recorded on tapes and CDs?

I’ve written about listening to “The Millennium Trilogy” by Stieg Larrson here.

Over the course of the past year, I’d say I’ve listened to about 15-20 books on CD. Some of the authors I’ve listened to include Sandra Brown, James Patterson, Suzanne Collins, and Nicholas Sparks.

Most recently, I’ve been listening to the Nikki Heat series by Richard Castle, and narrated by Johnny Heller. The book series is based on the ABC show Castle, starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. Currently, I’m listening to the third book in the series.

In the TV series, Richard Castle writes a novel titled Heat Wave, in which he uses NYPD Detective Kate Beckett as the inspiration for the character of Nikki Heat.

“As a tie-in, ABC and sister publisher Hyperion Books released that novel as a real book with “Richard Castle” as the author. It is entirely in character from the dedication to the acknowledgments, although the latter references the principal cast and the show’s creators by name. ABC released the first half of the novel in weekly increments on their website. The complete novel was published in September 2009 as a hardcover, debuting at #26 on The New York Times Best Seller list.” (Source: Wikipedia)

The following book synopses are from the Richard Castle website.

Naked Heat

“A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.

“Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City’s top homicide squads. She’s hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York’s Finest. PulitzerPrize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren’t her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat.”

“Naked Heat, the sequel to Heat Wave, was released on September 28, 2010. Naked Heat debuted at #7 on the New York Times Best Seller list. As they did with Heat Wave, ABC released a series of the early chapters online as a promotional tool.” (Source: Wikipedia)

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.”

“A third novel, titled Heat Rises, was released on September 20, 2011. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times bestseller list on October 9, 2011 and at #5 on the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Heat Rises

“The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club is just the tip of an iceberg that leads Nikki Heat to a dark conspiracy that reaches all the way to the highest level of the NYPD. But when she gets too close to the truth, Nikki finds herself disgraced, stripped of her badge and out on her own with nobody she can trust. Except maybe the one man in her life who’s not a cop. Reporter Jameson Rook.

“In the midst of New York’s coldest winter in a hundred years, there’s one thing Nikki is determined to prove. Heat Rises.”

And finally the fourth book in the series is titled Frozen Heat.

Frozen Heat

“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?”

I stopped by the library tonight, but the fourth book is not even on the shelves!  I really enjoy the show, Castle, and now I’m a fan of the Nikki Heat series by Richard Castle.

Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, who are some of your favorite authors or books? I’d love to hear some of your reading or listening recommendations!

Have a great day!