Frozen Heat (Nikki Heat #4) (audiobook) by Richard Castle

Performed by Johnny Heller
Duration: 11 hours, 6 minutes
Published 2012 by Hyperion Audio

Last winter I listened to audiobook #3 in this series, Heat Rises, and I was initially struck by the absurdity of a book written by a fictional author in a television show. I thought it would be a joke. We have a book written by a writer who was created by a television show writer. You would think that this would be a recipe for disaster - a mere cheap marketing ploy to generate some publicity for a television show.

However, if you thought that, you would be wrong.

Whoever is in charge of the "Richard Castle" franchise at Hyperion books has taken this quite seriously. Frozen Heat is a great police thriller. The story is about a murder case that homicide detective Nikki Heat's squad is investigating. Evidence points to a connection with the murder of Heat's mother 10 years earlier. As they investigate this connection, Heat and her writer boyfriend Jameson Rook travel to Boston and Paris in a search for answers and find that everything that Nikki Heat knew about her mother may have been wrong.

If you watch the television show Castle  then you will recognize several of the characters from the show have moved on to the books. In my first listen I was mostly unaware of this since I had only seen the show once or twice. Since then, I have watched the show semi-regularly and appreciate the fact that these two fictional worlds overlap so much. Also, it was a bit weird watching the television show and seeing Castle autograph the hardcover copy of this audiobook when I had just got my copy in the mail that day!

Actor Nathan Fillion as fictional author Richard Castle

Frozen Heat was performed magnificently by Johnny Heller. He covers male and female voices and a wide variety of accents flawlessly as well as getting the comic timing of Rook's smart comments down perfectly.

I always know when an audiobook is a great one - I start dragging it out of the car and into the house and to work so I can look for chances to listen. This was one of those experiences.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5.

Reviewed on November10, 2012

This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: Frozen Heat


FTC Full Disclosure - this work was sent to me by the publisher so that I could review it. The review, however, is my honest opinion and was not influenced by being sent a free copy.

Heat Rises (Nikki Heat #3) (audiobook) by Richard Castle

Surprised and impressed!

Performed by Johnny Heller
Duration: 11 hours, 15 minutes
Published 2011 by Hyperion Audio

Unabridged.

I freely admit that when I got this audiobook I was not expecting much. The premise behind the whole series is an inside joke to begin with since this is supposed to be the books written by an author in the fictional television series Castle. So, I am reading about a fictional character in the books of a fictional author based upon the life of another fictional character in a TV show. It pretty much hurts my brain to think about it - like an Escher painting gone bad.

So, I got the audiobook of Heat Rises and figured that, if nothing else, this could be good for a laugh. My original instincts were reinforced when I noted that the main character is named Nikki Heat (like a character in a bad 80's Stallone movie or something) and, of course, she is physically stunning as well as being the best detective in her squad.

But, as I listened I warmed to the characters. The case was interesting, the characters all have distinct and interesting personalities and the book knows how to be both funny and dramatic. This book pulled me in and had me looking forward to the chance to get in the car and listen to it as I made my daily commute. I expected little and got an interesting, action-packed case with plenty of drama and humor.

In Heat Rises New York City detective Nikki Heat is assigned to the case of a local parish priest who is found dead in the torture room of a local bondage club. As the case progresses, her mentor and boss, Captain Montrose intervenes in ways that cause Heat to doubt his intentions. Add in a local group with ties to a Latin American terror group, a CIA-affiliated contractor with a history of human rights abuses and multiple attempts on Heat's life and you have the recipe for a successful bit of escapist fun.

Actor Nathan Fillion as fictional 
author Richard Castle

This book is truly performed by Johnny Heller who makes all of the characters seem unique by creating a diverse amount of accents and voices for dozens of characters, including changing his pitch and pacing. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and his work on this audiobook stands out.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5.

This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: Heat Rises by Richard Castle.

Reviewed on December 3, 2011.

FTC Full Disclosure - this work was sent to me by the publisher so that I could review it. The review, however, is my honest opinion and was not influenced by being sent a free copy.