Frozen Heat

The entertaining fourth Nikki Heat thriller, ostensibly written by the mystery novelist character of the ABC-TV drama Castle, showcases the feisty relationship between Nikki, an NYPD homicide detective, and Jameson Rook, a journalist who featured in 2011's Heat Rises. At a crime scene on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Nikki examines a woman's frozen body found in a suitcase inside a refrigerated delivery truck. To her shock, Nikki recognizes the suitcase, which was stolen from her mother the night her mother was murdered years earlier. Since her mother's killer was never found, Nikki naturally thinks the new death may be her best chance yet of determining the truth. Fortunately, if implausibly, her superiors allow her to handle the investigation. The new case forces Nikki to learn more about her mother's life, in particular why she abandoned a promising classical music career. Diverting banter ("Isn't domestic spying illegal?" asks Nikki; "It is if you're doing it right," replies a former CIA agent) helps compensate for a less than credible main storyline. (Sept.)