HEAT RISES

Here, the narrator blends so well into the story that he’s gone! Johnny Heller gives his narration a tough-guy timbre when it fits the character, and each character—tough or not—is complete and fully believable. Even the woman! The story itself is part of the Nikki Heat series, supposedly written by Richard Castle, the main character in the hit TV show “Castle.” Nikki is a gorgeous (of course) cop who is tracking down a murderer. Child molestation by a priest is part of the backstory. Nikki’s lover is investigative reporter Jameson Rook. (“Rook”—get it? It’s a chess pun.) A superior police procedural, this is. Wonder who the ghostwriter might be? He or she should be well paid! D.R.W. 2012 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2012]