The Nikki Heat series finally shifts to the mystery surrounding the murder of Cynthia Heat, Nikki’s mother. And if you’re thinking it will mirror Johanna Beckett’s murder from the show Castle, it really doesn’t. The mystery begins to slowly unravel as the book progresses, and though the reveal of what Cynthia was really up to isn’t necessarily shocking or groundbreaking, the reveal doesn’t feel hokey, and there’s plenty of Nikki-Rook tension to fill in the proverbial gaps.

The end of this book is a whirlwind, paced perhaps just a bit too quickly, and I’ll admit the ultimate reveal of who killed Cynthia left me a little confused at first – so much so that I went back and re-read the passage in question just to make sure. This is also the first book in the series to really end on a cliffhanger of sorts.