Heat 2

I found the writing to be unique, part prequel, part sequel to the movie.

I was thoroughly engrossed by the details on all of the main characters. I found myself rooting for the bad guys as well as the good guys. The locals were intriguing as well. I have spent a lot of time in the LA area, lived in Chicagoland for twelve years, and visited Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.

I also found it enlightening to see how Mann and Gardiner handled avoiding many of the Hollywood stereotypes. They did it wonderfully, taking the reader inside the heads of the… show more.

Both a prequel and a sequel to one of the best movies of the 90s – slam, bam, kaboom from the first page to last.

Back to the days before LA and Heat; forward to the aftermath and with a dogged cop still on their tale. And where they learnt the famous line - "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”

I was wary of this novel when it was announced but rewatched the movie, sat down and didn’t get… show more.

This genre-crossing sequel to celebrated director Michael Mann’s underrated 1995 film masterpiece Heat tracks.

It is about the fate of Chris Sheherlis (who was played by Val Kilmer in the movie) and his wife Charlene (played by Ashley Judd) as they escape the bloody aftermath of the film’s final confrontations. 

Ably assisted by veteran thriller writer Gardiner, first-time novelist Mann creates in Heat 2 a complex tale of revenge, betrayal, and redemption set in a netherworld of transnational crime. This is no mere novelization but rather a full-blooded, utterly gripping crime novel that could easily soar on its own merits.

I’m not sure this is a thing—novelization sequels that are as good as or better than the original movie—but I’d nominate Heat 2 for such an award.

Gardiner, an acclaimed thriller writer, and Mann, the director of the 1995 Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino film Heat, teamed up to write a successful literary prequel/sequel that explains the road that DeNiro and Pacino’s characters traveled before the heist pictured in the movie, and then fills in the story of Val Kilmer’s character, Chris Shiherlis, after the events of the film.

The book can definitely be read on its own but… show more.