What do you get when you pair an Oscar-nominated filmmaker with an Edgar Award-winning author, give them the direction to write a novel that expands the universe of an iconic movie, and then get out of their way? An insanely intense, action-packed, balls-to-the-wall, extraordinary motherf**king piece de resistance! That’s what. Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner have crafted a truly legendary thriller that is literary genius and bound to be a visually stunning cinematic experience. Simply put, Heat 2 is astonishingly brilliant.
Spanning from 1988 to 2000, Heat 2 serves as both a prequel and sequel to the 1995 movie Heat, seamlessly moving between storylines that provide a look back at Neil McCauley and his crew pulling off daring heists in the Midwest and south of the border, a window into what becomes of Chris Shiherlis after the ill-fated Far East National Bank job that left him a wounded fugitive in the film, and Detective Vincent Hanna’s never ending pursuit of justice over the entire time period. It also introduces another crew led by a psychopath that pulls off heinous and audacious crimes and an Asian syndicate operating out of South America with big ambitions and formidable rivals, both of which adds depth, new personalities and expanding storylines that fit together with the original film’s plot like a perfectly tailored suit.
Reading Heat 2 is akin to watching a movie in your mind. It’s so detail oriented and graphic that you can picture every character, every move, every action sequence as if it’s on a screen in front of you. And the best part is you don’t have to imagine what many of the characters look like or their mannerisms and speech cadence, because the original movie provides the blueprint. Pacino, DeNiro, Kilmer, Sizemore, Voight, and Judd marvelously portrayed the main characters and therefore their images vividly leap off the page and into your brain. As a result, it’s one of the most effortlessly visual books I’ve ever read. So while watching the movie is not a prerequisite to reading Heat 2 (the prologue does an incredible job of summing it up in a few short pages), not doing so has the potential to suboptimize the reading experience.
But don’t let that stop you. Because putting its cinematic qualities aside, Heat 2 is one hell of a thriller on its own merit. This book provides dozens of anxiety-inducing, heart-in-your-throat, butthole-puckering moments through violent encounters, brazen actions and tenacious pursuits – car chases, shootouts, home invasions, highline heists, brutal murders and more. It also supplies several moving, sometimes heart wrenching scenes to balance the viciousness with emotional depth – instances of mourning, love gained and lost, letting go of the past, etc. Consequently, this novel the complete package.
Heat 2 is the epitome of unputdownable. It is highly engaging, engrossing, enraging and exciting from start to finish. Everything in the world stops while reading it, becoming a single focal point that completely sucks you into the realm of Hanna, McCauley, et al. It’s a summer blockbuster in print form. A surefire #1 hit that deserves to be consumed and experienced by as many people as possible. Bravo to Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner for creating this flawless work of genius. A top contender for best thriller of 2022.
Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.
Purchase Heat 2
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)
Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
