It’s spring! The Bee Cave Library is hosting its annual book festival. And we get to meet in person! On April 1, I’ll be in conversation with the wonderful thriller writer Jeff Abbott at the Books and Bees Festival in Bee Cave, TX, next door to Austin. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop on by.
2022 has been a big year. My family and I rebuilt our house after a major fire. I traveled for book events for the first time since before COVID, going to Portland, Oregon, Tallahassee, and New York. And I saw Heat 2, the novel I’m incredibly proud to have co-authored with Michael Mann, debut at #1 on the New York Times best seller list. The world has been topsy-turvy, with all of us weathering unprecedented ups and downs. In 2023 I’m hoping to grab hold of the ups and ride them as hard as I can. I hope you all find joy, hope, wonder, peace, and light in the new year.
And, of course, great books.
Happy New Year!
This is certainly exciting. And I’m not kidding about that — having a book with my name on the cover make a best-of-the-year list will never get old. It’s an honor and wonderful validation of the hard work and pride that went into writing the novel. I’m thrilled that Heat 2, which Michael Mann and I wrote, has been named one of Entertainment Weekly’s Best Books of 2022.
“Nearly three decades after his now-iconic heist thriller Heat hit theaters, filmmaker Michael Mannreturns to the scene of the crime in unexpected form: a novel. Co-penned with Edgar-winning writer Meg Gardiner, Heat 2 jumps around in time, exploring the before-and-afters of characters like Al Pacino’s relentless LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna and Val Kilmer’s slippery thief Chris Shiherlis. For a director so well known for his visual impact, he turns out to be a propulsive prose stylist as well; Mann fans will find connections and parallels with many of his films, but any crime reader can feast on the meaty storytelling.” — Christian Holub
Where should I hang this?! A plaque commemorating HEAT 2 debuting at #1 on the New York Times best seller list — such a cool memento! My thanks for this lovely surprise go to William Morrow Books, HarperCollins, and everyone who made this possible for Michael Mann, me, and HEAT 2: Shane Salerno, The Story Factory, and above all, READERS!
I am stunned and thrilled beyond belief to say that Heat 2 has debuted at #1 on the New York Times best seller list.
I’m incredibly proud of this novel, and happy that the intense and amazing work that went into it is being rewarded. It was an honor and a privilege to write this book with Michael Mann. I’m delighted that his commitment, passion, vision, and brilliance have been put on the page with this story, and that I get to be part of it.
I am grateful to HarperCollins, William Morrow Books, and Michael Mann Books, for publishing this novel so beautifully.
I’m especially thankful to my agent, Shane Salerno, for every effort he has expended over many years to help nurture and shepherd this novel to publication.
There are no words adequate to thank my husband, Paul Shreve, for his support of my writing. Especially after our house fire, when we had to start rebuilding our home even as the book deadline loomed. Without Paul’s willingness to shoulder a huge portion of the load, I wouldn’t have been able to write. I love you!
And thanks, readers!!! You’re the ones who have truly made this moment happen. I’m gratified that Heat 2 has connected so strongly with so many of you. Happy reading!
Yes, I’m blogging more this week than I have in a long time, and yes, that’s because I want to shout out every bit of news about Heat 2. Yes, I’m wildly happy to see the novel received so well. And yes, I’m thrilled I can use the word rave to describe this review in GQ.
Heat 2 Brings Michael Mann’s Exacting Vision, Improbably, to the Page
“[Heat 2] gave me a better understanding into how the creator of Heat saw an even bigger world, but also made me appreciate a guy whose work I’ve literally grown up on. That sort of thing doesn’t happen very often.
“There are plenty of other directors who have great vision, who understand the style of a moment and how a certain song can truly capture the mood. But Mann’s whole thing is a trust in his own vision and an absolute belief that little details are a must. The guy seems to operate on a creative level not dissimilar from the one inhabited by some of the great fashion designers, who know that new seasons require new trends, but that good taste is timeless. Being able to turn that into a great story, whether Heat on the big screen or Heat 2 in a book, is a trick few besides Mann can pull off. There’s sex, violence, cool cars, bright lights, and a whole lot of grit. It all works together. When a character is at the Beverly Hilton—where “everything gleams,” including the “Lamborghini and the Bugatti parked outside the entrance, placed like ornaments,”—I kept thinking, Man, I can see that…in a Michael Mann movie. I want to see that in a Michael Mann movie. And if that doesn’t happen, then I’m happy I read it in a Michael Mann novel.”
All I can say is: wow.
I had a fantastic conversation with Jack Carr, best selling author of The Terminal List, on his podcast, Danger Close. We talked about books, writing, and Heat 2. The episode is now up. Check it out!
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6gbN5LmeB9nufBc39l1Og3
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/…/meg…/id1557814875…
When a novel is published, I suspect that a lot of people imagine the author kicking back on a chaise longue with caviar and a glass of champagne, relaxing because all the work is done. Maybe wearing fluffy slippers. In reality, while publication day is wonderful — a realization of years of hard work — it means the author actually rolls up their sleeves and gets to work in a new way. Publication means it’s time to really get the word out, and hoist the novel into the public eye, and snag people’s attention. Readers’ attention. And to hope that they’ll skip off to the bookstore or library to grab a copy.
With the publication yesterday of Heat 2, that meant I did podcasts, signed copies at my local independent bookstore, and spent hours on social media urging everyone to pick up the book.
I got some good reactions. Here are a few. I’m incredibly thrilled and grateful to have heard from Stephen King, Danny Trejo, and David Duchovny. And of course I love the vivid, kinetic tweet from my co-author, the inimitable Michael Mann.
I hope you’ll enjoy the novel, too.
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I’m thrilled that Heat 2, the novel I co-wrote with Michael Mann, is published today. The book, a standalone thriller, is both prequel and sequel to Mann’s 1995 film Heat. This has been a challenging, ambitious, exhilarating project, and I’m incredibly proud of this novel.
The Associated Press says: “Hollywood screenwriter and director Michael Mann and veteran thriller writer Meg Gardiner have achieved a rarity with their novel ‘Heat 2’: a screen-to-page sequel that stands tall on its own. . . . Slick as a Neil McCauley heist and as intense as a Vincent Hanna chase, ‘Heat 2’ is just dynamite.”
Rolling Stone calls it “a genuinely exhilarating expansion of the movie’s world, complete with. . . some truly jaw-dropping, bullet-filled set pieces.”
The Film Stage says: “Stunning. . . . an intoxicatingly relentless gem. . . . a novel to be devoured more than once.”
Entertainment Weekly calls it a “propulsive universe-expansion. . . . reading this novel, and its cliffhanger ending, definitely leaves you wanting another book set in the same world.”
I’d love for you to read it.
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CrimeReads dedicates itself to the thoughtful discussion crime novels, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and more. So I’m especially grateful that it has named Heat 2 one the best books of August.
“Heat 2, which combines the feeling of both prologue and coda to the iconic Michael Mann 1995 film, deepens our understanding of the original world and simultaneously upends it with new wrinkles of mania and humanity. It’s a novel about the growing complications of global crime and about individuals pushing deep into that moral abyss. Mann’s brooding moments of sublime isolation are there in abundance, combined with Gardiner’s deft touch for modern thrillers. The result is an intensely satisfying crime story. –Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads editor-in-chief“
That’ll make my day.
And, if you want to dig into the story behind the story, here are a few recent pieces:
If you’re interested in what went into writing Heat 2, the Los Angeles Daily News has the scoop: How author Meg Gardiner teamed with filmmaker Michael Mann on ‘Heat 2’
For The Week, I wrote about my favorite books that feature the theme of Heat 2… people who take down scores, and those who hunt them: Meg Gardiner’s 6 favorite crime fiction books.
And I answered 20 questions for The Big Thrill. Find out my superpower, and my most embarrassing moment. The Big Thrill’s Behavioral Analysis Unit: Meg Gardiner.
I’m really thrilled by these two new reviews of Heat 2.
From Spectator World:
“Of all the things in the world of entertainment that might get me excited, ‘a new Michael Mann project’ tops the list…
The story is quintessential Mann. We are introduced to a world reminiscent of the criminal empires that he created in his films Miami Vice, Collateral and Blackhat, with an emerging international dark economy fueled by narco-states, rogue oil kingdoms, criminal syndicates and brilliant gentleman thieves doing deals with the highest bidders. Mix in mercenaries and a corrupt defense contractor and you get a sense of what you’re in for with this novel…
Heat 2 retains a cinematic quality in its structural leaps from 1988 to 1996 to 2000 and back again, keeping the reader guessing where it is heading before full circle in a way you don’t see coming. And, perhaps cunningly, it leaves the door open for yet another sequel… If you’re a fan of the crime genre, you can only hope we get more from him and his crew soon.”
And from The A.V Club:
10 BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ IN AUGUST, INCLUDING MICHAEL MANN’S Heat 2
“Nearly three decades after his 1995 instant-classic L.A. crime thriller Heat hit theaters, writer-director Michael Mann is back with a prequel/sequel in novel form. Co-written with Meg Gardiner, Heat 2 takes us to 1988 Chicago, where methodical crook Neil McCauley and obsessive cop Vincent Hanna—opposing forces perhaps more alike than not—nearly cross paths years before their fateful L.A. encounter, as a sociopathic killer slips past Hanna and into McCauley’s blind spot. Fast-forward past L.A. and cut to South America: Chris Shirhelis, McCauley’s surviving crewman, is rebuilding his life and a new operation, unaware he’s on a collision course with old enemies. Told in a style as propulsive and cinematic as the film, Heat 2 is an exciting and engrossing tale that leaves the door open to a third installment.”
The first review of Heat 2 is here, and I’m wildly happy that it’s a *starred* review from Booklist.
“As in The Godfather, Part Two, Mann and Gardiner’s riveting thriller functions as both a prequel and a sequel. . . . The best thing about this innovative tale is the way the fully fleshed human stories support and even transcend the often-breathtaking action.”
Pretty nice.
Well, that was amazing. On Friday I was privileged to attend a reunion screening of Heat at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The film was preceded by a panel discussion featuring the stars of the film, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.
I was thrilled that Heat 2, the upcoming novel I’ve written with Michael Mann, was mentioned. And yes, when Pacino was asked who could play Vincent Hanna in a Heat 2 movie, he said, “Timothée Chalamet.” Which made the news.
What a night.
And I gotta remind you: Heat 2 will be published August 9. Pre-order!
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Bookshop | Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Apple
Heat 2, the novel I’ve written with legendary director Michael Mann, is getting closer to publication. Here’s a galley in my hot little hand.
The novel will be published August 9th. Preorder, y’all!
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Bookshop | Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Apple
lying for a living 