Heat 2
Heat 2 continues the story of the 1995 film in both directions. In the aftermath of the Los Angeles bank job, Chris Shiherlis is wounded and on the run, moving through Paraguay and eventually into a new life inside a South American criminal network. In parallel, the novel goes back to 1988 Chicago, when a younger Neil McCauley and his crew crossed paths with an early career Vincent Hanna. Michael Mann writes the criminal and police worlds with the same meticulous detail that defined his film work, and co author Meg Gardiner keeps the prose taut. The result is a crime epic that expands the universe of the film without softening any of its edges.
What you might want to know about Heat 2
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner extend the world of the film Heat both forward and backward, tracking Chris Shiherlis, Neil McCauley, and Vincent Hanna across decades of crime and pursuit.
You do not strictly need to, but readers who have seen the film will pick up more of the character history and emotional weight, since the book directly extends its timeline.
It is both a sequel and a prequel. Half the book follows Chris Shiherlis after the events of the film, and half goes back to a 1988 Chicago job involving Neil McCauley and Vincent Hanna.
Heat 2 was written by Michael Mann, published in 2022 by William Morrow.
Heat 2 is 480 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Heat 2 takes most readers 7 to 10 hours to finish.
Heat 2 is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.