13. Sucker Punch

While investigating the death of an Irish mobster, Beckett and Castle uncover a local turf war that may be connected to both a late-night infomercial guru and an international drug smuggling operation. But the case turns agonizingly personal when evidence emerges that the killer they're chasing may have had a hand in Beckett's mother's murder.

Plot summary and ending

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Complete story — includes the ending

The case of the murder of an enforcer for an Irish gang takes a personal turn when Lanie and a forensic expert friend of Castle's uncover an undeniable connection between the case and Beckett's mother's unsolved murder. The trail leads to Dick Coonan, a philanthropist by day and an assassin known as "Rathborne" by night. Coonan murdered Johanna Beckett, but he takes Castle hostage and Beckett is forced to shoot him before she can learn who paid him to kill her mother.

Sources and content license

Source and revision history · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Castle season 2. HTML formatting and reference markers removed. · Content license