Product Description

Fourth in the all-new series of original mysteries starring Adrian Monk, the brilliant investigator who always knows when something's out of place.

Now that her ne'er-do-well husband has been arrested for murder, Monk's former assistant, Sharona, is ready to reclaim her place in Monk's extremely well-ordered life. But his current assistant, Natalie, is not pleased with this turn of events.

While Monk tries to maintain a delicate balance between the two women, he discovers a few snags in the case against Sharona's husband. And with other murders to investigate, Monk realizes he may be up against a killer who not only understands him, but is one step ahead.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15497 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-03
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Based on the USA Network show Monk, Goldberg's fourth Adrian Monk novel, the first in hardcover (after Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu), fails to master the many challenges that television adaptations face. The books share the show's sparseness of plot, without the charm of Tony Shalhoub's Emmy-winning portrayal of the obsessive-compulsive genius sleuth. Goldberg's wrinkle this time is to partner Monk's first assistant, Sharona Fleming, whose husband, Trevor, is in prison for murder, with her successor, Natalie Teeger, a widowed California soccer mom who narrates the tale. Natalie is anxious that Sharona might supplant her, a concern not allayed when Monk asks both women to work for him part-time. The puzzle centering on Trevor is fairly thin, and Goldberg throws in several shorter mysteries for Monk to solve almost instantly. While it might have been too much to expect a book from Monk's perspective, even within the confines of Natalie-as-narrator, more could have been done.
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About the Author
Lee Goldberg has written episodes for the USA Network television series Monk, as well as many other programs. He lives in Los Angeles, California. Author website: lgoldberg.com.

Customer Reviews

Entertaining... just like the show!
I am a huge fan on the Monk TV show and was suprised to see these books in the store. I don't usually buy books that are "based" on TV or movies but this one peaked my curiousity. Surprisingly they were very entertaining. Maybe because I have watched so much Monk I found that when reading them it was almost like watching the show in my head. It helps that I already knew what most of the characters look like but the writing is very descriptive as well. On paper Monk comes off a lot more stilted, rigid and more disturbed than on the show but the story lines were pretty well done.

In this book there is a lot of inner dialogue in Natalie's head that sometimes get annoying (mainly because she tends to whine) but I enjoyed how the author played Natalie and Sharona off each other and it's always nice to see Sharona back in the mix.

The books would probably be more interesting and entertaining if you are a fan of the show but it's possible that reading the books could turn someone into a fan!

awesome
this book was really good and it came a day or two after i ordered it. I was very happy with the over all experience.

Comic Genius
The fun of this mystery is that everyone's got a theory about whodunit. Everyone has figured out who did what to whom, and why. The cops have several theories. A mystery writer named, strangely enough, Ian Ludlow bristles with theories. Mr. Monk's two assistants not only have theories but are suspects. There are so many theories floating around that the reader needs theory detox until the odd and remarkable Mr. Monk cuts through the rubbish, and nails a particularly heinous criminal. This is a particularly entertaining Monk novel that brilliantly catches the pathos and humor of the compulsive obsessive detective.