MR. MONK ON THE COUCH by Lee Goldberg

Publisher: Penguin
Date Published: June 2011
ISBN: 978-0-451-23386-8
Hardback
Reviewed by Angie
Obtained by publisher


Adrian Monk from the USA Network’s hit show Monk once again is solving murders as fast as they can occur. When a body is found it takes him mere minutes to know who did it, and why. His uncanny knack for solving crimes makes him an asset to the San Francisco Police Department. His obsessive compulsiveness once again makes him the man to solve the current crime spree. The first murder leaves even him baffled, but when a second and third murder shortly follows he is quickly able to link the three murders – and tell the police why they were killed.

Natalie Teeger is Mr. Monk’s assistant who is learning to be a detective in her own right. After the past few years watching Monk and the police chief at work, she has the skill needed to solve a case. When the police determine a man who died in a hotel of natural causes does not warrant investigating, Natalie is determined to find out why the man had a fake identity, and why he was hiding in the bay area. She learns that a case often does not need to be solved, and sometimes things are better left alone.

Adrian Monk is a great character full of life, flaws and so brilliant he is a perfect man to portray in a book. A fictional character could not be better as a detective. He comes across the pages and leaves readers shaking their heads in disbelief. Natalie is a great secondary lead who does her best to balance Monk’s OCD behaviors, and is brilliant in her own right. The secondary characters round this novel out to be one of the best reads I have read this year.

Lee Goldberg is a talented author who takes characters from an obsolete television show and brings them back to life. He brings them from the pages and makes them feel as though they are real people working cases and making waves in the community. MR. MONK ON THE COUCH is a fast pace read worthy of any mystery lovers time.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

MR. MONK IS CLEANED OUT by Lee Goldberg

Publisher: NAL
Date published: July 2010
ISBN: 978-0451230096
Mystery
Hardback
Reviewed by Angie
Review copy provided by publisher


Based on the USA Network Television series, MR. MONK IS CLEANED OUT takes a single case and delights readers with the same drama and obsessive compulsions that have delighted viewers for eight seasons.

When the SFPD fires Monk because of budget cuts he is unconcerned about his finances until he and his assistant Natalie learn that he had invested his savings with a con artist. Bob Sebes, has been arrested on charges of fraud - all of his clients including Monk have been totally wiped out. When others surrounding the case start turning up dead, one at a time, Monk steps in to solve the case - even though he is not being paid.

Lee Goldberg has become a genius in my book! He has taken a screenplay and turned it into a novel. I felt as though I were sat in front of my television watching a much loved character. While I have not been a devoted fan of the series on television, I am definitely going to be looking for more episodes.

As a reader, this novel delighted me in many ways. There was not a bad page in this book; each page is filled with humor, drama and emotion. While I cannot as a person understand Monk's obsessive compulsive disorder, I sympathized with the characters surrounding him. His problems were heartbreaking yet laugh out loud funny at the same time. Lee Goldberg has taken a serious disorder and turned it into one of the funniest drama's I have ever read - or seen.

Natalie quickly stole my heart as she shows she is devoted to Monk, not as just a paycheck but as a friend. Her arguments with her daughter left me smiling, teenagers are never easy, and I thank goodness, I never have to go back! The SFPD made me laugh, their camaraderie and the way they work together give a dramatic situation the humor it needed to be a great read.

This book gets two thumbs up from me! I will be searching out Lee Goldberg's two previous Monk novels in the very near future!

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.