Mr. Monk and The Two Assistants (The Monk Series)

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 288 pages
• Published by: NAL Hardcover July 3, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0451220978
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0451220974
• Book Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 12.8 ounces

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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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.

Reader Reviews
When the character of Sharona left the show Monk, many fans were upset. And while most have eventually warmed to Natalie, her replacement, some have wondered what would happen if the two met. That's exactly the scenario explored in this tie-in novel. When Natalie's daughter Julie breaks her arm, Monk accompanies the two to the emergency room. There, he is shocked to discover that the ER nurse on duty is his former assistant, Sharona. She's returned to San Francisco after her husband was arrested for a murder down in Los Angeles. While he insists he's innocent, Sharona has written him off and intends to leave him forever. Natalie is not happy about this turn of events. While Monk can irritate her, she has grown to love her boss and doesn't want to lose her job. So she heads down to LA to find out what she can. Her meeting with Trevor convinces her of his innocence, so she goes about trying to get Monk to take the case. Monk quickly agrees with Natalie's assessment, but the dirt in LA distracts him. Plus there's a bizarre case in San Francisco that needs his attention. Can he free Trevor? Will Sharona return to work for Monk? If you're at all a fan of the show, you'll love this book. Since Lee Goldberg has written episodes of the show with both assistants, his characterizations are spot on. And there are some great moments that explore the relationships more than can be done on the TV show. The story moves quickly with lots of humor throughout. I especially enjoyed recognizing a couple places Monk visited in LA. There was one scene in the middle that really made me uncomfortable and didn't feel like it belonged in the Monk universe, but it only detracted from my enjoyment momentarily. That minor quibble aside, this is a great entry in the Monk universe that will please fans of either assistant. Comment | | (Report this)