Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu

--Ever since Monk discovered a while back that the kindly old woman I used as a babysitter murdered her husband and buried him in her backyard, day care has been a problem for me. Call me hooked! I love a laugh out loud mystery but they're not all that easy to find. I hit upon a real winner with Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu, by Lee Goldberg. Before I begin, I should confess, I've never seen the Monk show so I can judge this book purely on its own merits. I was entranced by the wonderful relationship between the nutty Monk and his faithful sidekick right from page one. It opens with a crime scene unfortunately located in a dog park and Monk's horror at having to approach the canine mine field is hilarious. The humor runs strong throughout the story but not at the expense of the mystery thread. I thought the astrological chart connection was ingenious (I resist the urge to spoil anything here) and the ragtag collection of oddball cops that Monk must bring in when he is promoted to chief during a police strike add a great dimension also. Monk's genius is a double edged animal as he is in perpetual state of anxiety. He sees what's wrong in the world and his burden is to set it right. With an almost Sherlockian ability to make connections from the seemingly random, his struggle is both heartwarming and hilarious. Picture a tactical assault team ready to storm a building. One of the cops asks a Kevlar vested Monk if he is carrying a weapon. --Monk reached into his pocket and pulled out half a dozen packets of disinfectant wipes. "They kill germs on contact," Monk said. Wyatt grimaced in disgust. "Remain behind me and take cover when the shooting starts." Monk nodded. "And when should I begin cowering?" Now this is a hero I want to read about. I'm looking forward to enjoying all of Lee Goldberg's Monk series. Who knows? I may have to break down and watch the show. Nah. Books are always better anyway.

Or so she thinks. Mr. Monk gets his badge back for this story. Along with a few other detectives, all with their own little quirks. And all with their own assistants. Just like Mr. Monk goes to the Firehouse and Mr. Monk goes to Hawaii, this story is captivating. You pick it up and you don't want to put it down. San Francisco goes into chaos during a police strike. Monk is re-instated, and promptly the murders begin. Monk and his team are trying to solve them, which isn't so easy when you have other police officers working against you because you're undermining their strike. As the story develops, there are interesting twists and turns, as usual. Mr. Monk and the Blue Flue is a great read, I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed reading this one! Monk is back on the force after a contract dispute leaves the San Francisco police force short-handed. The plot of this one was more information than could possibly be included in a typical one-hour episode of Monk, and was instead more like reading a two-hour Monk movie! But the author does an excellent job of capturing the feel of the television show, with Natalie, Julie, the Captain, Lt. Disher, and of course, everybody's favorite obsessive/compulsive detective, Adrian Monk, all playing their roles, as narrated by Natalie Teeger. An excellent read for fans of the show!

Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu begins as any ordinary day for Monk: a murder scene complete with Captain Stottlemeyer, Lieutenant Disher and Natalie, but everything in Monk's world is about to change. The city of San Francisco and the police department are in contract negotiations, and when they fail the police force is ravaged with a case of the blue flu. That is, the police force generally, and the detectives particularly, call in sick as a protest against the failing negotiations. Monk is called back into active duty. He gets his badge back, and promoted to Captain over a rag-tag team of former detectives. They are scabs, but each of them wants to finish their careers with one more victory and a shot at dignity. The scary thing is, Monk is the sanest of the crew. There is an ancient detective suffering from dementia, a paranoid schizophrenic, and a Dirty Harry-type who has serious anger issues. Add a serial killer, a few seemingly random murders and Monk is in way over his head. Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu is a triumph. Lee Goldberg has transformed great television into a wonderfully humorous and rewarding novel. No one does a whodunit like Monk, and Lee Goldberg captures everything I love about the television series. The mystery is solid and intriguing, the humor is top-notch, and the characters are perfect. If you enjoy a good laugh, an enjoyable mystery, or just a great read, Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu is your bag. Ben Boulden Gravetapping: a thing for books

If you think the show is funny, wait til you read the books. With Natalie narrating the story, it is outrageously funny. She sounds like a long suffering wife instead of an assistant. I plan on reading my copies twice (or more) and keep them and read them again when I need a good laugh. These are not stories that have already been on t.v. so it is all new stuff....and I for one could watch Monk every day and wish the books would come out even more often!