http://www.book-blog.com/2009/10/gold... ( )

Based on the television series created by Andy Breckman, the book series goes more into depth, and I especially liked seeing Monk's brother in this book. Agorophobic as he is, he is most helpful to his OC brother, and an explanation of how they became so weird (from parental influence) comes to light. Monk would set me nuts if I had to endure him, as Natalie, his ass't, does, but she dearly loves him as a person, even with his faults. I got a bit lost in this book, due to my non-exposure by choice to Sci-Fi, but when I settled in, it was a good read. The fault was mine, not that of the author. This is another one of the series not to miss, and I plan to read every one of them to have a laugh at OC behavior in an innocent way.

A book based on one of my favorite TV shows, "Monk", about a brilliant detective who is obsessive-compulsive to the nth degree. This book, apparently along with the others in the series, is told by Monk's assistant Natalie, and was written by one of the regular writers of the show. The story is a pretty typical "Monk" murder-whodunnit, bizarre in nature. The 'outer space" bit comes from the fact of the murder victim being a Gene Roddenberry sort of creator of a cult sci-fi series, "Beyond Earth". No actual space travel is involved, which might have been a hoot with Monk, who hates to even fly. The story is nicely convoluted and true to the character of the series. Monk's eccentricities and compulsions seem more extreme here than in the show; I wonder if that's due to a humanizing influence of Tony Shalhoub's excellent acting. Nevertheless, an enjoyable quick read for any fan of the show, with a little deeper character analysis than the series usually gets into. ( )

A good book. I feel he really speaks well through Natalie's feelings in this book though I often believe he makes Monk's comments a bit over-the-top in the books as opposed to the tv show. ( )

The book is a curious addition to the series; in some ways the most sympathetic and in others the harshest. We learn about Monk's childhood and meet his brother (who has shown up in a couple of television episodes). Star Trek fandom is parodied but is also explained psychologically. There is much broad humour but Monk also develops as a person. Monk solves the murder of the creator of a cult science fiction series; it is not Gene Roddenberry. This involves interaction with the fans; people as obsessed as he. His agoraphobic brother Ambrose is the world expert on the series even to the point of creating an entire language (that is not Klingon) from the random improvisations of an actor in a single episode. Randy Disher continues to be the figure of fun that reminds us that Stottlemeyer is competent and Monk is not silly. Disher's "Special Desecration Unit" is a wonderful mechanism for displaying his ambition and fantasies. The book series continues to be a masterly companion to the TV shows although I will never understand why nobody sues Monk for all those things for which he expects them to thank him later. ( )