Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse

I decided to give the Mr Monk books a try after reading a review of Mr Monk Goes To Germany on crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com

I don't normally read novels based on a TV series but I have fond memories of Monk, especially the chemistry between Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford and I love the way Lee Goldberg uses humour so I found the first book in the series and dived in (I know what you're thinking: "Did it have to be the first book? Couldn't you have started anywhere?" Well, I could no more start in the middle of a series than Monk could get through a day without Wet Ones).

'Mr Monk Goes To The Firehouse' was a light comfort read that makes me smile and sometimes laugh.

It helped that I could show more immediately see Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford in my head as the story unfolded but I wouldn't have had as much fun as I did if this had just been a script turned into a novel. The outcome would have been too flat I think.

Lee Goldberg's decision to tell the story from Natalie Teeger's point of view was what made the book work for me. I enjoyed being inside her head, learning more about her and seeing Monk through her eyes. It turns out that Natalie has a dry sense of humour that I took pleasure in. Also, I'd much rather be in Natalie's head than Monk's. Being inside Monk's head for 250 pages would have been very uncomfortable.

Despite the large number of dead bodies (Monk solves multiple murders in this one) the tone remained cosy without dropping down into sickeningly cute. The mysteries snagged my curiosity and kept my attention, Natalie's worldview kept me engaged and I enjoyed all the little details of San Fransico's history. The main thing for me though was the warm glow I felt from the gentle humour that drives the book.

I'll be back for more Mr Monk when I'm in need of a reliable comfort read. show less

Mr. Monk's first novel adventure feels exactly like an episode... well except for all the sex stuff in this. I find that Monk is usually a very tame/conservative show. Case in point they live in San Francisco but homosexuality is practically unmentioned. Not so in this novel.

In a way, it is refreshing because it brings some realism to the setting as things such as gentrification are acknowledged. The part that's not refreshing is how sexual this book is. Doesn't the author know that Monk is a popular show for grandmas across the nation?

Despite this, the mystery and humor nail the feel of the show, and it is worth reading for anyone who's already finished their 8th or 9th rewatch.

When the local firehouse dog is found murdered, Natalie's twelve year-old daughter is so upset that she asks Natalie's boss, San Francisco's consulting detective Adrian Monk, to investigate. There's no doubt the dog was murdered, and it happened while the entire crew was working on a house fire in which the resident died. Well, Monk just has to investigate that too, and learns that the whole street is overjoyed that the nosy old lady is dead, because she was the one keeping them from a huge payday. Which means there are lots of people with motives.
The first of the Monk novels, he's as funny and aggravating as you'd find in the tv series.

A firehouse dog is murdered on the same night an accidental fire takes an elderly woman’s life. Anyone else would think it’s a coincidence, but famed obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk is quick to note that the police have two murders on their hands.

This book was the first in a series of TV tie-ins to USA network’s detective show Monk. For fans of the show, it’s great – like coming back to old friends – as the book retains the characters and feel of the show. Particularly, all of Monk's tics are intact, including things like his infamous phrase, "You'll thank me later." It’s actually a rather interesting reading experience as the author does not need to spend a lot of time describing the characters in vivid detail show more yet the reader who’s seen the show can easily visualize exactly the expressions on each character’s face at any given moment.

The book is narrated first person by Monk’s assistant Natalie, which is a little odd because the show certainly wasn't that way. (Indeed, Monk is often seen on the show in situations without Natalie, e.g., his therapist's office.) Nevertheless, it works okay, although we end up seeing a lot more of Natalie’s personal life, such as the dates she goes on or how she finds a babysitter for her daughter Julie, as well as being privy to her inner thoughts, such as her squeamishness at crime scenes, that we don’t usually get to know on the show.

Like with most episodes of Monk, about half way through the book, Monk has already solved the main mystery and is simply looking for the evidence to nail the suspect. Still, the reader is compelled to keep turning pages to see if Monk can outwit a murderer who’s thought of everything as well as to see how Monk is coping with his everyday trials of being an extremely obsessive-compulsive germaphobe, further compounded in this particular story because Monk has temporarily moved in with Natalie and Julie while his apartment building is being fumigated.

At the time the was written, the show was still on air, and the book’s plot was actually later made into an TV episode, so there's a little bit of déjà-vu involved. However, there were significant departures between the book and the episode and, combining that with my memory of the particular episode being somewhat lacking, there were no actual spoilers for me. show less

First off, I should say I never saw the TV series, and never even heard of it, before coming across the books.

This sounded like a series I would like, but it failed in both the humor and the story departments. I kept going past 50%, hoping it would pick up, but it was mostly just descriptions of Mr. Monk's odd behavior, which I thought was overdone, and his flashes of intuition that were close to wild guesses with little evidence that were quickly accepted due to his reputation for always being right. They boldly confronted the suspected killer halfway through the story with nothing more than circumstantial evidence full of holes that any lawyer could shoot through. It seems like he just comes up with a possible scenario, which may be a show more good theory, but everyone treats his theories as fact.

So, I thought it was mainly just making fun of an obsessive-compulsive detective who is too pushy about inflicting his various idiosyncrasies on others. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes mildly humorous, but to me, it got boring pretty quick.

The only interesting thing to me is that it takes place in San Francisco around the time I worked there, and it was fun to read about familiar little things I've forgotten about, like the SF Chronicle's pink section that I used to like to read, with the movie review icons of a little man either sleeping, watching, or excitedly clapping. show less

In this first book based on the TV series Monk, Mr. Monk takes on a case for a very important client – Julie Teeger, the daughter of Monk's assistant, Natalie. Julie is heartbroken after she learns about the murder of the fire department's dog, who made regular visits to Julie's school. Why would someone want to kill a dog? Monk may be the only person obsessive enough to find out.

Monk is one of my favorite television series. Although I still enjoy watching reruns, I miss having new episodes to watch. The book series offers an opportunity to share new adventures with the characters I love so much. The book is narrated from Natalie's perspective. Next to Monk, Natalie is my favorite character, so this suits me just fine. I wish that show more Traylor Howard, the TV Natalie, could have narrated the audio version so that Natalie's voice would sound like it should. I think if I had read rather than listened to the book, I would have heard Traylor Howard's voice in my head.

The plot in this book seemed both familiar and unfamiliar. I remembered a TV episode involving a firehouse, but the plot was different. Apparently the book was adapted as an episode in the television series. The book and the TV episode are different enough that neither version will be a spoiler for the other one. show less

The first of the novelized "Monk" books, based on one of my favorite TV series, told from the perspective of Natalie Teeger. The murder mystery itself is fairly typical for the series (this is a good thing): Natalie's 12-year-old daughter Julie asks Monk to find the murderer of a firehouse dalmation she has come to know and love. This eventually becomes entangled with another murder Monk has been brought in on. As always, the best elements of the book consist of Monk's interactions with those around him: He moves in with Natalie when his apartment is being fumigated. Comedic hijinks ensue. Natalie starts dating a sensitive and hunky firefighter, and Monk is surprisingly intuitive and supportive. And Julie develops a growing respect and show more affection for Monk, which is clearly returned. A very nice beginning to a series I have much enjoyed. show less