Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants

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.

"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." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

More compulsive fun from the Edgar) Award-nominated "Monk" screenwriter. Goldberg has written the fourth book in the all-new series of original mysteries starring Adrian Monk.

Lee Goldberg has written episodes for the USA Network television series Monk, as well as many other programs. He lives in Los Angeles, California. Author website: lgoldberg.com.