Mr. Monk and The Blue Flu (Paperback)

by Lee Goldberg (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Can books be better than television? You bet they can--when Lee Goldberg's writing them." -- Lee Child

Product Description
Monk is horrified when he learns there's going to be a blue flu in San Francisco-until Capt. Stottlemeyer explains that it just means the police plan to call in "sick" until they get a better contract.The good news is the labor dispute will give Monk a chance to get back on the force.The bad news is it means he'll be a "scab"-and he doesn't like the sound of that either.

But before he knows it, Monk has his badge back, and his own squad to command. Unfortunately, some of the squad members make Monk look like a paragon of mental health. But despite the challenges, they'll have to pull together to catch an astrologer's killer, solve a series of mysterious fatal assaults, and most importantly, clean up their desks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Signet (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451220137
• ISBN-13: 978-0451220134
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,225 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding detective work, December 1, 2007

By	Paul Skinner (Manassas, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

Monk is pressed into duty on the SFPD after the regular cops stage an illegal walk out. He gets a group of misfit detectives under him, and quickly has to deal with several homicides. Lots of classic Monk OCD humor, and plenty of spectacular aha moments as Monk cleans up the city. I read the Monk-Firehouse book, and thought it was very good... but this one is even better!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Monk all the way through, June 30, 2007

By	A. Kataryniak "SKATMAN" (NJ) - See all my reviews

This book reads just like an epsiode of the TV show. We already know these characters very well & the actors who play them. As you read this story you can see them acting out the story. Its a credit to the writing & to the show. We know who Monk is & we know how he reacts to certain things. You'll find yourself waiting for the next "Monk Bit" and laugh out loud when it happens.
The actual story here is good as well. Like the show, its really pretty simple when you can isolate it and break it down. The problem is that you get distracted by Monk & his craziness so that when all the pieces fit together in the end you say, "Oh, yeah! I should have seen that coming", but that is basically what makes Monk so much fun. Its not about us trying to figure it out (reading or watching) is about going along for the ride.
One aspect of this book which is worth noting is that it is writing from the point of view of Natalie (Monk's assistant). Because she is the narrator we understand her thoughts and reasoning we get to see a lot more to her character than we do on the show. At first it was a little different because Monk, Disher, & Stottlemeyer are so well defined that, like I mentioned earlier, we can visualize them perfectly beacuse we know their characters so well from the show. Natalie ends up being a little different and I don't think its a bad thing. After finishing the book & getting a better feel for her character I realized that on the show there really isn't any depth to her. She's kind, friendly, supportive, etc. but we really don't get to know who she is. I think the author of this book did a fine job of adding to her character.
The only drawback that I will mention is the supporting cast of charachters in this book. There is a group of detectives who assist Monk. They all have a function in the story & serve it well but they are all crazy characters too, and I think maybe they are just a bit too crazy. Monk is ridculous and we know this, we've come to expext it. The extra characters in this book just make the story a little too ridiculous in parts. Besides that, I think this a great read and although it is not the first Monk novel to be printed it is the first one that I've read & I plan on going back & reading the others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solutions not very Monkish, June 10, 2007

By	J. Dellinger "mj129" (Rural Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Blue Flu stikes SFPD and Mr. Monk is given his badge back along with a promotion to Capt. of the Homicide force. While many murders are solved, we are deprived of the many monkisms we have grown to love from television episodes. Writing can stimulate imagination, however, this book does not. Basically we're reading about a detective who solves murders and has some curious banter with his sidekick. Disappointing save for the cover photo