Customer Reviews

Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The city of San Francisco is hosting a conference for cops all across the country. As part of that, Captain Stottlemeyer and Monk have been asked to speak about their unique working relationship. But the panel is moderated by Paul Banning, a dirty cop that Stottlemeyer had forced out of the SFPD years before.

By the time the panel is over, Stottlemeyer looks like an idiot who relies on Monk for everything. So Natalie assumes it is payback when Monk finds out the next day that his consulting services have been terminated even though the official explanation is budget cuts. Monk is determined to continue helping out the department whether he gets paid or not. Natalie, on the other hand, is concerned about money. Will someone else hire Monk? What about the string of murders occurring in San Francisco?

This is a bit of a different Monk novel. Yes, there are murders and a mystery or two, but they don't really get rolling until the second half. Instead, we get some very important set up and conflict in the first half. I was wondering where it was all leading but was absolutely entertained along the way. Once the mysteries really kick in, things get even better.

The characters are as strong as ever. Natalie gets her own character arc here, and I really like how it evolved. The rest of the TV cast is strong as usual. What really stood out to me were several new characters created for this book. I really liked them and would love to see at least one of them show up again in future books.

Fans of the character on the screen or the page need not fear. This is Monk at his obsessive best.

Once again, poor Mr. Monk is beset by people who don't care enough about balance and neatness, and poor Natalie is about to learn that her employer is perfectly willing to work for the city of San Francisco even though the city of San Francisco is not about to pay him anymore. With terrible repercussions for her bank balance. Not that Mr. Monk thinks that's a problem.

Goldberg's Mr. Monk is pitch perfect, and by the last half of the book Goldberg has Monk solve knotty problems so difficult it appears there is no solution. And all the while, he fusses and frets and drives everyone else around him up the wall with his irritating habits.

Goldberg's books about Monk are simply wonderful. Always entertaining, he puts Monk into situations that make you laugh out loud. I hope he plans to continue to write Monk novels even after the series comes to an end this year.

Please, Mr. Goldberg! Funny novels are few and far between and I would miss these books.

The San Francisco Police Department doesn't have the budget to keep hiring Monk so he must find another job in this story. Of course, he can't keep his nose out of their business and figures out who "dun" it and calls in tips to the hotline using the name Adrian Jones, Adrian Smith. (Like this would really fool them!)

He does find a new job with a hotshot company and starts solving old cases and clears out cases that have been sitting around for years unsolvable. Then Stottlemeyer gets arrested for killing a dirty cop, and Monk is on his case.

I love these books and I'm so glad they are still being released since we no longer have the show to watch. Natalie is hilarious as the storyteller in them. Can you imagine if Monk was the storyteller (they would be boring probably), so I'm glad the author chose Natalie to tell the story instead. She does something in this book that had me cracking up. She wanted to get rid of Monk for awhile so she dumps him off at Dr. Bell's office (Monk says he needs more therapy and even though he doesn't have an appointment, he goes in for 10 minutes at a time in between everyone elses.) Dr. Bell is not pleased of course. Meanwhile Natalie heads home, eats junk food and just relaxes on the couch. Kind of like a mother after she dumps her kiddies off at Granny's. The cases in these books are not the cases that were in the shows.

Book is funny, and gives chuckles. The Monk in the book is close to the tv Monk, though in some ways he seems more extreme. The book is from Natalies point of view, which limits what one reads to only what she is seeing. Julie suddenly ages, in the first couple books she was 12. In Mr Monk Goes to Germany she is 15.In this one she jumps to almost 18. Dr Bell is in this book, though no explanation to why. In the show Dr Kroger dies(as did the actor) Would recomend for light harted entertainment. Like all the Monk books it reqires little in the way of deep thought

Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop is yet another excellent installment in Lee Goldberg's Monk series, which I find I appreciate more with each passing book. They're consistently well-written and amusing: Monk's horror over the filth and asymmetry inherent in the real world makes me laugh out loud at least once per book. (This time that happened 89% of the way into my Kindle text, when Monk discovers the terrible truth about the expensive beauty treatments being dished out in a Chinatown salon.) But beyond the entertaining plots and great lines, there is a warmth to the series, and a depth to the relationships among the three principals--Monk himself, his assistant (and our narrator) Natalie, and Captain Stottlemeyer of the San Francisco Police Department. In this outing I found myself appreciating more than ever Stottlemeyer's quiet support of Monk over the years.

But Stottlemeyer can't squeeze blood from a stone, even for Monk. In Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop, budget constraints force him to fire Monk, despite that the closure rate for cases he consults on is 100%. But Monk--and Natalie--are hired almost immediately by a high-tech security firm, Intertect, which was started ten years earlier by Stottlemeyer's former colleague in the SFPD, Nick Slade. The company Lexus and paycheck charm Natalie, and the never-ending case load keeps Monk happy--and sleepless, which eventually has a deleterious affect on his detecting abilities: even Monk nods. Fortunately, Natalie has picked up a trick or two over the years that she's spent handing Monk wipes and bottles of Sierra Springs water. The day is eventually saved. Order is restored. And in the end Natalie is happier with her supportive role in Monk's life, having come to realize that the job she fell into some years earlier is exactly where she's supposed to be.

-- Debra Hamel

This is my 5th or 6th Mr. Monk book and they have ALL been great!! If you have never watched the TV show you will still enjoy the storyline, and if you are a fan of the show, these books are a 'must-have', especially now that the series has ended.

I am a big fan of the Monk books, so no surpise... I loved it. But the best part wasn't the typical Monk OCD and brilliant observations. No, the best part was Lt Randy Disher, who shines as the acting homicide lead when Stottlemeyer has to step aside as he is investigated. Disher takes on a hilarious combination of Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood as the cool, tough cop who gets the bad guys. You will laugh out loud.

When I first saw the title of this `Monk' novel, I thought our obsessive compulsive detective was going to be partnered with a cop with personal hygiene problems. My initial expectations were soon dashed, but this was a good thing because `Dirty Cop' is, in my opinion, the most accomplished `Monk' novel so far. I should add, though, that at the time of writing this review, I have not yet read the following novel, Mr. Monk in Trouble.

Monk's friend and assistant, Natalie Teeger, narrates us through the trials and tribulations of his fastidious life. In this instalment, the police department, beset with financial problems, has to dispense with Monk's services. Natalie fears that a life of grinding poverty beckons. Her worries are allayed when she and her boss are taken on by a private detective agency. Monk is soon putting his deductive powers to work and is solving the company's cases simply by reviewing the files. Natalie enjoys her fancy new company car and expense account, but it's not long before things turn sour when they hear that Captain Stottlemeyer has been arrested for murder.

The mystery elements are neatly handled and there are also plenty of laughs to be had. The main storyline is particularly satisfying and succeeds in taking Monk in a slightly unfamiliar direction - away from the police department - while keeping Stottlemeyer and Disher heavily involved in the story. Natalie's narration is laced with her usual wry humor and this novel's strong storyline makes for compelling reading.

Monk's idiosyncracies have on occasion gone a little over the top in the novels. This does not happen in `Dirty Cop'. For my money, this is the truest representation of the television show that Lee Goldberg has produced in novel form so far.

If you're a fan of the television show, you won't want to miss any of the novels. I'd recommend reading them in the correct order, though. `Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop' is my absolute favorite so far, with the excellent Mr. Monk in Outer Space a close second.

Lee Goldberg's best Monk book yet. There is much less hackneyed Monk and Natalie behaviors that pervaded his earlier book. Much more focused on the story line. Recommended for a light read

As always, the author followed the hilariously quirky character of Monk perfectly. The story line was interesting, and as always, I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. I truly hope Goldberg continues to write about my favorite detective although the TV series has ended. PLEASE keep the books coming, they're terrific.