The more things change, the more they stay the same. Mr. Monk and Natalie Teeger are no longer boss and assistant. They are equal partners (in Natalie’s mind anyway) in Monk and Teeger, Consulting Detectives. The staying the same part is…well, Monk is still Monk. In order to maintain the peace, they take turns at the office.
A perfect office space, located directly between his home and that of his boss/former assistant Natalie Teeger, and the declaration by Natalie and San Francisco Police Captain Stottlemeyer that Adrian Monk is standing in his new detective agency, is not enough to break Monk’s ability to deny the truth. Or accept change. He’s had a rough week though, considering that his attempt to reconcile with his former girlfriend, Ellen Morse, proved to be an epic failure.
After having left her position as a minder for the brilliant but unable-to-interact-with-life police consultant, Adrian Monk, to become a police officer herself in Summit, New Jersey, Natalie Teeger has returned to San Francisco once again to partner up with the demanding phobic. However, Natalie is determined that their relationship be established on new grounds, as she works to attain the private investigation license that Monk will work under, as they partner up as consultants under a retainer for the San Francisco Police Department. Not surprisingly, this will prove to be far more difficult than even she can predict.
50s television was black and white–perfect for private eyes. Gritty fedora-hatted tough guys with a past represented by Boston Blackie, Mike Hammer and Richard Diamond who made the transition from movies and radio. Diamond morphed from Dick Powell’s singing New York radio version to David Janssen’s LA noir persona. More glamorous were Nick and Nora Charles and a quirkier take on the genre was Have Gun Will Travel’s Paladin. Favorite for the 50s - Peter Gunn, a classic with a jazz club setting and Henry Mancini theme. Dun, dun, dun, dun…Dun, dun, dun, dun, DA DA.
I have loved Monk ever since I first discovered the TV show early on, and have enjoyed being able to continue experiencing his adventures through Lee Goldberg's books. While I have enjoyed every book, I think Mr. Monk Gets Even may be my favorite.
Mr. Monk Is A Mess picks up where Mr. Monk On Patrol left off, with Natalie and Monk working as cops in Summit, New Jersey for Randy Disher who is Sheriff there and acting Mayor. They have both decided to take the jobs permanently and have only to return to San Francisco to pack up their things and move. And of course break the news to Natalie's daughter Julie and their friends.
Lee Goldberg broke into television with a freelance script sale to Spenser: For Hire. Since then he has stayed true to his characters in both novels and scriptwriting with a dose of humor.
In this next installment of our series On The Road To Left Coast Crime 2012, we have one of our favorites, Lee Goldberg. He's joining us to talk about his new book, Mr. Monk On Patrol, and about Left Coast. We also have a review of the book & a details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy!
This week we not only have a review of the latest Monk book by Lee Goldberg, but we had the chance to ask Lee a little behind the scenes info on how he wrote Mr. Monk On The Couch. After the review, there are details on how to enter for a chance to win a copy of Mr. Monk On The Couch.
KRL had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing mystery and TV writer Lee Goldberg, who was a writer for the Monk TV show and now continues the stories in books. I don't know if he remembers this, but I first met Lee at a Left Coast Crime Convention in San Diego in the late 90's when I attended his panel on Star Trek and Mysteries. After the interview is a review of the latest Monk book, Mr. Monk on the Road, & a chance to win a copy of this book!
