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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mr. Monk and the Chance Reunion, 3 Jul 2007
When the character of Sharona left the show Monk, many fans were upset. And while most have eventually warmed to Natalie, her replacement, some have wondered what would happen if the two met. That's exactly the scenario explored in this tie-in novel.
When Natalie's daughter Julie breaks her arm, Monk accompanies the two to the emergency room. There, he is shocked to discover that the ER nurse on duty is his former assistant, Sharona. She's returned to San Francisco after her husband was arrested for a murder down in Los Angeles. While he insists he's innocent, Sharona has written him off and intends to leave him forever.
Natalie is not happy about this turn of events. While Monk can irritate her, she has grown to love her boss and doesn't want to lose her job. So she heads down to LA to find out what she can. Her meeting with Trevor convinces her of his innocence, so she goes about trying to get Monk to take the case.
Monk quickly agrees with Natalie's assessment, but the dirt in LA distracts him. Plus there's a bizarre case in San Francisco that needs his attention. Can he free Trevor? Will Sharona return to work for Monk?
If you're at all a fan of the show, you'll love this book. Since Lee Goldberg has written episodes of the show with both assistants, his characterizations are spot on. And there are some great moments that explore the relationships more than can be done on the TV show. The story moves quickly with lots of humor throughout. I especially enjoyed recognizing a couple places Monk visited in LA. There was one scene in the middle that really made me uncomfortable and didn't feel like it belonged in the Monk universe, but it only detracted from my enjoyment momentarily.
That minor quibble aside, this is a great entry in the Monk universe that will please fans of either assistant.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ms Teeger Meets Ms Fleming, 1 Jul 2007
Before Natalie, there was Sharona. Sharona left Monk's employ to move to New Jersey and remarry Trevor, a man previously known to be somewhat unreliable. Now, Sharona is back and Natalie is both worried that she's about to lose her job, and jealous of the high regard that Monk has for his former assistant. The reason for Sharona's return to San Francisco? Trevor is in jail for murder. He claims he is innocent of this crime. Natalie decides that in order to keep her job and thereby sending Sharona back to her husband, Monk must prove Trevor's innocence.
Lee Goldberg's fourth `Monk' novel is another wonderfully entertaining read. The spirit of the television show is, for the most part, nicely preserved. I did think on one or two occasions, however, that Monk's eccentricities were taken to extremes. For example, there's a scene where Monk visits an orthodontist. While waiting, he is impressed by a poster showing a picture of a perfect set of teeth. Monk likes this picture so much that he wants one for himself to hang in his living room. Would he really have done this? I would have thought he'd be more likely to recoil at the sight of another person's open mouth.
I was also a little disappointed at Sharona's lack of characterisation. Anyone who has not seen the television series would not have had much idea about what Sharona looks like, her manner of speech or her back-story aside from the fact that she nursed Monk through the trauma caused by his wife's violent death. On the other hand, this flaw could be explained by the fact that Natalie is the one telling the story. It's also probable, of course, that the vast majority of those reading this novel would be familiar with the television show anyway.
These niggles don't detract from the novel as a whole, though. The plotting is inventive and there's plenty of humour. Monk's trip to Los Angeles is particularly funny. If you've enjoyed the previous novels in this series, you'll enjoy this one. The novels don't have to be read in sequence although references are made to events in the first three, along with events in the television show.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mr. Monk and the two assistants , 8 Nov 2007
Monks Assistant Natalie barely manages to keep lifem in order for her boss, her daughter Julie and herlsef. So, when Julie breaks her arm during a soccer match and Natalie discivers while at the hospital that monks former assistant, Sharona is back, sparks are bound to fly. Who will monk now choose as his assistant? speaking of which, shouldn't sharona be in the middle of her own happy ending with husband Trevor? Trevor has been accused of murder but is he innocent? and does monk want to investigate now sharona is back in his life. the wonderful Lee goldberg delivers again with a brillint mystery.
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