Mr. Monk and the Paper Fleas

Exhibit O. And C. And maybe D.

When I first found out that there were Monk books, I was immediately wary.  I had the same sense of spine-crawling suspicion that overcomes me every time I pass by the shelves upon shelves of Star Wars books in a bookstore and wonder, “Was it really necessary?”

If asked his opinion, Adrian Monk himself would probably prefer the television show to its new paper incarnation — mostly because the former is less likely to attract dust.  Still, I found myself unable to resist the appeal of my favorite post-Holmes detective staring up at me from the front cover.  (Yes, I’m a sucker for men in tweed.)

The eighth book in the series, Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop is by Lee Goldberg, who worked on several episodes of the USA Network show.  Written from the perspective of Natalie Teeger, Monk’s feisty assistant-number-two, the book provides enough distance from its central character to allow the reader to experience all the observational humor that comes from watching the obsessive compulsive detective at work.

While it may not end up on the syllabus of your next English Lit. course, for the avid Monk groupie, Dirty Cop provides a nostalgic return to the familiar foibles and quirks that make each character so lovable – from Lieutenant Randy Disher’s incessant naivete to the grumpiness that simmers just beneath the surface of Captain Leeland Stottlemeyer’s professionalism.  If you can get past the fact that the book reads rather like a treatment for Monk: The Movie, then it may very well be worth enjoying for the occasional elbow-poke-to-the-ribs giggles it imparts.

Of course, being a nerd, I particularly enjoyed the following excerpt:

“Then they’d think she was a geek,” I said.

“She will thank me later,” Monk said.

“Why would she thank you for being considered a geek?”

“Don’t you know anything about teenage life?” Monk said.  “It’s a badge of respect.”

“It is?”

“I was one,” he said.