When much of the police force calls in sick as part of a contract dispute, Monk is asked to take on the role of a captain in the department. Though this means he'll be betraying his friends in the department, Monk can't resist the allure of getting his badge back. Unfortunately, San Francisco suddenly seems to be in the midst of a crime spree, and the squad Monk is given command of make him look almost normal by comparison. Almost.

Well, 3 books into this series, and I'm calling it quits. For now. Maybe I'll try again later when I'm looking for something else to listen to. I love the show and have watched it several times through. Unfortunately, that means that I've also seen this story done before. At least part of it. The main part. There are two mysteries that happen in this book, one being the serial killings that kick the story off. And the way it played out was the same as an episode in which Monk has his badge back for a little while (the episode came after the book was published, so it's not a rip-off...maybe the other way around though). So that does tend to bring the enjoyment down some, considering that I easily guessed at what was going on.

The three detectives Monk is saddled with as captain, though, brought the enjoyment down even more. I guess they're supposed to provide humor, them all being so outlandish, but seriously...it just smacks of ineptitude on the part of whoever hired them. One of them has a radio taped to her head when we first see her, for goodness sake, a full-blown paranoid conspiracy theorist. One is so old he can't even remember his own name half the time (and that's not hyperbole), and the other is trigger-happy. Each of them comes with their own assistant, à la Monk's Natalie, and frankly, I can't find the humor in any of it. It's just too over-the-top ridiculous, the kind of thing I might cringe at but live with when watching the show, but when hearing it described by pseudo-Natalie, I just can't.

It's too bad, too, because there were some really funny moments early in the story. Things that remind me of why I love Monk so much. But they didn't occur much after that, definitely not enough to elevate the rest of the book. If you're a fan of the show and think you'll enjoy the book, though, don't let me stop you from giving the series a try. I don't think you even need to start at the beginning, since I haven't seen any real correlation between the books so far. ( )

This book mirrors the eight season episode, Mr. Monk and the badge. Or maybe the episode mirrors the book. I dunno, but It's a must read. In fact you can skip the episode alltogether. It's not nearly as good. It's one of the only Monk books I've truly liked. Possibly even loved. I forgot. ( )

When negotiations between the city and the San Francisco Police Department result in a bout of Blue Flu, Mayor Smitrovich offers Adrian Monk the opportunity to return to the force as the captain of the homicide division. He finds himself faced with a murderer, several fatal assaults, and the management of a motley crew of previously ousted officers under his temporary command. How will Monk mange while Captain Stottlemeyer and the others are not around?

With Adrian Monk’s assistant, Natalie Teeger, again serving as the narrator, this third-in-the-series tale unfolds in Monk fashion, complete with all the quirks and foibles fans of the series have come to expect from Adrian Monk. With its laugh-out-loud moments, this quick read story is sure to be a hit with readers. ( )

What can I say? I love Monk! ( )

This book is a part of a series developed around the television show Monk. As such, it essentially operates as another procedural episode of the show, albeit one that gets to be a little more detailed and contain more than one mystery as there's not the 40-minute time constraint.

When the "flu" prevents many cops from coming in to work during a labor dispute with the city, the mayor calls in obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk to lead the homicide division until contracts can be negotiated. He is given a crack team of other detectives who had also previously been relieved of their badge for various reasons. Monk quickly realizes how hard it is to be captain when he has to juggle numerous murder cases at once, including the search for a high-profile serial killer. Meanwhile, his assistant Natalie is being targeted by beat officers who seek to take revenge on the picket-breaking Monk by slamming her with traffic violations.

Once again, I still find it odd that books are narrated in first-person by Natalie rather than the third-person omniscience of the show. However, it's a small detail that I can live with, especially as she occasionally gives some insightful inner thoughts. The mysteries in this book are all very compelling, and I like that the format of the book allows Monk to have many cases to study all at once, thus adding more layers and complexity.

The main cast is written so like the show that you can perfectly see and hear them as they would appear on the screen. My main issue with this book is that the temporary detectives are very one-note and the idea that they would be invited back on to the force -- even in an extreme situation -- seems unlikely. One man has extreme anger management issues and unloads his weapon in every situation whether it calls for it or not. (He's the only one where it's somewhat believable he'd be given a badge again.) Another gentleman is suffering from Alzheimer's, and the sole woman is a conspiracy theorist who is being treated for schizophrenia. Each of these persons has an assistant of their own to help them cope. Sure, occasionally these characters made for odd situations and dialogue that did make me chuckle, but as I said, it all felt very undeveloped and unbelievable.

That being said though, this was a quick and fun read, despite having even more sloppy typographical errors than the previous title (e.g., words missing, an errant "like" instead of "unlike," etc.). Fans of the show should like it while general mystery readers might also enjoy it, although some tie-ins to the show (such as Stottlemeyer's recent separation from his wife, referenced several times) might not connect with them so much. ( )