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Mr. Monk #9
Mr Monk und Mr Monk
America's favorite obsessive-compulsive detective is back in a new original tale in the series based on the popular TV show, in a book by the author of Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop. TV tie-in.
Paperback
First published December 1, 2009
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891 people want to read
About the author
Lee Goldberg
158 books2,068 followersLee Goldberg is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over forty novels, including Malibu Burning, Calico, Lost Hills (the first novel in his acclaimed "Eve Ronin" series), 15 "Monk" mysteries, five "Fox & O'Hare" adventures (co-written with Janet Evanovich), and the new thriller Ashes Never Lie, the second in his "Sharpe & Walker" series.. He's written and/or produced many TV shows, including Diagnosis Murder, SeaQuest, and Monk and he co-created the Hallmark movie series Mystery 101.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
December 22, 2019
Gold fever. Mr Monk and Ms Natalie Teeger leave the city for the gold fields of the past in the little town called "Trouble".
Unfortunately for Mr Monk "Trouble" was a dangerous mess.
Halloween - a time for fun and disorder - Monk's main phobia.
Adrian Monk dreaded Halloween.
He didn’t like people coming to his house, he was afraid of children—whom he called “two-legged rats” and “plague carriers”—and he considered trick-or-treating a form of extortion. So I always tried to be around on Halloween night to keep him out of trouble.
Actually, it’s also what I do every day as his full-time assistant. Monk has an obsessive-compulsive disorder and an encyclopedic list of phobias that make day-to-day life a challenge for him, and everybody around him, especially when he’s out solving murders as a consultant for the San Francisco Police Department.
But staying with him on Halloween went far beyond the call of duty.
“The streets are full of little monsters,” he said, peering anxiously through his peephole.
“They’re children wearing masks.”
“Of course they are,” Monk said, looking back at me. “So nobody can identify them.”
“They aren’t doing anything illegal,” I said.
“They’re terrorizing me,” Monk said. “Terrorism is a crime. This is probably how Osama bin Laden got started.”
“Trick-or-treating,” I said.
“It’s possible,” Monk said.
Hygiene and an interview with the law
I took a Baggie from my purse and held it open for Kelton to drop the wipe into. He did. I closed the Baggie and stuffed it into my purse.
“How many of those wipes do you carry around?” Kelton asked.
“Hundreds,” I said.
“How long will that supply last?”
“A day or two,” I said.
He shook his head. “How long have you been working for him?”
“Years and years,” I said.
“And you aren’t an alcoholic?”
“Nope,” I said.
“Or a drug addict?”
“Nope,” I said.
“Have you attempted suicide since you started working for him?”
“Nope,” I said.
“How about murder?”
“Nope,” I said.
“It’s a miracle,” he said.
I nodded.
Free will or Fate? A discussion with Natalie's daughter
I filled her in on everything that had happened since we’d arrived in Trouble, especially the discovery that Monk had a crime-solving ancestor with all the same brilliance and personality quirks.
“Wouldn’t it be cool if Abigail Guthrie turned out to be related to you? You ought to look into it.”
“I don’t want to know,” I said.
“Now you sound like Mr. Monk,” she said.
“I do not,” I said. “I am nothing like him.”
“He doesn’t want to know that he’s related to Artemis Monk and you don’t want to know if you’re related to Abigail Guthrie.”
“But he is related to Artemis Monk,” I said. “I wouldn’t mind being related to Abigail Guthrie if she had nothing to do with a Monk. But if I am related to her, the coincidence would just be too terrifying to contemplate.”
“What would be so scary about it?”
“It would mean that I’ve never really had any control over my life. I’ve always been doomed to this fate.”
“Even if you aren’t related to Abigail Guthrie, what makes you think that you weren’t destined to be working for Mr. Monk?”
“I like to think that I have free will,” I said. “Don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said. “But my mom won’t let me have it.”
A fifty year old murder/robbery tempts Mr Monk to solve it first - then solve the modern day murder all the time confronting the dangers of Nature!
Bonus - There is a story within this story.
It is called "The Extraordinary Mr. Monk" which set in the town of Trouble in the year 1856
Enjoy!
Unfortunately for Mr Monk "Trouble" was a dangerous mess.
Halloween - a time for fun and disorder - Monk's main phobia.
Adrian Monk dreaded Halloween.
He didn’t like people coming to his house, he was afraid of children—whom he called “two-legged rats” and “plague carriers”—and he considered trick-or-treating a form of extortion. So I always tried to be around on Halloween night to keep him out of trouble.
Actually, it’s also what I do every day as his full-time assistant. Monk has an obsessive-compulsive disorder and an encyclopedic list of phobias that make day-to-day life a challenge for him, and everybody around him, especially when he’s out solving murders as a consultant for the San Francisco Police Department.
But staying with him on Halloween went far beyond the call of duty.
“The streets are full of little monsters,” he said, peering anxiously through his peephole.
“They’re children wearing masks.”
“Of course they are,” Monk said, looking back at me. “So nobody can identify them.”
“They aren’t doing anything illegal,” I said.
“They’re terrorizing me,” Monk said. “Terrorism is a crime. This is probably how Osama bin Laden got started.”
“Trick-or-treating,” I said.
“It’s possible,” Monk said.
Hygiene and an interview with the law
I took a Baggie from my purse and held it open for Kelton to drop the wipe into. He did. I closed the Baggie and stuffed it into my purse.
“How many of those wipes do you carry around?” Kelton asked.
“Hundreds,” I said.
“How long will that supply last?”
“A day or two,” I said.
He shook his head. “How long have you been working for him?”
“Years and years,” I said.
“And you aren’t an alcoholic?”
“Nope,” I said.
“Or a drug addict?”
“Nope,” I said.
“Have you attempted suicide since you started working for him?”
“Nope,” I said.
“How about murder?”
“Nope,” I said.
“It’s a miracle,” he said.
I nodded.
Free will or Fate? A discussion with Natalie's daughter
I filled her in on everything that had happened since we’d arrived in Trouble, especially the discovery that Monk had a crime-solving ancestor with all the same brilliance and personality quirks.
“Wouldn’t it be cool if Abigail Guthrie turned out to be related to you? You ought to look into it.”
“I don’t want to know,” I said.
“Now you sound like Mr. Monk,” she said.
“I do not,” I said. “I am nothing like him.”
“He doesn’t want to know that he’s related to Artemis Monk and you don’t want to know if you’re related to Abigail Guthrie.”
“But he is related to Artemis Monk,” I said. “I wouldn’t mind being related to Abigail Guthrie if she had nothing to do with a Monk. But if I am related to her, the coincidence would just be too terrifying to contemplate.”
“What would be so scary about it?”
“It would mean that I’ve never really had any control over my life. I’ve always been doomed to this fate.”
“Even if you aren’t related to Abigail Guthrie, what makes you think that you weren’t destined to be working for Mr. Monk?”
“I like to think that I have free will,” I said. “Don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said. “But my mom won’t let me have it.”
A fifty year old murder/robbery tempts Mr Monk to solve it first - then solve the modern day murder all the time confronting the dangers of Nature!
Bonus - There is a story within this story.
It is called "The Extraordinary Mr. Monk" which set in the town of Trouble in the year 1856
Enjoy!
February 25, 2022
This is a mystery basic on the TV show "Monk", and this is the 9th book in the Mr. Monk series. I have read a lot of the other books, and Monk the TV show was one of my favorite shows. This book was not my favorite one, and I felt it was just ok. I love the Mr. Monk character, but in this book I did not get the whole Monk feel for this book.
July 28, 2011
Another humorous installment in the Monk series. This one is set in a former gold mining town and has the added benefit of tales of Monk's ancester, Artemis Monk, and his widowed assistant. Had more action than some of the earlier books, which was exciting. I was pleased to have partially guessed who did it relatively early into the book.
November 26, 2012
For me, one of the more enjoyable original series that the USA Network created as part of their “Characters welcome” emphasis, was Monk. If Sherlock Holmes were an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder-suffering detective in the modern era, he would be amazingly like Adrian Monk. The OCD “business” in the series is usually done for laughs, but many of the scripts would simply turn on an observation that only someone exponentially OCD would notice. In a Monk mystery, things usually turn on some aberration with regard to symmetry.
Mr. Monk in Trouble is a novelization of a Monk mystery by Lee Goldberg , one of the scriptwriters. The story begins with an improbable (but amusing) arrest where Adrian Monk exposes a murderer trying to use the wrappings of a popular holiday to make his escape. In this case, even the San Francisco police make a cameo appearance that makes use of holiday humor. Let’s just say that the opening was mildly humorous and led to a series of events that created an intriguing symmetry.
As a result of the holiday “trouble,” Monk has to get out of his house for a time and manages to be “loaned” as a consultant to a small town police department on a murder investigation. The small town is an amalgam of some of the 19th century “Gold Rush” towns in California’s mountains which survived through stubborn determination and tourism to the present day. It isn’t a real town, so Goldberg can christen it such that it makes the pun in the title. The name of the Gold Rush town is “Trouble” so he can write about Mr. Monk in Trouble.
Now, if you’re looking for realism, run away. If it weren’t so humorous, this would be the story that “jumped the shark.” If it were produced as a script, it gives a chance for Adrian Monk to play the role of another defective detective, his ancestor Artemis Monk, and for his assistant Natalie to play the role of another strong woman who has to put up with a non-PD OCD detective. Everything turns on parallels in this mystery. Artemis Monk builds a totally symmetrical house and tries to convince the town to create an ordinance to ensure conformity (failing, of course, because no “Gold Rush” town is going to bother with regulations for aesthetics) and solves a murder and a train heist. Adrian Monk comes along and solves a decades-past train heist and a murder. In the meanwhile, he and Natalie are both endangered and Natalie finds time to be enamored. It has all the ingredients of a successful television episode. And, weighing in at a little over 200 pages, it reads in a little more than the time it would take to watch one (and all without commercials).
Like the television series, the idea is cute and, at times, comical.
The mystery was satisfying and, as a one off, the parallel timelines was an interesting (if predictable) gimmick. I loved the scene when the lady in charge of the historical society faints dead away when the photograph of Artemis Monk comes to life before her in the person of Adrian Monk. Predictable, but amusing! If you’re looking for depth in a mystery, flee while it’s safe. If you want something a little off-beat and you like the characters in the television series, it’s worth the effort.
Mr. Monk in Trouble is a novelization of a Monk mystery by Lee Goldberg , one of the scriptwriters. The story begins with an improbable (but amusing) arrest where Adrian Monk exposes a murderer trying to use the wrappings of a popular holiday to make his escape. In this case, even the San Francisco police make a cameo appearance that makes use of holiday humor. Let’s just say that the opening was mildly humorous and led to a series of events that created an intriguing symmetry.
As a result of the holiday “trouble,” Monk has to get out of his house for a time and manages to be “loaned” as a consultant to a small town police department on a murder investigation. The small town is an amalgam of some of the 19th century “Gold Rush” towns in California’s mountains which survived through stubborn determination and tourism to the present day. It isn’t a real town, so Goldberg can christen it such that it makes the pun in the title. The name of the Gold Rush town is “Trouble” so he can write about Mr. Monk in Trouble.
Now, if you’re looking for realism, run away. If it weren’t so humorous, this would be the story that “jumped the shark.” If it were produced as a script, it gives a chance for Adrian Monk to play the role of another defective detective, his ancestor Artemis Monk, and for his assistant Natalie to play the role of another strong woman who has to put up with a non-PD OCD detective. Everything turns on parallels in this mystery. Artemis Monk builds a totally symmetrical house and tries to convince the town to create an ordinance to ensure conformity (failing, of course, because no “Gold Rush” town is going to bother with regulations for aesthetics) and solves a murder and a train heist. Adrian Monk comes along and solves a decades-past train heist and a murder. In the meanwhile, he and Natalie are both endangered and Natalie finds time to be enamored. It has all the ingredients of a successful television episode. And, weighing in at a little over 200 pages, it reads in a little more than the time it would take to watch one (and all without commercials).
Like the television series, the idea is cute and, at times, comical.
The mystery was satisfying and, as a one off, the parallel timelines was an interesting (if predictable) gimmick. I loved the scene when the lady in charge of the historical society faints dead away when the photograph of Artemis Monk comes to life before her in the person of Adrian Monk. Predictable, but amusing! If you’re looking for depth in a mystery, flee while it’s safe. If you want something a little off-beat and you like the characters in the television series, it’s worth the effort.
March 21, 2014
When a former SFPD cop is murdered in a former gold rush town, Monk reluctantly heads up there to find the killer. Along the way, he and Natalie make an interesting discovery about an ancestor. The passages from the past combine quite well with the modern mystery, making this another fun book for fans who are missing the show.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
January 7, 2011
Goldberg gives Monk the Doc Brown treatment -- in a manner of speaking -- in this clever departure from the "usual" (if there is such a thing) Monk book. Lee Goldberg's MONK books are unfailingly entertaining and always well written.
September 1, 2012
I've been reading this series in order (and also watching the TV series on DVD), and this is one of my favorites so far. Like the rest of these books, this one not only is great fun, but also has an ingenious mystery plot and plenty of quirky characters (with Monk the quirkiest of all, of course). In this one, Adrian Monk and his assistant Natalie are investigating a recent murder and an unsolved 1962 train robbery in a Gold Rush town called Trouble. I loved the flashbacks, via a diary, into the past, in which we meet town assayer (and brilliant detective) Artemis Monk, who has an uncanny resemblance to the Monk we all know and love. Now I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series (I have the next four on hand).
August 1, 2023
Mr. Monk in Trouble was a good read, but different from the other books. In this one we alternate between Mr. Monk in current time and Artemis Monk from 1855. It was funny how alike they are!
The opening scene with Mr. Monk is a favorite. I loved how he could tell that the guy wasn't wearing a costume and had actually committed murder.
All in all, an enjoyable read.
The opening scene with Mr. Monk is a favorite. I loved how he could tell that the guy wasn't wearing a costume and had actually committed murder.
All in all, an enjoyable read.
August 25, 2025
One of the better Monk books I’ve read so far. Loved the device the author used to explore two timelines.
Also - this is my 400th read according to GR! 🧘🏼♂️
Also - this is my 400th read according to GR! 🧘🏼♂️
January 25, 2010
Fast reading and easy too. Typical Mr. Monk stuff.
April 20, 2017
Една от най-забавните истории за Монк досега. Паралелът с времената на златната треска беше великолепен :) Някой да знае дали издателството мисли да доиздаде книгите за Монк след 10-а или за пореден път ще постъпят като всеки уважаващ себе си БГ-издател - ще зарежат поредицата на средата?
July 6, 2018
After trying to read magpie murders, this book was like ray of sunshine coming through the rainy clouds. It was humourous, interesting, and had mysteries to be solved. Mr Monk was asked to go by Captain Stottlemeyer to Trouble, California to figure out how a man who used to be a member of his police force. When he got there he found out that their was another mystery he had (was mentally compelled) to solve. But it was from 1944. Of course he solved all mysteries.
March 14, 2021
Another day, another Monk book. :)
dnf
February 21, 2025I’m not enjoying Monk’s character in this book. His quirks feel overly exaggerated compared to the tv show which makes it less funny/entertaining.
June 4, 2010
Summary: The little town of Trouble just can't stay out of it-first it was part of the Gold Rush, then there was the still unsolved 1962 train robbery, and now a watchman, formerly of the SFPD, at the museum was killed. So Monk and his assistant Natalie are sent to investigate. While there they discover a family connection for Monk.
My family and I love the Monk books. While I stopped watching the show (except to catch the finale because he HAD to solve Trudy's murder-and he does), I still enjoy the book. It's fun because all four of us read. Usually I get to go first since I'm the fastest reader (Boo-yah!) but it was a birthday present for my mom so she went first and I got it second. I wonder if they would be as enjoyable if one was not familiar with the TV show but I doubt anyone would pick the books up without being familiar so I can't answer that.
My favorite part is that Natalie (who narrates the books) finds an ancestor of Monk's who had an assistant who wrote down how Artemis Monk solved the crimes. These stories go back to the Gold Rush era and deal with crimes committed there. The language is almost exactly the same as the modern-era so it is easy to read if not historically accurate.
I did not exactly figure out the mysteries (there end up being three that are tangled together). But I somewhat fingered the mastermind, as there aren't all that many suspects in the little town of Trouble.
Overall: 4.5/5 one of the better entries in the series and a good story on its own merits.
My family and I love the Monk books. While I stopped watching the show (except to catch the finale because he HAD to solve Trudy's murder-and he does), I still enjoy the book. It's fun because all four of us read. Usually I get to go first since I'm the fastest reader (Boo-yah!) but it was a birthday present for my mom so she went first and I got it second. I wonder if they would be as enjoyable if one was not familiar with the TV show but I doubt anyone would pick the books up without being familiar so I can't answer that.
My favorite part is that Natalie (who narrates the books) finds an ancestor of Monk's who had an assistant who wrote down how Artemis Monk solved the crimes. These stories go back to the Gold Rush era and deal with crimes committed there. The language is almost exactly the same as the modern-era so it is easy to read if not historically accurate.
I did not exactly figure out the mysteries (there end up being three that are tangled together). But I somewhat fingered the mastermind, as there aren't all that many suspects in the little town of Trouble.
Overall: 4.5/5 one of the better entries in the series and a good story on its own merits.
February 7, 2018
Story switches back and forth between Adrian Monk and Natalie Teeger investigating the death of a retired SFPD officer.
Likes:
* Artemis Monk solves crimes and assays rocks in 1855
* Artemis Monk's assistant, , launders shirts and assists him
Dislikes:
* Gold rush was in 1840-60 not 1960
* Locomotion in California was established in 1892
* Monk's rudeness
With-reservations:
murder, theft,
Likes:
* Artemis Monk solves crimes and assays rocks in 1855
* Artemis Monk's assistant, , launders shirts and assists him
Dislikes:
* Gold rush was in 1840-60 not 1960
* Locomotion in California was established in 1892
* Monk's rudeness
With-reservations:
murder, theft,
March 10, 2023
I have to be honest… I didn’t really think this book would be very good… I mean a western themed robbery 50 years ago? I couldn’t of been more wrong! This was a very funny book as well as interesting. And of course we have Artemis Monk as an added entertainment. I really enjoy the series, but I found this particular book, especially engaging for some reason.
December 17, 2010
I like the Monk series. This book puts a whole new perspective on his OCD and how he manages to keep himself together without having a break down.
July 5, 2012
This one is one of my favorites of the Mr Monk books! Funny and very enjoyable if you liked the tv show!
June 30, 2015
Really loved this book. Loved the back and forth between past and future. Chalk this one up as a winner!
August 1, 2014
Funny and engaging as always.
January 23, 2015
Lovely!!!!
April 17, 2016
great and funny
November 5, 2018
Amazing book! I cant wait to read more about Monk and his adventures!
April 6, 2023
Fun, silly and full of laughs. Just like the tv show and the way it should be.
October 3, 2023
Mr. Monk and Natalie are literally in Trouble, as in, the town Trouble. We get to see the usual Monk shenanigans and his ultra-detecting skills. The most interesting part was to know about Artemis Monk, who could have been Adrian Monk's twin separated by 100 years. Natalie comes across a journal written by Artemis Monk's widowed assistant Abby Gurthrie. The similarities between lives of both the Monks is startling.
Also, something about the way his ancestor solved a crime helps the current Monk to solve 3 murders and a 50 yr old train roberry!
It's very easy to guess the killer and I am sure most of the readers guessed correctly.
As always, it was fun and I read it within 2 days.
Also, something about the way his ancestor solved a crime helps the current Monk to solve 3 murders and a 50 yr old train roberry!
It's very easy to guess the killer and I am sure most of the readers guessed correctly.
As always, it was fun and I read it within 2 days.
January 2, 2024
Monk mystery novels are definitely a go-to comfort read. As always, this book proved to be a book you could enjoy consuming in large chunks, leave it sit, then pick up where you left off. The idea of a Monk ancestor was a cute idea, but it wasn’t explored much further than the introduction of the premise. While it was fun to get bite sized mysteries throughout via Abigail Guthrie’s journal, it barely affected the character of Monk at all to have discovered an ancestor that was the mirror image of himself. The mystery wasn’t as clever this time and the action wrapped up in just a couple of pages. However, I laughed out loud at the witty writing more than once.
January 27, 2021
I loved this one, as I especially love the television series. This read like an actual episode, told from Natalie Teeger's POV.
Monk is definitely out of his element in a old western-style town, but it doesn't diminish his detective skills.
Included in this tale were journal entries of an assistant to another Monk -- from 150 years ago -- and it made for some great reading.
This is, like the TV show, a clean read, and is the ninth book in the series. I enjoyed it so much, I bought the first and second books of the series!
Monk is definitely out of his element in a old western-style town, but it doesn't diminish his detective skills.
Included in this tale were journal entries of an assistant to another Monk -- from 150 years ago -- and it made for some great reading.
This is, like the TV show, a clean read, and is the ninth book in the series. I enjoyed it so much, I bought the first and second books of the series!
March 5, 2024
“There’s a big middle ground between drinking tap water and playing Russian roulette.”
Monk is called upon to solve a murder in a small town with an interesting gold rush history, and while investigating he stumbles on to a nearly 50 year old unsolved mystery he can't resist taking on.
This book explores the history of California, how it has influenced and affected some of the small towns, and takes a humorous look at lineage, as we discover stories from the life of a man who must be an ancestor of Monk's.
Monk is called upon to solve a murder in a small town with an interesting gold rush history, and while investigating he stumbles on to a nearly 50 year old unsolved mystery he can't resist taking on.
This book explores the history of California, how it has influenced and affected some of the small towns, and takes a humorous look at lineage, as we discover stories from the life of a man who must be an ancestor of Monk's.
May 29, 2017
Goldberg's characterization of Monk was off at the beginning (from what I remember from watching the entire eight seasons of the t.v. series, Monk could be insensitive, and rude in a self-absorbed sort of way, but never in an intentionally hateful or personal way) but it recovered and when combined with a unique plot (the flashbacks to Artemus Monk in the old West were great), this Mr. Monk novel earns a well-deserved 4 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews