Monk Books

Mr. Monk and the Nice Review

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MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS got a rave review from The Weekly Journal in Angleton, Texas. Here’s an excerpt:

It’s not often that a reader can be entirely satisfied when one of
their favorite TV characters is transported into the pages of a book.
But Lee Goldberg has an advantage over most: he has co-written several
episodes of the hit TV series “Monk” so he is dually qualified to be
writing this latest Monk mystery, “Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants.” […] Even if you aren’t familiar with the TV series “Monk”, this book is
too funny to not be read. Goldberg’s comic genius is channeled by Monk
throughout and the truth of the crime is always worth waiting for.
Reading this book is like reading a script of the weekly show, making
this read a delightful treat for any fan.

Thanks to "Tex" for the link!

Mr. Monk in Outer Space

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Monkinouterspace_2
Moments after I finished proofing the galleys for MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE on Friday I received this photo of the dustjacket.  I like it!  The book comes out on Oct. 30th. 13299521I’ve also just seen the covers for the Large Print editions of MR. MONK GOES TO THE  FIREHOUSE and MR. MONK GOES TO  HAWAII…and I like them a lot.
What do you think of them?12542766
(You can click on the photos for  larger images).

Mr. Monk and the Rave Review

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The Monk superfans at the Monk Fun Page have given MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS  a rave review. They say, in part:

Since  we’re now on the fourth novel you  might expect the plots and characters              to begin to blur a little, but the opposite is true. Each book is delightfully unique. Maybe it’s just me, but I see more depth and substance in
this novel than in the first three, which were all solidly entertaining  in their own right. The exploration of the two relationships between Monk and his assistants is fascinating.  The novel touches on the similarities, the differences, the humor and the  evolution of both relationships. Great stuff.

Mr. Monk and the Early Reviews

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Monkandtwoassist_2 It’s still a few weeks before MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS  hits bookstores, but already a few reviews are starting to appear. Kirkus reviewed the book, but it was  more of a synopsis than anything else. I can’t honestly tell whether they liked  it or not.  I guess that’s better than them hating it. I didn’t have that problem with Ed Gorman’s review…he obviously liked it:

There is some especially good detection here as well as some of Monk’s most impressive battles with germs. Goldberg not only writes the novels, he also writes some of the TV scripts. His affection for the series shines through in these novels that are so rich with humor and character.

Thanks, Ed! Benjamin Bouldon at Gravetapping says, in part:

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants is a humorous whodunit. It is written in the voice of Natalie, who—in this novel especially—feels very much like Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick Dr. Watson, and it is great fun to watch her struggle through the twists and turns of the plot. She is often just as lost as the reader when confronted with the powerful deductive abilities of Adrian Monk, and the wonderfully outlandish murders he solves.

Mr. Goldberg does an admirable job of portraying the characters. The novel is at its best when the entire gang is on hand—Captain Stottlemeyer, Lieutenant Disher, Monk, Natalie, and Sharona. The dialogue is pitch perfect, and the atmosphere of the television series is captured very well, except, instead of a single episode it feels like a two-part extravaganza.

Thanks, Ben! Mark Baker at Epinions writes, in part:

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. Not that it is any surprise since all of Mr. Goldberg’s books feature great characters. And there are some great moments that explore the relationships more than can be done on the TV show. This book does a good job of filling in the story around Sharona’s departure from Monk’s life, and she comes out of the novel looking pretty good.

Thanks,  Mark! I hope the rest of the reviews that come in are just as positive.

Mr. Monk and the Book News

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I delivered my draft of MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE to my editor a couple of weeks ago and learned that they’ve  moved up the release date of the hardcover to November 1. That was quite a surprise and only underscores how enthusiastic and supportive they’ve been for these books. 

The hardcover of MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS  comes out in three weeks and I won’t be there to see it…this is the first  time I have ever missed the publication of one of my books. I won’t see it until I return to the U.S. in mid-August. The paperback edition comes  out on January 1st.

The hardcover for MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY will hit bookshelves in July 2008 …which feels like wishful thinking right now, since I am still contemplating the plot on the set of FAST TRACK. With the hardcover and paperback schedule for the MONK books, it feels like I have even more books coming out than I did when I was doing  both MONK and DM at the same time…

While I’ve been here in Berlin, the German editions of MR. MONK GOES TO THE FIREHOUSE and MR. MONK GOES TO HAWAII have both come out…and I got word that MR. MONK AND THE  BLUE FLU will follow soon.

Review Copies

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I’ve received a limited number of review copies of MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS (July 2007) and DIAGNOSIS MURDER: THE LAST WORD (May 2007). If you’re an established reviewer and would be interested in receiving copies one or both books, please send me an email as soon as possible at Lee@leegoldberg.com with the name of your publication/website and your mailing address. I can’t promise that everyone who asks for one will get one…but I will do my best.

Mystery Lady

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A reader tipped me to the Mystery Lady, who posts her reviews on YouTube. Apparently this post has been up a while…she reviews my book MR. MONK GOES TO THE FIRE HOUSE  and Paul Levine’s SOLOMAN AND LORD.