Mr. Monk on Patrol

“Can books be better than television? You bet they can—when Lee Goldberg’s writing them.”

—Lee Child

Praise for the
Monk
Mysteries

Mr. Monk on the Couch

“The
Monk
books are always wonderful fun and this one is no exception.”

—
Kings River Life Magazine

Mr. Monk on the Road

“This is probably the best
Monk
novel that Lee Goldberg has written by far. Plain and simple, it’s flat-out awesome!”

—Gelati’s Scoop

“
Mr. Monk on the Road
is another laugh-out-loud mystery bound to please the millions of
Monk
fans.”

—Movement Magazine

Mr. Monk Is Cleaned Out

“What’s left to say about Lee Goldberg’s
Monk
books? You already know they’re some of the very best TV tie-in books being published today. More than that, they’re some of the very best mystery novels being published today, period.”

—Rough Edges

“For a lighthearted, enjoyable who-done-it with an old friend, read
Mr. Monk Is Cleaned Out
—you’ll thank me later!”

—
San Francisco Book Review

“The latest hilariously funny and devilishly clever novel about TV’s obsessive-compulsive sleuth Adrian Monk is an impossible-crime lover’s delight.”

—
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Mr. Monk in Trouble

“Once again, Goldberg expertly sails along the fine line of character quirks that make Monk so infuriating, and yet so endearing.”

—Bookgasm

“Lee Goldberg knows that the richest humor veers close to pathos, and that is one reason the novel succeeds so well. This is much more than entertainment.”

—Richard S. Wheeler, author of
Snowbound

Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop

“Sharp character comedy combines with ingenious and fairly clued puzzle-spinning.”

—
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

“Once again Lee Goldberg has brilliantly captured the obsessive-compulsive master detective Adrian Monk.”

—
Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine

Mr. Monk Is Miserable

“Fans of the show are in for a treat. Goldberg does a stunning job capturing Natalie’s voice.”

—Roundtable Reviews

“Full of snippets of slapstick humor and Monk’s special talents for observation.”

—
Library Journal

Mr. Monk Goes to Germany

“The story flows so smoothly it’s effortless to read.”

—
CrimeSpree Magazine

“A great escape. Lee Goldberg has written another wonderful novel.”

—
Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine

Mr. Monk in Outer Space

“You say you don’t read tie-in novels? You should give the
Monk
books a try and find out what you’ve been missing.”

—Bill Crider, author of
Murder in the Air

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.”

—
The Weekly Journal
(TX)

Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu

“A must read if you enjoy Monk’s mysteries on the tube.”

—Bookgasm

“A very funny and inventively plotted book.”

—
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii

“An entertaining and ruefully funny diversion that stars one of television’s best-loved characters.”

—
Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse

“It is laugh-out-loud funny from the get-go…totally enjoyable.”

—Robin Burcell, author of
The Bone Chamber

“It’s funny, with some great Monkisms, and tightly plotted; the characters are expanded beyond their TV confines.…How TV tie-ins should be.”

—The Works
(UK)

“Lee has found the perfect voice for Natalie’s first-person narration—sweet, exhausted, frustrated, exasperated, and sweet again. None of these feelings has to do with the mystery. They’re all reactions to Monk’s standard behavior as he wars with all the ways nature is trying to kill him. Lee Goldberg has managed to concoct a novel that’s as good as any of the
Monk
episodes I’ve seen on the tube.”

—Ed Gorman, author of
Stranglehold

The Monk Series

Mr. Monk on Patrol

Mr. Monk on the Couch

Mr. Monk on the Road

Mr. Monk Is Cleaned Out

Mr. Monk in Trouble

Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop

Mr. Monk Is Miserable

Mr. Monk Goes to Germany

Mr. Monk in Outer Space

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants

Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu

Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii

Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse

A Novel by

Lee Goldberg

Based on the USA Network television series created by

Andy Breckman

AN OBSIDIAN MYSTERY

OBSIDIAN

Published by New American Library, a division of

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

New York, New York 10014, USA

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:

80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Previously published in an Obsidian hardcover edition.

First Obsidian Mass Market Printing, May 2012

10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

Copyright © 2012
Monk
© Universal Network Television LLC. Licensed by NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group 2012. All Rights Reserved.

The Edgar
^®
name is a registered service mark of the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-101-56585-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Printed in the United States of America

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

To Valerie and Madison