(3.5 / 5)

Unable to handle his assistant Natalie going to Hawaii and leaving him alone, the defective detective Adrian Monk takes a pill to combat his many phobias and OCD tendencies and tags along. Once the dose wears off, he's back to being his normal self, which includes ruining a wedding and Natalie's vacation. But more importantly, it means classifying an accidental death as a murder and getting himself involved in the investigation.

Let me just say right off that I hate "the Monk." I hated him in the television episode he appeared in ("Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine", the last episode with Sharona...and you know, I always suspected that was the real reason she left) and I disliked that he made an appearance in this book. Fortunately, this drugged state of the main character didn't last long, but I certainly hope the author of this book series doesn't plan to resurrect him every time he needs to put Monk in a situation he would normally avoid. For goodness sake, there's a very good, touching reason Monk stopped taking the pills the first time, and for him to completely disregard that cheapens the great respect he still has for his late wife.

Now that that rant is out of the way, the book was another nice re-visit with a television show that has long-since ended (this series came out while the show was still on, but they're all new stories to me). I felt pretty immersed in the island setting, often going away from the heavy tourist areas to see everyday life on the island. The accent of the detective that they worked with was done very well by the narrator, and I'm not sure it would have come across nearly as well if I read the book myself, so that's a major check in the audiobook column. I still don't love her depiction of Monk himself, but I'm sure trying to imitate the voice of an actual person (the actor who played the role) is more difficult than narrating other books.

My biggest gripe, and the reason that I may eventually have to stop reading this series, is again that the author just seems to not have the best handle on Monk. Monk using pop culture references, like a reference to Michael Jackson, is just not true to his character. And he was far more concerned about Natalie's injuries and sunburn at one point in the book than I feel like he would be--not even a mention about the mess her blood was probably making, for example, and he was...well, "tender" is the best word I can come up with, and Monk really isn't tender. And Monk at his most normal self isn't really about going out and having fun, yet we're to believe that he plays miniature golf? And well? When, exactly, is he going out and hitting balls at windmills without his assistant knowing about it?

The book is more good than bad, despite what it may sound like above. There are some funny moments that remind me of why I like the show and characters so much. But there's a reason that the character in the TV show has the problems he has--he's brilliant and can solve basically anything. Without some major handicaps, he'd be too good, and that would be boring. He needs something to hold him back, to be the main conflict for the show, and that is his OCD and phobias that do tend to distract him and make him self-absorbed quite often. If this series continues to grind those edges down, I probably won't be able to keep reading it. For now, though, I'll see what the next one holds, and for those who might be interested, it does look like many others aren't as bothered by these things as I am, so if you're a fan of the show, don't let me stop you from giving the series a try! ( )

Say Aloha to Mystery!

That works *both* ways - "hello," since this is chock-full of mysteries for Monk to solve AND "goodbye," since Mr. Monk solves them all. This is yet another terrific entry in the Monk novels.

Seeing Mr. Monk try to manage life in the island paradise is fun - and funny. The mysteries are clever and "fair" - there are clues and satisfactory solutions. A good fun read! ( )

When Natalie Teeger takes vacation time and heads for Hawaii to serve as maid of honor for her best friend Candace’s wedding, Adrian Monk is so distressed at the thought of managing around the office without her that he tags along to the Aloha State. The ostensibly accidental death by coconut of rich tourist Helen Gruber puts Monk at odds with police lieutenant Ben Kealoha when he decrees the woman’s death to be anything but an accident.

And when smarmy clairvoyant Dylan Swift insists he has a message from Helen purportedly sent to him from the great beyond, Adrian is determined to prove the television psychic a fraud. But will he find the evidence to prove his belief that Helen’s death was murder and that the “medium” is indeed a fraud?

Readers will chuckle [or simply laugh out loud] at Monk’s foibles [geckos, folded towels, and ceiling fans this time around] as, in true Adrian Monk-fashion he sets about unraveling the clever plot twists to solve the crimes and collar the perpetrators. Readers who appreciate a quirky tale will find much to appreciate in this hilarious, quick read story and fans of the series will find that this narrative remains true to the television series. ( )

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

In this title, consulting detective Adrian Monk hijacks his assistant's vacation because he thinks he cannot survive without her. Natalie is given an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii for her best friend's wedding and is shocked when her anxious, obsessive-compulsive boss tags along. While there, Monk uncovers a couple of frauds, a series of burglaries, and other crimes plaguing the island. But the big case is when a wealthy woman at the resort is seemingly killed by a random accident, which Monk quickly sees is actually a covered-up murder. And, of course, because of his obsessive-compulsive disorder, Monk begins to annoy everyone around him by insisting that the hotel towels be folded to exact measurements rather than rolled, souvenir shark teeth by re-arranged by size and type, etc. etc. etc.

Having the story be told from Natalie's first-person point of view is a bit different than the third-person omniscience of the show. However, the show's regular characters are done so perfectly correctly that you can picture their movements as well as hear their voices and speech patterns as you read. The mysteries are interesting, although some parts of them are easy enough to figure out. (Many others though need Monk's carefully trained eye and deductive reasoning!)

There are few problematic bits scattered throughout the book. I felt like Natalie and her friend were slightly passive aggressive with each other, a tiny bit of the stereotype of "catty" women. Monk's repulsion of Hawaiian customs as "barbaric" is meant to be a joke on his fear of anything he deems unsanitary, but it could be insulting to some. And for some reasons, the author feels the need to make note of all the tourists either being fat or ridiculously buff/slim -- no in betweens. I don't know why that last one got under my skin but it did, and it was especially unnecessary because sometimes he was just describing people lounging at the pool who had nothing whatsoever to do with the plot. In addition, there were also a few typographical errors here and there, and although this didn't really hamper the reading of the book, it's just sloppy.

However, those were relatively minor issues in a book that is just meant to be a light and entertaining read, which it was. If you are a fan of the show, then you will definitely enjoy this book as it felt very much in line with the show's spirit and style. If you don't watch the show, I can't imagine you'd really pick up this book and some parts might not be super interesting to the casual reader as they are tie-ins to the show (e.g., the case of Monk's murdered wife). However, die-hard mystery fans jonesing for a new book might like it anyway, even without knowledge of the show. ( )

This was a fun episode in the Adrian Monk series.  Natalie goes on vacation to Hawaii to see her best friend and thinks she's leaving Monk behind.  Until, she sees him on the plane and found out he took an anti-OCD pill and followed her.  Of course, trouble followed him.  It was fun reading about him experiencing Hawaiian traditions such as luaus.  I especially enjoyed him tangling with the TV psychic.  Definitely not serious reading, but a fun brain break" for sure." ( )