Book Review: Mr. Monk is Open for Business by Hy Conrad (Monk #18)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Laughs with characters we love and strong mysteries

Cons: Monk might have a few, but I don't

The Bottom Line:

Two puzzling plots

Keep us entertained with laughs

Along with the twists

Mr. Monk and the New Business

It's always hard to say goodbye to characters I've loved from a TV show.  Fortunately, even though Monk has ended, the novels based on that show keep right on going.  Mr. Monk Is Open For Business is the latest in a long line of funny, entertaining novels.

It's a big day for Monk and Teeger, Consulting Detectives - it's the first day in their new office.  But before Natalie can even throw a proper grand opening party, they have their first client.  Daniela Grace, a local lawyer that Natalie has met, has been hired by a man accused of murder.  After all, he was found with a shovel in an empty field dragging a recently deceased body.  While maintaining his innocence, he refuses to say what he was doing in the lot.

They are just beginning to investigate this case when they are called to the scene of an office shooting.  Amy Devlin has been in charge, and somehow the suspect slips right by the police.  Miraculously there is one survivor, and Monk immediately takes to her.  However, there is no trace of the gun man.  Can Monk find this mysterious murderer?

I'm always hesitant to jump into a series that is this well established, although I think you could do so.  Author Hy Conrad gives enough background that you'd know who the characters are pretty easily without spoiling anything major that has gone before.  I will say that the novels that have taken place after the series ended have been more tied into each other, showing more growth and change for the characters.  That continues here as well, although I am very curious to see where the next book in the series goes considering how some things were left in the last few pages.

The characters, as always, are spot on from the show, and I can easily picture the actors saying the lines as I'm reading.  The cast of characters not from the show are equally as strong, and I love them, too.

I was proud of myself - I had one part of one of the mysteries figured out fairly early on, although I did start to doubt myself for a while.  Even so, I had fun watching Monk figure things out, and there were lots of clues I missed along the way.  Both plots reach logical and satisfactory conclusions.

And, just like the show, this book is filled with humor.  When I wasn't outright laughing at the antics of the characters, I was grinning at the pages.

The pages flew by all too quickly.  I read the entire book on a lazy day.  That just means I have to wait longer for the next one, unfortunately.

If you are looking to escape into a fun story, Mr. Monk Is Open For Business is for you.  All it wants to do is entertain you, and it succeeds in spades.

Looking for more mysteries?  Here are the Monk Novels in order.