Customer Reviews
Mr. Monk Goes "Beyond Earth" - By: Mark Baker, 18 Feb 2008 
Everything about the case seems ordinary. The man was shot outside a hotel. In fact, the assassin was captured on four different security cameras. Yet Monk was still callled in to help the San Francisco police department solve the case. Why? Because the victim was Conrad Stipe, creator of the cult 70's TV show Beyond Earth. And the assassin was dressed as one of the aliens from the show.
Because Stipe was shot right outside a fan convention for his show, Captain Stottlemeyer knows there are too many suspects. He's hoping Monk's attention to detail will help them find the one fan who did it.
However, Monk is unnerved by the costumes everyone is wearing. The alien costumes are elaborate & unnatural. Monk just can't see how anyone would willing become devoted to something so unnatural.
And then he finds out his brother Ambrose is a devoted fan of the series.
Who shot Conrad Stipe? What clues does the costume provide? And will Monk ever look at Ambrose the same way again?
The Monk novels have proved to be plenty of fun, & this is no exception. I must admit I had pieces of the plot figured out before Monk, but I think that is because I have gotten used to author Lee Goldberg's plotting. Still, I enjoyed finding out if I was right & how Monk would piece it alll together. I felt at times Monk slipped into caricature in this book, a charge I've leveled at the TV show a time or two as well. Still, I laughed out loud plenty. Fans & TV executives get a gentle skewing over the course of the book. I especiallly enjoyed one producers proposal to change the Monk series.
This isn't the strongest entry in the Monk novel series, but it is still absolutely worth reading. Fans of the TV show are in for another treat.
Mr Monk and the Cult Show - By: Foggy Tewsday, 30 Jan 2008 
A smalll carpet stain in his apartment drives Monk to seek refuge at his brother Ambrose's house. This reunion with his brother has a beneficial side-effect: when a murder connected with cult television show `Beyond Earth' is committed, Monk discovers that Ambrose is a renowned expert on the show.
Having a sci-fi show as one of the backdrops to this novel gives the author plenty of scope for comedy. There's a wonderful scene at a `Beyond Earth' convention involving some priceless packets of thirty-year-old breakfast cereal. Monk also recoils at the sight of the attendees in their `Beyond Earth' regalia, particularly those dressed as Mr Snork, one of the show's lead characters complete with trunk-like snoot.
As ever, Monk's assistant & friend Natalie Teeger chronicles this adventure; the events are told in the first person from her point of view in easy-going, humorous prose. We share her exasperation at Monk's obsessiveness while at the same time marvelling at his uniqueness.
One thing that has been missing from some of the previous novels in the series has been the lack of Captain Stottlemeyer & Lieutenant Disher in the stories. This is not the case with `Mr Monk in Outer Space', and, in my opinion, their presence in this story adds to the feeling that this could, & perhaps, should be turned into a television episode.
Lee Goldberg has reallly done the business with this latest Monk novel. Funny, clever & thoroughly compelling, this is the best in the series so far. Mind you, I think I might have said that about alll the Monk novels.
