Impossible Crime Reviews III

One of the best fictional detectives created in the past decade was Adrian Monk, portrayed by Tony Shaloub. He was a blend of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Lieutenant Columbo; a man afflicted with a crippling obsessive-compulsive disorder that left him striving for order and cleanliness, unable to relate well to others or function effectively in society, yet able to solve some of the most baffling crimes he was presented with by finding clues in the chaos that other detectives would miss. Under the helm of creator Andy Breckerman, Monk ran for eight seasons and, occasional hiccups aside, it presented some great character portrayals and impressive mysteries, not to mention an intriguing running arc regarding the mystery of who murdered Monk's wife Trudy. There were also a few impossible crimes featured in the show, though most focused on a case where the identity of the murderer was clear, but he or she had a seemingly perfect alibi that would have made it impossible for them to have carried out the killing (the episode Mr. Monk and the Astronaut is perhaps the best example of this.) Though the TV series ended in December 2009, it still continues in a series of tie-in novels written by author Lee Goldberg. While the canonicity of these books is in question, it's undeniable that they carry on the great style of the television series. And the novel Mr. Monk is Cleaned Out, published in 2010, provides a very baffling impossible crime that's right up Monk's alley

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San Francisco has been hit hard by the economic recession. Companies are going out of business, people are losing their jobs, and public services have been forced to make serious budget cuts. Among the services cutting back is the SFPD which, in an effort to save money, has cancelled Monk's consulting contract. This doesn't worry Captain Leland Stottlemeyer - he knows that Monk will help solve murders for free, and is counting on that - but for Monk's assistant Natalie Teeger, it's a serious crisis for her and her daughter Julie since she doesn't know where her next paycheck will come from. Surprisingly, the usually neurotic Monk isn't concerned at all. He's been investing his money with charismatic financial manager Bob Sebes, and assumes he can live comfortably off the interest earned until he finds a new job. There's only one problem; the fund he put his money into was a fraud. Sebes had been running a Ponzi scheme that fleeced his investors out of two billion dollars, and Monk is now broke.

Complicating matters, the efforts by the state to bring Sebes to trial and recover some of the stolen funds have hit a serious snag. Former employees who were set to testify against him have been murdered before they can take the stand, and while Sebes seems like the most likely culprit, he has a perfect alibi. No only have police and paparazzi been stationed around his house 24/7, but he's had an electronic tracking bracelet attached to his ankle ever since he was put under house arrest, the records of which show that he was in his house at the times of the murders. Monk vows to expose Sebes' trick and put him away for fraud and murder. But with other pressures mounting on him, such as the need to find a new job and earn money to survive, can he do it?

Goldberg perfectly captures the characters from the series in his books. Each is narrated by Monk's assistant Natalie, and reflects her feelings working for such a brilliant but difficult man. There's a hint of weariness having to endure his demands and eccentricities, frustration and outright anger when he's really getting on her nerves, but overall kindness and compassion when he needs it. Monk is the same bundle of neuroses and nervous genius that we know and love, Stottlemeyer is gruff, no nonsense, but still a loyal friend, and Lt. Randy Disher is the eager, overzealous cop who's not quite the sharpest knife in the drawer. Bob Sebes is a particularly disgusting villain. Not only does Goldberg succeed in making him unlikable by modeling him after Bernie Madoff, one of the worst crooks to prey on the gullible in these hard economic times, but he exudes a smug arrogance and delights in subtly taunting Monk and the police to prove his guilt when he thinks he has them beat. Also enjoyable are the character interactions between Monk and ordinary people he encounters when finding a new job; their reactions to Monk's "unique" personality are hilarious.

The story plays out just like a great episode of the TV series. There's plenty of humor, with some of the funniest moments being Randy not-so-subtly dropping multiple hints about his upcoming birthday in the hopes of securing a surprise party, and Monk's attempts to hold down another job (his stint at a clothing store is the most comical, IMO.) But it's not all laughs. There are some serious moments, the most touching for me being Monk's frustration at no longer being able to pay Natalie and provide for her and her daughter. This moments reveals that Monk sees Natalie not only as his assistant, but part of his family. I would have loved to have seen this portrayed in one of the episodes because it works so well. And of course, the mystery aspect is very well-plotted. The solution behind Sebes' seemingly unbreakable alibi is quite clever, though I'm guessing some more tech-savvy readers will be able to guess it sooner than I did. As is customary with the rest of Golberg's books there are some smaller crimes that Monk comes across, usually solved over the course of one or two chapters. Fittingly enough for this book, one of these secondary crimes is a locked room mystery; a witness for another corporate fraud case is found strangled in his car at a traffic light despite being followed by a police escort. The answer to this is a little easier to figure out than the main case, but still very enjoyable.

I would definitely rank Mr. Monk is Cleaned Out as one of the three best Monk books Goldberg has written. It's got a great story that plays to the strengths of already well-developed characters without derailing them, a socially relevant plot that gives it a much more realistic feel, and plenty of emotion. A fine installment to the continuation of the now-defunct TV series.

Mr. Monk is Cleaned Out is available from Penguin Group publishing.