Goldberg, Lee: Mr. Monk in Outer Space

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Mr. Monk in Outer Space is the fifth installment in Lee Goldberg's series of TV tie-ins featuring Adrian Monk, the obsessive compulsive detective. In this outing Monk is called in by Captain Stottlemeyer of the San Francisco Police Department to help solve a series of murders. The most sensational of these is the murder of Conrad Stipe, the creator of a three-decade-old Star Trek-like cult favorite. He's shot dead upon arrival at a Beyond Earth convention, apparently by an obsessive fan, an "Earther," who's upset about a proposed remake of the show that isn't expected to stay true to the character of the original series. But of course the murder isn't as clear-cut as that, and its solution depends on Monk's preternatural attentiveness to detail. In fact, this time around there are two Monks on the case: Adrian's agoraphobic brother Ambrose literally wrote the book on Dratch--the made-up language (think Klingon) spoken by some characters in Beyond Earth. His command of the language and familiarity with the show proves invaluable to the investigation. The case provides the brothers with an opportunity to connect with one another. The development of their relationship is one of the sweeter parts of this story.

Like the rest of the books in Goldberg's series and the show itself, Mr. Monk in Outer Space is studded with amusing dialogue related to Monk's nearly paralyzing obsessive compulsive disorder. The book is also cleverly plotted, the various murders connected to one another in unexpected ways. Add to that Monk's subtle growth as a human being and the tender scene between Monk and his assistant, Natalie Teeger, at the book's close, and this installment in the series is a particularly enjoyable one.