This is the first Monk book I have read. I really miss this show and was hoping this book would help fill the void.It did, but just a little. The story line was great, but Monk was a bit too one dimensional. His funny antics made me laugh, though they were close to over the top and the B crew he is placed in command of was over the top. Any one of them would have worked well into the story, but all together they were too much. The book was written in a way that gave Natalie more depth of character than Monk. As a big Monk fan, I know him well, and was able to fill in the gaps. Perhaps this was intended by the author, as this was written more like a 30 minute episode than a one hour movie. However, I miss the sadness, complexity and the bravery involved in facing his fears. I intend to read more of the series in search of this.