Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu is the third novel by writer Lee Goldberg based on the television series Monk. In this novel, in response to a blue flu, the mayor of San Francisco reinstates several police officers who suffer from debilitating mental issues, including Adrian Monk. The squad of half-crazy detectives must contend not only with each other's eccentricities and a series of murders linked only by missing left shoes and shared birth dates, but their former friends on the other side of the labor dispute. Like the previous two books, the book is narrated by Natalie Teeger, Monk's assistant.
Synopsis
The city is planning on making deep cuts in the San Francisco Police Department's pay, medical benefits, and pension contributions. Negotiations between the union and the city break down. Although it is illegal for police officers to strike, the police officers plan to call in sick until they get a better contract.
Mayor Barry Smitrovich, concerned about the lack of policing, reinstates Adrian Monk to the police department as acting captain of the homicide division. Although Natalie Teeger points out that the mayor is using Monk as a strikebreaker, Monk accepts the job, pleased to have his badge back. His assisting detectives are "Mad Jack" Wyatt, Cynthia Chow, and Frank Porter. Wyatt lost his badge due to lawsuits arising from his violent methods and disregard for civil rights. Chow is a conspiracy theorist who had her badge taken away due to her escalating paranoia. Porter is a veteran detective who was forced into retirement by the onset of senility. Their top priority is a series of stranglings of women whose left running shoes are taken. The press labels the killer the Golden Gate Strangler. Monk instructs Porter to check the dead women's credit card purchases and map out the crime scenes. However, none of the women made any shoe purchases on their credit cards.
In the Haight-Ashbury district, astrologer Allegra Doucet has been stabbed to death. The bathroom towel rack is broken, and there is no evidence pointing to forced entry. Doucet knew the killer, judging from the lack of defensive wounds. Madam Frost, Doucet's elderly competitor across the street, despised Doucet.
Natalie receives a call from Officer Curtis about a hit-and-run. The victim is John Yamada. While jaywalking to the market, he was struck by a car and killed. Monk realizes this is a premeditated murder when he notices skid marks that indicate the driver rapidly accelerated from a parking spot across the street. Mud drops further indicate that the driver used mud to conceal the license plate number. Natalie receives a call from Officer Curtis about another murder.
On Russian Hill, waitress Diane Truby tumbled in front of the same bus she disembarked from minutes earlier. Monk realizes that the killer sat on a vegetable crate not visible from the street and waited for Truby to pass.
Julie identifies the brands of each of the shoes the Golden Gate Strangler victims were wearing. She also says they are obsolete styles, sold out of trucks at freeway off-ramps which take only cash.
Chow informs Monk and Natalie that Max Collins, who sells artwork, lost millions of dollars in bad investments he made based on Doucet's advice. Collins states that he subsequently had a private investigator do some digging, and found that the companies Collins invested in were paying her to steer wealthy clients their way. On the night Doucet was murdered, he was visiting his mother, just around the corner. Natalie privately tells Monk that she is concerned that Monk will be working himself to death solving all of these homicides. Monk and Natalie have a secret rendezvous with Captain Stottlemeyer. The Captain is bitter that Monk has taken over his position. Stottlemeyer advises Monk that all three of his detectives have their own strengths and he needs to learn to delegate. Monk calls up Porter for information about John Yamada's ex-wife's stolen car and has Chow check up on Truby.
On the way over to the next murder, Natalie is issued a ticket, ostensibly because she was driving 28 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone; Natalie realizes Monk is being harassed because of his breaking the strike. Scott Eggers has been found dead in the alley behind his house. Monk sees that the killer bludgeoned Eggers, grabbed a grocery bag from the trash, and suffocated him.