Desperate to save the parking lot where Trudy was killed from demolition, Monk enlists the help of a sympathetic councilwoman. But when she goes missing, Monk may be forced to deal with her hapless and incapable assistant.

When Monk's neighbor Kevin is found dead backstage at a magic show, Monk begins to suspect Kevin's old mentor, The Great Torini. The problem is, he has a perfect alibi.

Monk gets a call from a man who bullied him when he was a kid. He's still affected by it. He's uneasy when he goes to see him. The man wants to hire Monk to follow his wife whom he suspects is hiding something from him. Monk accepts to rub his nose in it. And when he follows her he discovers she's hiding something but Monk thinks there's more going on.

Monk dips his toe into male bonding when he attends the playoffs with Leland, but a murder distracts them from the game and its solution may be the only way to ensure the championship.

Monk's recent, transforming friendship with a neighbor feels suspicious after he's brought in to consult on two murders.

Monk makes Natalie's life miserable after he's shot trying to solve a case she asked him to take as a favor.

When Monk's half-brother Jack shows up at his door, he's less than thrilled, especially after learning that Jack has just escaped from prison and is accused of killing a very popular female employee while making his escape.

Monk's Christmas spirit, or lack thereof, is challenged when he takes a case from three homeless men who believe their friend was murdered, and Leland's epiphany sends him on a mission.

Monk's hypnotic regression to his childhood begins to affect the case on which he's consulting - an actress who's disappeared, and the holes in her story when she's found after a deadly escape.

Monk's hundredth case, involving a serial killer, is covered by a TV news magazine, but while watching it he realizes that a second unknown killer was responsible for one of the murders.

Monk is smitten with an attractive former dancer and when she's accused of murder, he agrees to help her, even though all the evidence points to her, and continues searching... even after she confesses to the crime.

Monk is put in an uncomfortable position when Natalie asks him to help investigate the apparent suicide of her old friend's commanding officer.

A boxer narrowly avoids a bomb, and Stottlemeyer believes it won't be the only attempt with a championship bout coming up. Meantime, Monk splits his time between the case and contemplating retirement when he finds he must pass a fitness exam.

Adrian finds himself short an assistant when Natalie is hired to replace the local lotto girl after she's murdered.

Brilliant chess grandmaster Patrick Kloster's wife Linda Kloster goes to Monk saying that her husband is planning to murder her, and she wants him caught posthumously.

Heartbroken by the sudden death of Dr. Kroger, Monk rushes into homeownership and gets a little more than he bargained for when he hires a very persistent contractor.