Bad Monkeys follows the story of a woman named Jane Charlotte, who is telling her life story to a very reluctant psychiatrist in an insane asylum. Jane grew up very troubled and deranged. After an incident involving her little brother Phil, her mother sends her away to live with her aunt and uncle in San Francisco. After figuring out her new school’s janitor is the man wanted for killing countless young boys in the area, she gets herself into a situation she could not have imagined. She is recruited into an organization composed of several groups. These groups have different roles, but all share one common goal: to demolish evil in the world. Jane’s group, The Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons, or “Bad Monkeys”, is devoted to doing the actual killing of criminals. However, Bad Monkeys aren’t ordinary murderers. They don’t use shotguns or knives. They use brightly colored toy-like guns that send off shock waves, causing heart attacks or strokes, depending on the setting of the gun. Their spying is accomplished by video cameras hidden in the eyes of faces posted on advertisements and posters, such as a cartoon character on the front of a cereal box. The opposing organization, named “The Troop”, is made up of people who do the opposite of the Bad Monkeys, causing evil and fighting the ones who try to get rid of it.

This novel is a very complex mix of science-fiction, thriller, fantasy, and suspense. It is most definitely a page-turner with all of its amazing details and witty dialogue. On the other hand, this book is very tricky. It requires a large amount of re-reading towards the end because it is so difficult to understand while you are trying to put all of the pieces together. It starts off interestingly simplistic, but slowly starts to change. It makes you think you know what is going on, when in reality, you actually have no idea. The first half of the book is dedicated to bringing out the protagonist in Jane, making you side with the heroine that only kills people to make the world a better place. However, what happens if Jane is playing both teams? It makes you think twice about that part too. Because of the many sudden switches in the story, you start to have doubts about who is actually good and who is actually evil. You even start to root for the side that you sided against all along.

Bad Monkeys does have its faults. Although it starts off undeniably strong, it starts to lose its spark for awhile. When I began reading this book, it was so enticing that I had goose bumps on my arms and chills running down my spine. I lost that towards the middle, but got it right back in the end. It seems that the author spent so much time on the beginning and the end that he left out the same effort in the middle. It almost made me want to stop reading because I was afraid it would end on that note. The finale ended up being surprising, yet very amusing. Regardless, I am glad I kept reading.

Jane finds herself in many crazy and intense situations throughout the book, just adding more to what already made the book great. It also contains many creative, magical, and far-fetched aspects, similar to something you would see in a Tim Burton movie. If you’re into the dramatic narratives or romantic love stories, don’t even bother trying to pick up this book. If you like action, fantasy, and thrillers, I would definitely advise reading this book. More importantly, I would recommend Bad Monkeys to anyone that enjoys surprises, likes putting pieces of mysteries together, and enjoys books that entail some thinking. This book might just drive you crazy, but it’s worth it.