breckman's biggest success, "monk", was a murder-mystery with a humorous edge. breckman told "new jersey monthly" that he was a voracious reader of the works of arthur conan doyle, john d. macdonald, and other authors of “solvable” mysteries, as well as being a big fan of the tv series "columbo". “in a way, it’s similar to comedy writing,” he says. “it’s puzzles and puzzle solving. very logical.” in august 2009, usa network launched "little monk", a spinoff series that portrays the main character, detective adrian monk, as a child. breckman was part of the show's team of writers.