Melody Malone is hired to investigate a most unusual murder…

River’s noir incarnation is to the fore in Roy Gill’s creepy and disturbing finale for this box set, which goes a long way to returning the Angels to the horrible force of nature that they felt like in their debut appearance more than a decade ago in Blink. Howard Carter’s sound design and music – particularly the stings as the Angels move – are an integral part of this and director Ken Bentley blends all the elements together to create one of the sharpest tales of recent times from Big Finish.

Any good detective story needs a good puzzle at its heart, and Gill provides it – even if we as the audience are clued in pretty much from the start as to who’s responsible. The discovery of a token showing Heaven and Hell on opposing sides along with the representation of wings confirms River’s theory, and Alex Kingston and a returning Timothy Blore as Luke find their investigation leads them to a very unusual carnival. Issy van Randwyck’s Miss Quirke is a deliciously evil opponent, while Glen McCready’s Tab is a very believable everyman caught up in something completely outside his experience.

Verdict: Quite possibly the best use of the Weeping Angels since their debut. 10/10

Paul Simpson

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