After Hunter agrees to allow the CIA to kill a man on British soil, Callan has to ensure that the man’s wife isn’t caught in the crossfire…

This final story – for now, at least – sees Callan caught up in various different parties’ agendas, and trying to negotiate a path through that won’t get him killed – although a number of others will pay the ultimate price along the way. We get to spend a bit more time with Lonely than usual, with Frank Skinner and Ben Miles’ interplay spot on while they work together on a job at the Savoy. Nicholas Briggs’ Hunter is in a difficult position, and, as with the second story, the final scene between him and Callan is very nicely done. There’s even time for a cameo from Jason Nwoga as Fitzmaurice, one of the agents that James Mitchell created for the prose form of Callan, who I had completely forgotten was in the short stories.

Peter Mitchell’s adaptation allows plenty of scope for Steve Foxon’s sound design to tell parts of the story – the different calibres of handguns / long guns involved are clear aurally, and there’s a sequence on the bleak moors that plays very effectively.

There’s still plenty of short stories – not to mention three sequel novels set in the 1970s – that could potentially be adapted, and I really hope that Callan follows The Avengers’ path at Big Finish. If you enjoy well made spy dramas, give it a try.

Verdict: A very strong conclusion. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Callan volume 2 from Big Finish