The Torchwood monthly range continues with Red Base, written by James Goss. Set in Starr Base, a practice Mars base set up in a Welsh quarry, this story sees Andy Davidson (Tom Price) arrive to investigate the mysterious deaths of three crew members. As he becomes further involved, he finds himself trapped inside the base with the final four crewmembers, who are becoming increasingly paranoid that they might be next to die…
What follows is an intriguing Agatha Christie-esque mystery story with lots of great twists and a real sense of tension throughout. While I found the ending slightly weak, with stories like these it’s always the build-up which is most important, and on that count Red Base certainly delivers.
The most compelling thing about a murder mystery is trying to guess whodunnit, and Goss makes sure to populate this story with a plethora of great characters, all of whom might be behind the killings. From Rakie Ayola‘s hardened Emma and Kae Alexander‘s paranoid Mina, to Ronak Patani‘s pragmatic medic Faisal and Jeremy Ang Jones‘s creepy Dave, there isn’t a single weak link in the chain when it comes to this story’s cast, both in terms of performance and writing.
Overall, Red Base is a strong story, with a compelling mystery at its heart that keeps the listener guessing, a brilliant-as-always central performance from Tom Price and a really great guest cast. Highly recommended.
Torchwood: Red Base is available now on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com
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