“Vastra and Strax and Jenny? Oh no, we don’t need to bother them. Trust me.”
Marlowe Hapworth is found dead in his locked study, killed by an unknown assailant. This is a case for the Great Detective, Madame Vastra. Rick Bellamy, bare-knuckle boxer, has the life drawn out of him by a figure dressed as an undertaker. This angers Strax the Sontaran. The Carnival of Curiosities, a collection of bizarre and fascinating sideshows and performers. This is where Jenny Flint looks for answers. How are these things connected? And what does Orestes Milton, rich industrialist, have to do with it all? As the Doctor and Clara joint the hunt for thr truth they find themselves thrust into a world where nothing and no one are what they seem.
Silhouette is available now from BBC Books alongside The Blood Cell by James Goss and The Crawling Terror by Mike Tucker
It is the final of three novels featuring the Twelfth Doctor up for review here at DWW and this one we deliberately saved for last. From the pen of the mighty Justin Richards, the author has continued his record of having one of the debut novels for all the new series Doctors, his Clockwise Man being one of the initial Eccleston releases while The Resurrection Casket and Apollo 23 were amongst the first three books released for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors respectfully. It is a show of some faith in Justin by BBC Books and not one that is misplaced.
Arriving in Victorian London, the Doctor and Clara are reunited with the Paternoster Gang - Vastra, Jenny and Strax and are quickly flung into a typically rip roaring adventure across the city, taking in Frost Fairs (hello The Caretaker), a Carnival of Curiosities, a creepy undertaker and of course plenty of grisly murders, but nothing is perhaps quite as strange as the mysterious Silhouette and her Shadowplay…
With the obvious shades of Sherlock Holmes (watch out for Strax’s typical mix-up of one of his sayings!), Silhouette is also perfectly evocative of the Smith/Capaldi era Paternoster adventures, standing as something of a companion piece to The Snowmen and Deep Breath, Justin Richards of course also contributing to Big Finish’s Jago & Litefoot range. All five main characters once again well realised as they have generally throughout this series of three books, perhaps none more so here however with the novel perhaps benefiting from the inclusion of the Paternoster Gang to give an air of familiarity.
Like both other books in this series so far, Silhouette is something of a mystery, asking enough questions of the reader to build to a satisfying conclusion, the character of industrialist Mr. Milton adding some depth and relish to the book, stealing many a scene in the final chapters.
A fine addition to a very strong opening for the Capaldi Doctor in print, Silhouette is televisual in it’s outlook, a novel that would easily sit at home as part of the ongoing series. Wonderfully captured by Justin Richards the regulars are in fine form and easy to visualise, the book cracking along at a great pace and keeping the reader interested till the last. A third of three recommended releases from BBC Books.
Silhouette is available now from BBC Books via the Amazon link below.
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"Vastra and Strax and Jenny? Oh no, we don't need to bother them. Trust me." Marlowe Hapworth is found dead in his locked study, killed by an unknown assailant. This is a case for the Great Detective, Madame Vastra. Rick Bellamy, bare-knuckle boxer, has the life drawn out of him by a figure dressed as an undertaker. This angers Strax the Sontaran. The Carnival of Curiosities, a collection of bizarre and fascinating sideshows and performers. This is where Jenny Flint looks for answers. How are these things connected? And what does Orestes Milton, rich industrialist, have to do with it all? As the Doctor and Clara join the hunt for the truth they find themselves thrust into a world where nothing and no one are what they seem.
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