Big Finish brings us an original thriller story set in a new world of mystery and intrigue surrounding a therapist in mourning, Sam (Alex Kingston) and a client, Keith (Warren Brown) who will change her world forever.

Not for the first time, Big Finish shows, in this story they don’t need an existing world to play in to write an engaging story. The cast list, however, will delight fans of both Doctor Who and Big Finish. We have not only Alex ‘River Song’ Kingston as the lead, and Warren Brown, a Big Finish regular, as the client who is the engine for the story, we are also treated to Ingrid Oliver in flashbacks as Sam’s recently deceased sister, as well as a host of familiar voices. Behind the scenes, Ken Bentley directs the performances to the already pacey writing of Jane Slavin, Roland Moore, Andrew Smith & John Dorney.

The character of Sam is a broken one as the story begins, with her struggling to deal with clients as she battles her own grief for her sister. When Keith turns up and starts testing her professional boundaries, he appears to be just a client who doesn’t respect said boundaries – but as we move forward in the story Sam’s family and the business they are involved in (including Sam’s late sister), as well as Sam’s police officer friend, all look to be somehow mixed up with this client, sometimes in ways they don’t event know. The question is, is he dangerous, or just mixed up in something larger than it appears?

This is, for the most part, a really interesting story that keeps you guessing. I did find at some points it felt a little formulaic (the therapist who hasn’t got her own life together and breaks the rules around boundaries to her own cost), but always it managed to go somewhere new over all. At £33.99 it is without doubt at the higher end of the price range for an audio download, but with over seven hours running time, including an behind the scenes extra feature, you get a lot of listen for your money.

You can get this digital download now at the Big Finish Audio web site.

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