The Romance of Crime (Doctor Who-The Missing Adventures Series)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent tale of intruige, humour and excitement
Review: Hugely entertaining, fast-moving and well plotted with some wonderful characters (especially eccentric 'artist of death' Menlove Stokes) and great villains in the Nisbett brothers, the welcome return of the Ogrons and the sinister all-powerful Xais. Gareth Roberts effortlessly recreates the fourth Doctor and second Romana era and this book features the very best of that combination. Great stuff! The editorial review above is completely wrong though, sounds more like 'The Plotters' also by Mr Roberts.

Rating:
Summary: Romance of Crime
Review: The Doctor Who Missing Adventure "Romance of Crime", features the Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9, an undead mutant, Ogrons and a host of very melodramatic human characters.

The TARDIS lands on the Rock of Judgement, a sort of alcatraz-in-space, a rocket powered asteroid hollowed out to carry prisoners. It also performs partical reversal, a futuristic form of the electric chair. Soon after they land, the Doctor and Romana find themselves in the midst of a murder investigation, a murder in the style of a deceased killer. Is there a copycat criminal on the loose in the rock, or has someone come back from the dead?

Though Gareth Roberts isn't my favourite writer in the series (he gets a bit repetitive sometimes with his plot revelations), I have to say that his witty sense of humour is consistent with the TV series he is drawing from (Season 17). The Doctor is bumbling but clever, Romana is perceptive and witty, K9 makes logic related jokes, just like in the series. The supporting characters, the over-serious Spiggot, the cowardly artist Menlove Stokes, the childish Nisbett brothers, and the bloodlusting Xais, are all very human but very exaggerated, theatrical characters. In Season 17, there were a lot of characters like this (like the overly violent Duggan from the TV story "City of Death").

There are twists, there are turns, there are jokes and jellybabies. If you were into this era of Doctor Who then I recommend it to you. It does help to have watched the series, I find. I'd also recommend downloading the E-book of the Well Mannered War, also by Gareth Roberts, from the official BBC website. It features the same TARDIS lineup and even a guest appearance from one of the characters in "Romance of Crime". Ooh...

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful read
Review: The TARDIS arrives at the Rock of Judgment, an asteroid that combines the functions of court, prison and place of execution. Here they are drawn into a series of events including a crime committed with the modus operandi of a criminal some three years dead, the peculiar art of Menlove Stokes, and the operations of the Nisbett brothers and their Ogron thugs.

This novel is written with a very light hand, and flows wonderfully. Gareth Roberts captures the characters of the Doctor and Romana brilliantly, and Menlove Stokes, who returns in 'The Well-Mannered War' is a great supporting character. The plot line unfolds very neatly, and should have sufficient twists that you won't know how it will end.