Test of Nerve

"You have twenty-four hours to find the truth."

Writer: David Bishop

Format: Audio

Released: September 2002

Series: Sarah Jane Smith 1.03

Featuring: Sarah Jane

Synopsis

Sarah Jane Smith receives a mysterious gift with a cryptic message. The London Underground will suffer a horrific terrorist attack during rush hour unless Sarah can find and stop those responsible. As rush hour draws closer, the terrifying reality of the threat becomes all too apparent. One friend is murdered and another is abducted. Sarah must be willing to sacrifice everyone and everything she holds dear to save the city. This is one deadline she simply cannot miss...

Verdict

Test of Nerve was an excellent audio story to continue the first series of Sarah Jane Smith's Big Finish spinoff! This was by far the best of the series so far and set things up very nicely for the remainder of the series with a superb cliffhanger! I enjoyed the continuity from Comeback with Harris making a return, albeit a little sooner than I might have expected but the impact he made was magnificent. It's great to get mentions again of his employers as it was always hinted in his first outing that there was someone above him in the scheme out to get Sarah Jane Smith and we got the head of that revealed wonderfully here! Before we got there, I thought the plot was fantastic and I really enjoyed the warning message of the rat in the glass incubator being gassed with saron. That was really well done and the threat of the same thing happening to the entire population of London if Sarah didn't find the truth was brilliant. It was very good from the start and immediately got me hooked. I liked the development of the relationship between Josh and Ellie as there seemed to be intentions of that becoming something more, and it was also nice for Natalie to feel more of an important character. She was certainly on an even playing field to the other familiar characters that have formed the main cast with Sarah Jane. She was good and it's lovely to know that Sadie Miller, Elisabeth Sladen's real life daughter, voices the role. They understandably have good chemistry together! Biogard being central to what was going on was very good and I liked the news bulletins that fitted in throughout the story. They were certainly helpful in updating what was going on and addressing the important plot developments. James Carver making headlines for an arrest and then showing up at Sarah's door was excellent and it was good to hear how he was somewhat mad. His literal wearing of a number of saron gas pallets was scary because the potential there was frightening. Natalie calling the police on him and Sarah being angry about that was good, but could you blame her for doing so? The man was mad! His movement to the London Underground and an abandoned station was great, especially when he found Josh and Ellie locked in an incubator similar to that the rat was delivered in to Sarah Jane's house. His letting them escape seemed a little odd, but Harris getting to boast to the pair prior to this was really well done. He didn't particularly care for revenge on Sarah, but his employers did and he revelled in delivering to them what they wanted. Carver's fate at the end jumping in front of a train was incredibly sudden and something I didn't see coming, but it was good way to ensure that he was no further trouble. I liked the continuation of Sarah's relationship with Claudia and her inside information is proving really useful. I like the connection there a lot. The way things ended was marvellous as Harris was heard talking with his employer and the principal head of the lot was an emphatic return for Miss Winters! The idea of bringing her back after Robot and seeking revenge on Sarah Jane for her role in bringing about her downfall is outstanding and I can't wait to hear things play out in the last two stories. Sarah's reaction to her presence and role in revenge will be great and I just love that she is back. It definitely gives the spinoff an added boost and slots it in very nicely into wider continuity. Overall, a fantastic audio!

Rating: 9/10