The Wax Princess

"Storytelling is a dying art."

Writer: Justin Richards

Format: Audio

Released: April 2014

Series: Jago & Litefoot 7.04

Featuring: Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

The past has come back to haunt former chief inspector Abberline – Jack the Ripper has escaped from custody! 

As the notorious killer strikes again in London, Jago and Litefoot are drawn into a web of intrigue. 

One that will lead to the palace itself...

Verdict 

The Wax Princess was a great episode to conclude the seventh series of Jago and Litefoot! This has been yet another terrific series of infernal investigations and at last Jago and Litefoot have cleared their name thanks a royal pardon. I must admit that I thought they might stay on the run for another series yet, but the way they got their names free was nicely done. I thought the follow on from the cliffhanger at the end of Murder at Moorsey Manor was fun as it turned out Jago and Litefoot weren’t actually under arrest! That was something of a surprise to me but hearing Jago and Litefoot’s reaction was really good as they realised that Abberline had brought them to their famed Red Tavern lodge! Ellie greeting them and then realising she shouldn’t use their names was fun stuff as she tried to quickly backtrack. She played a good role in the episode and the way she gained the strictly confidential information regarding the escape of Jack the Ripper was very amusing! She just simply stood behind Abberline with the beverage as he spilled the beans. The idea of Jack the Ripper being on the loose is brilliant and I do think it should warrant being an entire series arc for Jago and Litefoot. He’s such a historic and almost mythical figure so I enjoyed him featuring here! I wasn’t expecting him to actually be Carlton which was a fun revelation, especially after Litefoot had sent him off with Ellie seemingly thinking she was in safe hands. Jago didn’t have a clue who he was and certainly wasn’t someone in his own employ. The realisation of Litefoot when describing Carlton and it fitting the description of Jack the Ripper himself was excellent. The highlight of the episode for me though was where Litefoot was impersonating Jago at his theatre for Mr Rippon. He was a rather pompous character and took his job of running said theatre a little too seriously. Litefoot revelled in impersonating his old chum though and the writing here was marvellous. He did a great job of being Jago in terms of voice and verbiage. It was a really fun moment and even Ellie was impressed. I do enjoy when Ellie gets involved in the action as she really does offer a lot. The detective theme of the episode here was really good and I liked that Quick was involved in proceedings too. Finding his way to Inspector by the end was a nice touch and some good character development. I thought the build to the conclusion was exciting and that’s exactly what you want really. The threat of Ellie being a Ripper victim was good stuff, but the way he was destroyed was nicely done. The illusion of a melting face was quite the image and the beauty of the audio format really as we could paint the picture ourselves rather than rely on any special effects. The involvement of Queen Victoria wasn’t something I was wholly on board with as she never sounded like I could take her seriously, but the connection with Jack the Ripper’s former fiancé and his crazed desire to recreate her in wax with his numerous victims was gruesome and eery! Exactly what you’d expect from someone with his reputation. That was good whilst being uncomfortable. Jago and Litefoot saving the Queen resulting in their pardon and being exonerated was a nice way to finish the finale. Except it wasn’t all done there! The cliffhanger finish to lead into the next series with Jago being sold on a new act in the form of the Scorchies was terrific. I’m intrigued to hear where things go from here! Overall, a fantastic finale. 

Rating: 8/10