The Dream Team: The Merfolk Murders

"Nothing is private when we have a mystery to solve."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: April 2024

Series: Fifth Doctor Adventures 7.01

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Adrian, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis

St Andrews, Scotland, 1940. The Merfolk are a university society meeting through the summer to discuss murder mystery stories. Innocent escapism during wartime, they say. Their latest book is The Casebook of Orion Hood – whose hero is all-too-familiar to the Doctor...

When a real-life murder occurs soon after their gathering, the Doctor's friends encourage him to investigate. Is one of the Menfolk responsible? Was this crime the result of espionage or envy? The Doctor must embrace his deerstalker once more and solve this wartime mystery – before the killer can strike again! 

Verdict

The Merfolk Murders was an excellent start to The Dream Team series of Fifth Doctor Adventures! I think this range in particular is usually very strong and it's a shame we don't get some sort of ongoing story arc rather than just standalone adventures, but when the quality is strong like this one I can't be complaining too much! I do love a murder mystery and this was right up that traditional story format. It had all the hallmarks and whilst the comedy of the likes of The Unicorn and the Wasp was not really present, an intriguing plot certainly was. There was a great deal going on and whilst the flashback sequences probably don't work quite as well in the audio format, they're still a much welcomed addition to the story. They do help but I think it's impressive how well this entire story comes off without any visuals. They're usually helpful in working out the culprit so it was definitely more of a surprise when the truth about Henry was revealed. The relationship he built with Adric was really nice and it was actually a nice change of pace for him to be getting on with somebody from Earth! He's usually so intellectually superior but at a place of academia he was more at home. I think it's a good way to tug at the heartstrings of the listener in stories of the Classic era because we know how Adric's story will end in Earthshock, but here we have quite a deep conversation about what he will do once he settles down and stops travelling in the TARDIS. Of course, he'll never get to make that choice so it makes his hopes and aspirations all the more sad here. It's good to explore though! I also commend this adventure for giving us a reason as to why Tegan is always wearing her hostess attire because she knows her role and makes her feel grounded. I think that's terrific. The Doctor being in his hat and glasses that adorns the boxset artwork is good and was definitely merited given the use of them in this story. They definitely feel very in line with the murder mystery theme. Very detective like! I loved the St Andrews setting and the Doctor showing an interest in golf rather than his usual cricket was a welcomed break for his companions. Adrian and Nyssa having a lack of understanding about the precarious nature of the 1940 setting was good given its proximity to World War Two and the dangers that will bring, especially by this point in August. That allowed Tegan to shine a little which is always good. I loved that the Fourth Doctor had an illustration in the book by Sarah Jane Watson which right from the off struck a chord with me in how familiar a name it was, and alas it did turn out to be written by the former companion! That was good fun. The Doctor being recognised as an ally of Churchill was terrific and I liked how the Fifth Doctor matched just one of the records. Sebastian as the German spy was a good character and I liked how there was mathematics applied to working out who the murderer of Athena was. Tegan was a little awkward in giving the bad news to her sister but that's a difficult call for anyone to make. I thought the way things concluded with Henry being revealed was good and there wasn't really any need for a lot of pomp and circumstance. His story was one that could be understood and it was actually nice to keep things as a pure historical. That's something missing from Doctor Who these days in my opinion! Overall, an excellent listen! 

Rating: 9/10