The Casebook of Paternoster Row: The Gentlemen Thieves

"All your clones have turned out to be jewel thieves."

Writer: Lauren Mooney & Stuart Pringle 

Format: Audio

Released: April 2024

Series: Paternoster Gang 6.03

Featuring: Vastra, Jenny, Strax 

Synopsis 

Vastra reviews the case of a 'one-man crime wave' – break-ins and burglaries, committed by the same handsome and daring thief, even when they were committed at exactly the same time. 

Unravelling the secrets of these doppelgänger ne'er-do-wells, the Gangs touch on the fringe of a bigger conspiracy. But as Vastra recalls the past, the dangers of the present are closing in. 

Verdict

The Gentlemen Thieves was an excellent story to conclude The Casebook of Paternoster Row series of adventures for the Paternoster Gang! This really did take the whole Trespassers umbrella title to a new level and brought a semblance of continuity across the series that has perhaps been missing thus far. It was easily the best episode of the boxset so far as they really did save the best until last. I thought the Victorian setting was once again utilised brilliantly and this felt very much of that era. The whole plot concept of thieving was great and it was a lot of fun that the same thief was caught in multiple places. Even the Paternoster Gang were perplexed when they had been approached by Rackham, the thief himself, to hire their services. So when they visited him in jail and he had no idea who they were, my intrigue was certainly peaked. It was a very interesting idea to have a man that was cloned numerous times and Rackham being a soldi hand at cricket was a good addition to his background. It was humorous that once it was clear there were numerous clones, the original was less than pleased with the actions of his copies. He wasn’t at all annoyed by the fact they were thieving but more so that they were getting caught! The lack of reliability in a clone right there. I thought Lord Ives was a fascinating character and a fine example of the typical Victorian gentleman of the upper class. His obsession with cricket was a bit mad and the fact he had utilised the Sontaran duplicate machine to create numerous copies of Rackham in the hopes of winning the cricket trophy was pretty barmy! It was amusing though and I could appreciate it. All for a win! I liked how Strax was utilised in the episode and whilst we did get the expected humour, he was really useful in identifying the duplicate machine. Who were the mystery people that supplied it? The brotherhood of clones was really interesting and quite a unique concept for a community. Strax was quick to get involved there and he wasn’t impressed with the terminology of the original one. Sontarans were not far wasting. Each clone had a purpose and that was admirable. It wasn’t much of a surprise for an honourable race like theirs! I thought Ives taking the cloning plan even further and wanting to shape the future of Englishmen in the shape of his own son was ludicrous. Imagine that for a nation? It was amusing for its audacity and the fact he genuinely believed his offspring was the best England had to offer. Ives killing the clone batch in one swift mode of a form of genocide was a huge moment that absolutely outraged Strax. He couldn’t believe what had happened for Ives to just kill them all in one swoop. An emotional Sontaran doesn’t sound like it would work on paper but it was handled fantastically here. Hornung as the officer was a decent character and I liked his emergence at the end to stop Ives. The talk of a special division throughout the episode was strong and I loved Hornung thinking it sounded something like touch wood. Might we be getting the Paternoster Gang crossover with Victorian Torchwood? That sounds awfully exciting, especially with how things concluded here and finding out Jenny had been taken and not her true self since before the wedding! Who are the mysterious Trespassers? I can’t wait to find out. Overall, a fitting and fantastic finale!

Rating: 9/10