The Devil's Dicemen

"There is some nefarious business afoot."

Writer: Justin Richards

Format: Audio

Released: April 2015

Series: Jago & Litefoot 9.02

Featuring: Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis

Arriving at Monte Carlo, Jago is keen to try his luck at the famous casino. But if he's not careful he could lose a lot more than just money. While Litefoot makes a new friend, Jago and ship's purser Aubrey find themselves playing for high stakes at the Clandestine Dark Casino. 

Verdict

The Devil's Dicemen was an excellent story to continue my way through the ninth series of Jago & Litefoot! After a strong opener in the form of The Flying Frenchmen, this was an even better follow up after that episode left us in Monte Carlo. That's an exciting setting for any story in the Doctor Who universe and having Jago and Litefoot visit was tremendous. I thought it was utilised very well and whenever reaching this part of France, a casino just has to get involved! Jago in particular was a big fan of his surroundings and the way he wheeled off the directions to the casino establishment when Litefoot suggested a visit for entertainment and to pass the time was tremendous. He was clearly very acquainted with the place already. A gambling man is not something I would picture Jago as so obviously, but I can certainly see it and I'm not surprised to learn that he dabbled in a bet or two. He also placed big stakes and was winning big, whereas myself personally would be much more like Aubrey. If you don't bet big you can't lose big. That's more my philosophy so I appreciated his trepidation when it came to playing the invite-only game. Reaching the Devil's roulette was intriguing and it was clear that Madame Diabolique was interested in him. She wouldn't be allowing Aubrey to continue as he'd not won the game of dice, whereas Jago had used her 'lucky' pair to roll a double six right away. It was almost like he was being thrust into the final game where quite the forfeit awaited should one win the game. The concept of the soul is an interesting to explore for sure, and I loved the earlier discussion between Litefoot and Betterman regarding its weight. Was it an actual physical thing? The idea of weighing someone before and after the death and measuring the difference as the weight of soul was pretty daunting! I thought Betterman himself was an excellent character and it always helps when played by an actor with the talents of David Warner. He was a welcomed addition to the range and I liked how much his character got on with Litefoot. He would be perfect for a return in the future and I thought the moment they both deduced the cause of death of a corpse at the bottom of a beach cliff was wonderful. It seemed obvious that it was either a fall or drowning given the proximity to the cliffs and the sea, but alas he had died of fright! That was unexpected. Finding out that the dead had previously changed their wills to benefit a London holding company at their family's expense set forth an evil game within the Clandestine Dark Casino. A fitting name. The stakes got real, especially with the forfeit for Jago when he'd won to be his soul. He didn't think that was serious when he signed away the contract, but unknowingly there had also been a will underneath that his signature seeped through onto. He'd almost signed away the theatre! However, the previous method Diabolique had used in extracting the soul didn't work on Jago which was just magnificent. Incorporating his theatre background where he could see through the act was marvellous. His emergence at the end was just glorious and exactly what you would hope for from this kind of man! He revelled in defeating Diabolique and the Dark Casino simply by being himself. That's quite glorious. The eery way things concluded as the Fata Morgana set sail again but seemed to approach some similar fog that sent them to Monte Carlo was brilliant. Where could they possibly end up now? That's an exciting prospect to lead into the next episode. Overall, a fantastic listen! 

Rating: 9/10