Oh, now this is just excellent. My favourite 'Dark Shadows' release since ... 'The House by the Sea', possibly? And the releases in between have been exemplary, so that's no easy task.

This absolutely plays to the strengths of a (mainly) two-hander by using a script that has peaks of heightened emotion every so often amongst the drama, and having two excellent actors to react to that. KSL and Christopher Pennock are superb in this, and the constant backdrop of thunder and the ticking of a clock is hugely evocative, as is the minimalistic incidental music.

Have I to add some constructive criticism? Really? Okay then, Doctor Norris says Sebastian's name a little too often. But I mean really, that's like criticising a bag of crisps for having slightly too many crisps in it!

... or 'The Temptations of Tony Peterson!'

It was nice to see Lara Parker associated with this once again, and surprising that she played such a peripheral role. Once the story gets underway, however, it is easy to see she (as Cassandra) is really there to coax the recollection from Peterson, a recollection that makes produces excellent story.
Jerry Lacy is a terrific actor. Hugely hypocritical and unlikeable as Trask, he is dry and often very funny as Tony.
W Morgan Shepherd excels in his role as 'Lou', a character with a big secret.

Nigel Fairs excels too - his music and wonderfully subtle sound design (the relentless but never intrusive rattling of the train take on quite a sinister turn as things progress) are, as ever, spot on.

As just about every release from Dark Shadows, this comes highly recommended.

Ah, the Island of Doctor Molloy ... er, Moreau ... Moloch! Well it isn't quite, but I couldn't resist the inference.
This has more twists and turns than a corkscrew, revelation after revelation, and all of it in a nicely conveyed, and very sinister, atmosphere. There are some terrific performances from the three main players - I still maintain that these audiobooks are full-cast plays, just with a small, intimate cast.
It's always wonderful to hear from David Selby, and this is a nice (possible) end to his WWII trilogy, each one enhanced by a Doctor Who name. It also seems to promise further immortal travels with Quentin's new partner in crime, Sally Green, nicely played in clipped fashion by Fay Masterson. Terry Molloy plays Moloch beautifully and yes, there are parallels with his other alter-ego from the Who world.
All in all, this is another winner from the DS range. One note though - the Brits seem to be taking over this American-based series. It's great that audio can open up the appeal of DS on a worldwide canvas, but it is gratifying that the next release features more American voices ... even if one of them is played by a Brit!

I think Mike Yates is a terrific, complex character. I also think Richard Franklin is a very underrated actor - he seems to get better as he matures. His previous CC (The Magician's Oath) is a wonderful tale, slightly overshadowed at the time by Jago and Litefoot's (then forthcoming) 'Mahogany Murders' chronicle.
Like that earlier story, this is a very visual piece. Richard Dinnick is proving to be an excellent CC writer in that regard. He also sows some subtle seeds for Yates' subsequent treacherous behaviour later on.
I'd love to hear more CC's with the good Captain - there is a lot of mileage still to explore in stories set after 'The Invasion of the Dinosaurs' and his finale in 'Planet of the Spiders.'