The Complete Velda, Girl Detective (True Crime Comics) - Volume 2

I must admit, the first volume of Velda, Girl Detective was not at all what I was expecting, but it was so much fun, I was glad to finally get the chance to sit down with Volume 2 and enjoy some more stories of this faux female detective of the 1950s. For those who don't know (and that's probably most!), Velda, Girl Detective is the creation of Ron Miller, with assist from Walter Mucilage, and is a parody of sorts of the pulp comics from back in the 1950s - where female protagonists were fierce, but at the same time, sexy and quite often scantily clad (if they were clad at all!).  Miller and Mucilage present these volumes as if they are collections of the "original" comics from back in the day, even including photographs of the alleged real Velda Bellinghausen, as if she had been a real-life female detective upon whom the comics were based. They are very tongue-in-cheek, and sometimes the advertisements and one or two-page short stories are very often so humorous, they are more fun to read than the Velda stories!

Volume 2 features three issues of Velda's comics - 3, 4, and 5, presented in their alleged entirety, complete with advertisements and short stories of Neolithica, Girl of the Pleistocene and Hawkshaw the Hawk, the World's Greatest Bird Detective. Velda's adventures include a treasure hunt to find stolen coins; a trip to New Jersey as winner of the Miss Methylated Seed Oil contest of 1954, faces the Curse of Mwawebe-Tutu, goes to the circus, goes to Hollywood, goes out west to help her uncle, deals with Murder on a Shoestring, and in the last story, goes so far as to play chicken! There is even a prose one-page "Minute Mystery" that gives the opportunity for the reader to solve the mystery based on the clues in the short tale - but the solution for this one ... well, I'm not going to spoil the fun for anyone - let's just say it is solved in true Velda style!

As with the '50s pulp stories, the art always portrays Velda in the sexiest of poses, and often she is forced to remove her clothes (but the panels are drawn in such a way to hide the pertinent parts). The background comes and goes, with some panels featuring no background whatsoever, while others feature such great detail, you feel drawn into the setting. Velda, with her short, dark bob and her trim figure, stays consistent throughout the stories, and the artist does manage to give her some great expressions (especially when she smirks or she is deep in thought.

I think my favorite story in this collection, though, has to be "Velda Goes West," in which she travel out to New Mexico to help her uncle, who has invested in a ranch out there. It seems that there are a number of unexplained accidents happening on the ranch, and he is losing reservations left and right - to the point where he may be forced to sell the ranch! Sound familiar?  (a la Shadow Ranch, from the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories?) Of course, Velda agrees to help him find the source of these accidents, and find them she does - villainous cretins who want the property to mine for the molybdenum underneath the ranch!  What is molybdenum you ask?  Well, surprisingly, it is not a made up name!  Molybdenum is an actual chemical element (Mo / atomic number 42). It does not occur naturally as a free metal, however; it is only found in various oxidation states in minerals. The free element, a silvery metal with a gray cast, has the sixth-highest melting point of any element and readily forms hard, stable carbides in alloys - used in steel alloys, including high-strength alloys and superalloys. (And if you are wondering, I found that info on the internet!).  So, see! Velda may be a parody and may be crazy to the point of silly sometimes, but it still holds a kernel of reality.

Now for those ads.  Oh, those ads!  From the very first one, an ad for polio prevention, warning people to "Don't Play with Foreigners!" and "Don't Be Sexually Precocious" and "Don't Swim in the Winter" and "Do Keep Your Bunny Clean!" to the ad for Whiz-O, the breakfast of whizzes, which features the young fellows of Camp Beaver - who are watching Swifty race at a track meet - "What sleek hairless thighs!" and "Check out Swifty's tight butt, too!" and "What a swell manly chest!" and "Wish I could get in those shorts!"  Miller and Mucilage poke fun at so many of those oh-so-innocent at the time ads from the '50s and twist them into humorous, irreverent, and sometimes demented parodies!  As I said above, they are just as enjoyable to read as the stories themselves (and make sure to read some of the fine print in those "ads" - trust me, you won't want to miss a thing!).

RATING:  10 elephant-sized hotels out of 10 for fun, exploitative, mocking, detective tales with a bit of actual murder mystery added in to keep the stories interesting!

Nancy Drew Diaries, No. 19 - Hidden Pictures

This year marks the 90th anniversary of Nancy Drew, whose books first hit the shelves of stores way back in April 1930.  There are very few ongoing book series that have endured continued publication for that many years.  While the Chronicles of Narnia, Little House of the Prairie, the Wizard of Oz, and other classic series have certainly been around for many decades, none of them can boast what Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys can – continued publication of new, ongoing series for 90 years (or more, in the case of the Hardy Boys). That is quite an accomplishment. And, yes, everyone’s favorite female sleuth has certainly undergone a number of changes over the years – from 16 to 18, from blond to titian, from hardcover with dust jacket to picture cover to paperback, from third person to first person – what hasn’t changed is her perseverance, her dedication to helping others, and her ability to solve even the most complex mystery.

Hidden Pictures, the 19th book in the Nancy Drew Diaries series and the first Nancy Drew mystery of 2020 and the first mystery published during her 90th year, certainly presents this pop culture icon with a unique mystery (and it’s not sabotage, a trope that has been greatly overused in recent years during the Girl Detective and now the Diaries series). A museum is hosting a photography exhibit in the nearby town of Shady Oaks – but something is wrong. A museum employee goes missing; but she inexplicably shows up in one of the old photographs!  Nancy receives the clipping of a news article about the disappearance, and never one to turn down a good mystery, soon she, Bess, and George are on their way to Shady Oaks. Upon their arrival, there is another disappearance – a young man goes into the museum, but disappears and never comes out. The next day, he suddenly appears in the background of another old photograph. How is this even possible? And what is really happening to the missing people?

The quality of writing in this particular book is nearly on par with that of A Nancy Drew Christmas, which, by far, was the best Nancy Drew Diaries book to date.  Not just the length (this book clocks in at 182, making it the third longest book in the series, with A Nancy Drew Christmas topping the list and The Sign in the Smoke coming in second.   Of course, with the larger font, the actual page count if the font were normal size would probably be more around 140 or possibly 150 pages, that is still longer than most of the other books in the series, meaning the author has more time to flesh out the story and characters and provide readers with a bit more descriptive storytelling.  In this particular book, readers will enjoy getting to “see” a bit more of Shady Oaks, the museum, and the small downtown area.

The mystery itself is rather intriguing, and even as an adult, I admit wondering how in the world the missing people were actually showing up in photographs that already existed (and it is NOT photoshop, if that’s what you are wondering).  There are definitely clues throughout the story, though, if you are discerning enough to pick up on them.  The culprit, on the other hand, was not really that much of a surprise, and it wasn’t overly hard to figure out why this person did what he/she did. It is a bit unbelievable, though, that even a small town in today’s world would not have cell service, but I can understand why the author did that, as it was nice to see Nancy, Bess, and George resort to solving this mystery the old-fashioned way – without immediate access to the internet and information at the tip of their fingers.

The one thing I did not like about the book was that Nancy lied to Bess and George about why they were going to Shady Oaks. Nancy pretended to be a big fan of the photographer in order to get Bess and George to go with her.  This makes no sense, since Bess and George have been helping her solve mysteries for nearly nine decades, so it kind of goes without saying that if she told them she was off to Shady Oaks to solve a mystery, they would be right by her side.  Not sure if the author did it this way thinking that today’s children could identify with telling white lies to try and get friends to do things, or if the author simply thought it was a great way to show some conflict among the friends. Regardless of the reason, this element strayed away from the true essence of who Nancy is and felt very out of place in the story.

Otherwise, this book definitely rates as one of the best in the Diaries series so far, and I am pleased to see that Simon & Schuster is finally realizing that quality storytelling is much more important than the quantity of books they publish each year.  Personally, I would much rather have one or two really good books each year than to have three or four that are only okay or subpar.  With this book, S&S seems to be headed in the right direction!

RATING:  9 plates embossed with images of dogs out of 10 for bringing Nancy Drew closer and closer to the greatness she once was!

Mixed Signals – A Grace Street Mystery

I’m not one to pick up a book from a series and read it without actually buying the entire series and reading the books in order. However, while browsing the mystery section at a local used book store, I stumbled across this book and just couldn’t help myself. The flashy, four-color cover with the comic book-like images …the reference to a masked superhero trying to help people in the description on the back … and the fact that the main character’s roommate happens to be psychic – all of these things added up to me buying the book, despite it being just one of a series that I had never even heard of, let alone read before.

Mixed Signals by Jane Tesh is the story of private detective David Randall and his roommate, Camden, who happens to be just a little bit psychic (receiving impressions and visions that don’t always make sense at the time).  It’s Christmas time in Parkland, but the joy of the season disappears when Randall and Camden discover the body of Camden’s friend, Jared Hunter, dead, having been stabbed repeatedly. From that moment on, Camden can’t seem to shake the visions of blood everywhere and the strange feeling of enjoyment and satisfaction that goes with it.  Randall decides to help his friend by trying to find out who killed Hunter – was it Alycia Ward? Boyd Taylor? Or was it the mysterious masked avenger that has been spotted around Parkland, trying to help police, but inadvertently causing mayhem instead? And what about the break-ins at the jewelry store … and the record store … and the antique store … ? How do they tie in to the murders – or do they?

Randall finds himself switching gears repeatedly as he tries to figure out who was breaking in to the stores, who killed Jared Hunter, and just who is that masked avenger?  Meanwhile, he has to deal with his feelings for Kary, his overbearing mother who decides to visit for the Christmas holidays, his best friend’s growing psychic flashes, and a sexy reporter who will do just about anything to get a story – but would she create the story to do so?  Author Jane Tesh has created a world of very out-of-the-ordinary characters, each of whom are lovable in their own way. Even the supporting cast are more than just stereotypes – the grumpy old man, the nerdish comic book store owner, the gruff corporate executive, the by-the-book cop. Tesh draws you into her world, and before you realize it, you are sympathizing and identifying with each of the characters, trying desperately to solve the murder before any of them get hurt.

I will say this – Tesh had me guessing on this one. The identity of the killer was not at all who I was expecting, and while I would not quite say it was out of left field, I will say that the clues to the killer’s identity are very, VERY subtle, and I actually wonder if there was any way to truly figure out [his/her] identity before the big reveal.  Of course, it is kind of nice not being able to immediately identify the killer well before the story is finished (one of the drawbacks of reading so many mystery stories over the years, the culprits become easier and easier to spot).

This book has made me curious as to other books in the Grace Street Mystery series, so it’s highly likely I will try and track down some of the other books at some point, even if they don’t involve comic books or cos-play superhero wannabes.

RATING:  9 leopard-print leotards out of 10 for giving readers a unique mystery with some quirky but lovable characters.

Cleopatra in Space - GN Book Three - Secret of the Time Tablets

The time-traveling future Egyptian queen of the past (and if that doesn’t confuse you, I don’t know what will!) is back in her third adventure. Writer/artist Mike Maihack continues the tale of young Cleopatra (“Cleo”) and her friends, Akila, Brian, Zaid, and Khensu, are on their way to a distant planet of thieves in the hopes of finding the mysterious time tablets that could give Cleo a clue as to her fate and why she was really brought into the future.  But, as with any good space saga, things don’t go quite as planned.  Octavian is hot on their tail, and Cleo, Akila, and Brian end up getting separated from Khensu and Zaid.  Stranded on a dangerous planet of thieves, they sneak into the city, and come face to face with the thief that stole the sword from them in the previous book – and ultimately team up with the thief in order to fight their way out of a spectacular bar brawl.  Meanwhile, Khensu and Zaid find themselves on the same planet, and Khensu leads Zaid to a secret facility where his old mentor, Harkhebi, is trying to protect younglings from being drawn into the war Octavian is creating.  As their paths draw closer together, so does that of Octavian, who arrives in search of not only the time tablets, but Cleopatra as well …

Maihack moves the story forward at a pretty hectic pace, but not so fast that it loses any of its cinematic experience.  Reading panel after panel, page after page, it really is like watching a big screen movie.  The action, the emotional moments, the character building, the quiet moments right before the storm, and the tragedy – there is no doubt that Maihack knows how to perfectly meld the story and art to create an experience well worth the read.  While the art in the first chapter does not feel quite as refined as the rest of the book, it in no way detracts from the overall enjoyment of the tale.

And the title, Secret of the Time Tablets, is definitely apt, as quite a few secrets are revealed in this book.  The secret behind Cleo’s time travel … the secret about that thief of the sword … the secret that Khensu has been keeping from Cleo … and the biggest secret of all, Octavian’s real identity and his connection to Cleo – by the end of this book, the reader is left with his jaw dropped to the floor, wondering how Maihack can possibly top this one.  (Plus, Maihak throws a few more tidbits of romance into the mix – Brian and Akila, as well as Cleo and a certain thief.)

I have the immense pleasure of actually knowing the creator, Mike Maihack, having met him at a number of comic conventions over the years, and I know how enthusiastic he is about this series.  I was thrilled when it got picked up by Scholastic to be published and marketed in bookstores and other outlets, and it’s even more exciting to know that Cleo has her very own cartoon now (although I have yet to see it!).  This story, this character, this creator – they all deserve the limelight they are currently receiving, and even if I didn’t know Maihack personally, I would still be recommending this series.

RATING:  10 mugs of Osirian fire water out of 10 for expanding the world of Cleopatra and providing more depth to the characters and overarching story so as to leave readers wanting for more!

Amanda Lester and the Red Spider Rumpus (Amanda Lester Mysteries No. 5)

The wonderfully colorful world of Amanda Lester returns in this fifth novel of Paul Berinstein's mystery series. The ongoing story involving the students and teachers of Legatum Continuatum school for aspiring detectives continues, as Amanda and her friends keep searching for clues that will lead them to the Detective's Bible, while at the same time dealing with considerable personal issues and fighting off the Moriartys and their gang of evil-doers!

Amanda Lester and the Red Spider Rumpus finds poor Amanda torn between her feelings for Scapulus Holmes and her deepening love for Nick Moriarty (who is still in hiding following the events of the previous books). In the midst of this personal crisis, she feels the heavy burden of needing to find the Detective's Bible before Moriarty does - and the two pages that Amanda and her friends had found were taken! Luckily, they have copies, from which Holmes discovers that the Detective's Bible - and the society of detectives themselves! - goes back hundreds of years. If those secrets are now exposed...but the discover of the red spiders of Ambleside changes everything. It seems those innocuous, shy little spiders hiding under an abandoned old house in the countryside have a very special gift - one painful bite releases a venom that causes a person to speak the truth - no matter what!

Berinstein provides another fun romp through the English countryside as Amanda and her friends work to outwit not only Moriarty, but also Amanda's own sneaky stepfather (to be), who seems to have plans of his own. The spiders, which play an important part to the story, also provide for a bit of comic relief, as the kids test the spiders on themselves, discovering some rather uncomfortable truths about their friends. And Berinstein also continues her tradition of the most unusual names for her characters - Professor Mukherjee, Professor Pargeter, Professor Snool, Professor Tumble, Professor Goodgrief, Professor Darktower, Professor Scribbish, Lovelace Earful, Banting Waltz, Celerie Wiffle, and so many others. Each one brings a smile to myself (and sometimes even a giggle!). In addition to all of this, there are some subplots involving a ghost-hunting student, the bid for power in the school by Amanda's mother, the artists who are moving in under the school (under the pretense of protecting all of the secrets hidden there), and the testing of Nick Moriarty to determine whether he should be allowed back into the school for detectives - a literal life-and-death test consisting of three parts!

Honestly, the best part of this entire book is the climactic battle with the Moriarty men at the end - which takes place on a movie studio set during the filming of a robotic monster film.  Berinstein pulls out all the stops to make it thrilling, dangerous, and fun all at the same time.  Quite frankly, this was one of the best scenes in any of the books to date!

Berinstein is also clearly setting up future stories, as there are several mentions of the monkeys that were used to take some of the secrets from the vault beneath the school - which are clearly meant to be foreshadowing of the seventh book, Amanda Lester and the Green Monkey Gotcha (or, at least, so I would think), which is still two books away.  So, it's nice to see that while the book has its own story, there are still elements of the ongoing battle between the school and the Moriartys that keep coming into play.  I'm curious to see just how long this over-arching saga will continue before it is wrapped up and the characters have an opportunity to move on to something else.  As much as I understand the need to have a main protagonist, and as much I enjoy having a multi-epic, multi-book story, it would be nice to see them wrap this one up and move on to something new.  At this point, we are five books into the series, and it doesn't seem likely it will conclude with book 6 or 7 - does Berinstein have the full story plotted, or does it simply evolve as the books are written, with no particular conclusion in sight yet?  Only time (and more books) will tell, I suppose...

Regardless, I am enjoying the opportunity to follow Amanda, Ivy, Simon, and all of their friends as they grow and learn and mature and solve one mystery after another in search of the Detective Bible.

RATING:  8 giant movie sea monsters out of 10 for offering fans of mysteries their own "wizarding" world of detectives learning and fighting to protect their school and profession!

The Stone Man Mysteries, Book Two - Sanctuary

This is an off-beat series that I took a chance on through Previews. I bought the first graphic novel and was intrigued by this story of a young boy who find himself serving a gargoyle perched atop an old church in 1930s Scotland. The boy, Craig, becomes embroiled in a mystery as he attempts to help the gargoyle, Silex, who can never leave his perch, but sit over the city with an ever watchful eye and an insight and understanding of the people he watches over.  I waited for what felt like forever for the second book to be solicited in Previews, so imagine my surprise when I recently saw the solicitation for book three.  Whatever happened to book two?

I ultimately had to order the second graphic novel, Sanctuary, through Amazon, and it arrived not too long ago. The story picks up following the last story, where Father Harris has died, and a new priest has come to take his place.  Craig is concerned the new priest will not be so accepting of Silex, but the old gargoyle knows he has a duty to perform. And when a desperate young woman comes banging on the church's doors, begging for sanctuary, that is when the real story begins. Young Craig finds himself torn between helping this young girl in need and helping Silex figure out how a man that died nearly 150 years ago suddenly showed up in town, selling off gold coins, and dying a second time while giving a toast at the local pub.

It's another mystery for Craig and the Stone Man (Silex) to solve, but can they figure them both out before the devil dogs themselves tear down the doors to the church and invade the holy ground thereof? Writers Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple provide a very intriguing tale that brings the religious and the supernatural face-to-face in a conflict that only only both worlds working together can resolve.  Artist Orion Zangara sets the mood beautifully with his black-and-white art. Zangara has a way with expressions on his characters that could tell a story without words - whether it be anger, concern, fear, frustration, joy, shock - whatever the emotion, Zangara knows how to capture it perfectly on the page!

Once again, with Craig doing his legwork (and Mrs. Mac and Father Walker unwittingly playing their parts), Silex manages to figure out exactly what is going on and work out a solution that will prevent the unholy from forever soiling the church - and in so doing, the Stone Man also realizes that there is a purpose behind the events of the first book and this, leaving readers with the question - what is going to happen in the third?

While this series is certainly not your typical comic book fare, nor is it your standard mystery fare, it is without a doubt some very high quality storytelling and art that is worth picking up!

RATING:  9 bags of gold coins out of 10 for mixing the supernatural, religion, and mystery into one big pot and coming out with a fantastic story well worth the read!

The Secret of Hangman's Inn - A Ken Holt Mystery, No. 6

I always enjoy going back and reading some of the children's mystery series of yester-year.  The original Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Dana Girls, and so on can be a real glimpse into the past, reading about a much more innocent time. Yes, there were many stereotypes and in some instances some down right discrimination in the books - but those were the times, and as I read them, it lets me see just how far we've come in some ways (but it also reminds me how many good things we've walked away from in society's effort to be more 'accepting' and more 'inclusive').  Over the years, I have branched out into collecting and reading a lot of lesser-known series, and have even (surprise! surprise!) read some boys' series, which, as a kid, I found to be very boring.  One such series that I've learned about and come to appreciate as an adult is the Ken Holt series by Bruce Campbell (yeah, no, not THAT Bruce Campbell).  Campbell, of course, is a pseudonym, as so many of those author names were back in the day, for a husband and wife writing team.

The Secret of Hangman's Inn is the sixth book in the series about Ken Holt, the young son of a foreign correspondent who has his own aspirations of one day becoming a reporter. This mystery, as well as the previous five, are not exactly overflowing with exciting adventures and spooky mystery elements that fill the Nancy Drew series (which, as anyone who knows me will know, is my favorite); however, it does feature some very well-plotted mysteries that are more subtle than in-your-face. Ken and his best friend, Sandy Allen (more on their relationship in a bit...), usually spend a lot of time discussing the facts, going over theories, and then following-up on the clues that they have uncovered. There is considerable more dialogue than the typical children's mystery books, and the chapter endings are less "cliffhanger-style" than his contemporaries.

Hangman's Inn is the story of a missing man, Joe Driscoll, the newspaper's janitor.  He hasn't missed a day in all the time he has worked there, and Sandy's dad is concerned. So, the boys head over to Joe's house and discover some oddities: dirty dishes in the sink (Joe is a neat-freak); the calendar is marked for two days prior; the front door was unlocked; a suitcase and all of Joe's clothes are in the closet. Something is not right, and the boys know it. They report it to Sandy's father, who sends them back out there - at which point they find the door locked, the dishes inside cleaned, and the suitcase and some books missing. Ken has a very bad feeling about this...

Ken and Sandy end up following clues to a bird-watching site that gives them the perfect view of a train junction, where they observe some odd lights and activity. Sandy's dad gets communications from Joe that are supposed to reassure them, but it only makes Ken and Sandy more concerned, as they pick up on some clues Joe puts in the notes. They are ultimately led to an abandoned inn, known as the "Hangman's Inn" (hence, the title of the book), where they not only find the missing maintenance man, but some other surprises as well. The two of them end up as hostages with Joe and Sandy's father and brother, and the five must figure out a way to escape a locked room.

The mystery is not faced paced, nor is it always exciting - but it is interesting and cerebral in nature, which will make the reader really think as you follow long with Ken and Sandy as they work to solve the crime.

As far as Ken and Sandy's friendship goes - well, let's just say that this series was written in a very different time, and some of the descriptions of what these two boys do  can be very easily misconstrued by today's standards, and there are times where it comes across that Ken and Sandy could very much be more than just "friends." My adult mind can differentiate this, remembering as I'm reading that these stories were written back in the early 1950s, which was a much more innocent time, but I'm sure young readers today might have a completely different take on the matter.

That being said, this is a series I would recommend to those who love mysteries in the vein of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and so on.

RATING:  8 Gibraltar cigarette butts out of 10 for giving young readers a mystery that will really make them think.

Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 3.1 - No Place

Anything with Donna Noble - and I do mean ANYTHING - I am going to get! She was, is, and always will be my favorite companion of the Doctor. So, when Big Finish announced another set of Doctor Who audio adventures starring Catherine Tate as the oh-so-lovable Donna Noble, I could not wait.  I pre-ordered them, and as soon as I got them, I plopped the first one in. I was so excited to hear David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprise their roles, along with Bernard Cribbins and Jacqueline King as Donna's grandfather and mother, respectively, that I could hardly contain myself. Unfortunately, this first story was a bit of a let-down...

No Place finds the Doctor, Donna, Sylvia, and Wilfred taking part in a reality, ghost-hunting show at a supposed haunted house. As the story opens, listeners are basically thrown into the middle of it - the Doctor, Donna, Sylvia, and Wilfred are already in the house, and the ghost hunters have set up shop and are following the four "family" members as they go about their business. Justin, who is the lead ghost hunter, is determined to find out whether this house is truly haunted, or if there is a logical explanation for everything that happens. Of course, we know - if the Doctor is involved, there is a pretty good chance - 100% chance! - that something is going on. But what is it, why is it, and who is it - those are the questions to be answered.

While the premise behind the story is actually pretty cool, the execution leaves a bit to be desired. Perhaps if this were an actual episode with visuals, it might have been easier to enjoy. But with just audio, it is a bit jumbled, particularly in the beginning, trying to figure out who is who. There are no real introduction to the ghost hunter cast, and honestly, I found it difficult at times to determine just who was speaking. Catherine Tate was obvious (she has that distinctive style about her voice), and Sylvia was fairly easy to spot. Wilfred is sounding a bit older, so it made his voice relatively easy to discern. Surprisingly, it was the Doctor who was not always clear, making me wonder if David Tennant did voices for more than just one character in the audio. Plus, with a number of supporting characters within the ghost hunting crew, it just made it all the more confusing when listening.

That being said, it was really nice to hear the Noble family all together again. David Tennant's third season as the Doctor was by far my favorite, and Donna - - well, she's Donna, how can she not be my favorite? So any chance to hear her and the Doctor I will take, regardless of how good it is. The interaction between Tate, Cribbins, and King is priceless, as they truly have a chemistry that makes them sound like and feel like a real family, with all the squabbles, the annoyances, but ultimately, the love and concern for one another. It was a bit surprising to see Sylvia actually go along with one of the Doctor's plans, considering how little she thought of him in the series.  Not really sure where this is set within the time frame of Donna's journeys with the Doctor, but I would assume it was likely to have occurred after the "atmos" Sontaran storyline, since that was the time when Sylvia really got to see the Doctor at work.

The "ghost" in the story, of course, turns out to be alien in nature, and I will admit, that was probably one of the most interesting parts of the story.  I'm not going to spoil it, but I will say that it does give the writers a chance to show just who the Doctor is and what he is made of (and also gives that growing part of Donna's caring side to shine through).  So, again, while the execution was a bit rough, the underlying story was definitely Doctor Who through and through.

Only two more Donna stories to listen to ... so I'm spacing them out, so as not to run out of Donna Noble too soon!

RATING:  6 holes in the ground out of 10 for satisfying, all too briefly, that need for a Donna-fix!