Blood Harvest

Terrance Dicks

1994

The Doctor and Ace are running a Speakeasy in the centre of 1930s Chicago gangland territory.

It's in the middle of disputed territory, being fought over by the Gusenberg Mob, the Aiellos, the O'Donnells. And the Italians, as represented by Al 'Scarface' Capone.

Not the safest place to be!

Especially when Al Capone sends in an investigator to see what the game is. An independent Private Eye, as honest as any one in Chicago, finds himself intrigued by the snazzy figure presented by Ace and takes their side in the upcoming confrontation between the gangs.

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Meanwhile, in hostile E-Space, Benny has been sent to the evocatively named Vampire Planet to investigate the remains of a supposedly deserted Tower. The locals did warn her not to go out after dark. But Benny was... Benny. Lost in digging up her samples, she is startled to come upon the fresh corpse of a young girl with all the blood drained.

When the girl wanders back to the inn where she was the serving girl, Benny is hysterically certain that the girl was dead. Naturally, the villagers do not believe her until they throw some of the local garill flowers at the girl and she reacts in hysterical anger, only to be put down by the traditional stake through the heart. Once this little alarm is out of the way, Benny is joined by a former companion of the Doctor's.

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Back in Chicago the Doctor, aided by Ace and Dekker, is trying to talk peace to the gangs that were turning the streets into streams of blood. But each time the guns fell silent for a week or two, an incident would occur to kick the action back into a spiralling gorefest.

The Doctor is convinced that an alien being is behind the violence and ruthlessly uses those around him to drag in the being into view.

But is the Doctor the Puppet master or just another puppet?

Back on Gallifrey the shadowy Committee of Three meets and sings its traitorous theme:

"Death to the Doctor!
"Borusa Lives!
"Rassilon Must Die!"

But can anyone, or group, attempt to attack the most powerful Time Lord. Leader of the Gallifreyan War Host against the power of the Great Vampires

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