For those keen to give their ears tuned to a thrilling horror ride, check out this 4 part series from the creative team at Heart Starts Pounding. The Timekeeper is a YA podcast that follows 17 year old Charlie (Judah Lewis – The Babysitter and The Babysitter: Killer Queen) and his friends, Gama (Arjun Athalye) and Zoe (Chandler Kinney) as they are pulled into a life and death game 13 Keys. 

The award winning team, Heart Starts Pounding with over 1M TikTok followers have created a compelling and riveting narrative thanks to the co-directive partnership of Matthew Brown and Kaelyn Moore. Both of whom have a wealth of experience in creating stories that hook you in. 

The fictional game that is driving the narrative, 13 Keys is the mastermind of Jacob Fairchild, who burnt down the tech companies’ facility with himself and his assistants inside. This marked a dark chapter in Shady Pines and once thought buried in history, only for the game to resurface and take the life of Charlie’s co-worker at the Funland theme attraction. Charged with a mission to find out the cause of this mysterious event, Charlie then has no option but to play the game to find out answers. With numerous people turning up dead when they choose to play the game, has Charlie entered a path with no return?

It’s an exciting premise, and with a countdown set for Charlie to complete his task, the audience are equally pulled into a gripping venture that will keep you on the edge of your seats until the conclusion to the series. There is a decently laid out pace to the narrative combined with a well thought out plot that twists and turns through the mystery within. The performances are also well delivered with characters that you gain a genuine interest in their survival and propel the action forward. In addition, the sound design by Jeff Schmidt and composer Josh Zimmerman lend weight to the atmosphere, generating a worthy score, ramping up the tension.

If you are keen to dive into this well crafted mystery, told in a tightly produced 2 hour storyline you can listen wherever you get your podcasts.

• Saul Muerte