Building on the phenomenal decade-long success of The Agatha Christie Theatre Company, Bill Kenwright presents a new production adapted from one of the most celebrated works of the writer often hailed as the successor to Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell’s A Judgement In Stone.

Rendell was first published in 1964 and was awarded a CBE in 1996. Her prolific output included film and TV as well as 80 novels and one of the genre’s most famous characters, Chief Inspector Wexford. Widely considered to be one of Rendell’s greatest works, A Judgement in Stone is loved for its brilliant rendering of character, plot and motive, and is undoubtedly Rendell at her thrilling best.

Eunice struggles to fit in. When she joins a wealthy family as their housekeeper the very reason for her awkwardness, long hidden and deeply buried, leads inexorably to a terrible tale of murder in cold blood - on Valentine’s Day. Ruth Rendell’s brilliant plot unravels a lifetime of deceit, despair and cover-ups which, when revealed, brings a shocking revelation almost as grizzly as murder itself.

The production will be directed by Roy Marsden who is best known as an actor, particularly in his role as Commander Adam Dalgliesh in Anglia TV's P.D. James series, which he played for 15 years.

Ruth Rendell who died in May 2015, was credited with having revitalised the mystery genre, and among the numerous awards she won, were the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for best crime novel with A Demon In My View, and the CWA's Cartier Diamond Dagger for sustained excellence in crime writing.

A Judgement in Stone will be at Malvern Theatres from Tuesday, May 2 to Saturday, May 6. To book, call the box office on 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk