KEIGHLEY Playhouse is presenting what it calls a thrilling murder mystery next week.

Death In High Heels goes behind the scenes of glamour and gossip in a 1930s fashion house.

Clandestine meetings are regular in this high-pressure environment, stitching this storyline seamlessly into a tragedy.

Frank Bevan, the owner of Christophe et Cie, announces he is to appoint one of his senior staff as general manager of a new branch at fashionable Deauville in France.

However, there is trouble in store as two bitter rivals are main contenders for the position in Richard Harris' play.

Eyes narrow and the claws come out as the plot unfolds.

Geoff Whitley, the director, said the characters in the play were very diverse and sharply defined.

He said: “They include a boss who has an eye for the women, an ambitious, loyal and long-serving staff member, a flamboyant floor manager, an over-emotional personal assistant, an insecure shop assistant and a brisk, bright senior saleswoman.

“They are just some of the suspects in this highly clever plot depicting British crime from the 'golden age'."

There is a high price to pay for the rivalry, and it appears that more than one member of staff may have had a motive for murder.

Geoff added: "The bitterness, the jealousies and the petty issues are all visible in this detailed mystery and it begins to open up a challenging case for Inspector Charlesworth.

“During his investigation he unstitches many secrets and lies that were common and widespread within this house of fashion."

Richard Harris’s play originates from a 1930s novel by Christianna Brand, who was born in 1907 and wrote more than 25 crime novels and children's books.

Death In High Heels was her first novel, written while Brand was working as a salesgirl and stemming from her fantasies about doing away with an annoying co-worker.

She created three popular detectives, Inspector Cockrill, Inspector Charlesworth and Inspector Chucky.

Cockrill appeared in Green For Danger, her most famous novel, a Second World War whodunnit which was adapted into a film starring Alistair Sim.

Born in Malaya, Brand worked as a model, dancer and governess as well as a shop assistant, and wrote under several pseudonyms.

She was also the author of the children’s series Nurse Matilda, which Emma Thompson adapted for the film Nanny McPhee.

Brand was nominated three times for Edgar Awards, one of the biggest prizes in crime fiction, for her short stories and a non-fiction crime book. In the early 70s she was chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association.

Brand’s stories included Heads You Lose, Death Of Jezebel, The Spotted Cat, Cat And Mouse, The Honey Harlot and Welcome To Danger.

Keighley Playhouse will finish its 2014/15 season with the comedy Wedding Of The Year from June 22 to 27.

• Death In High Heels runs from Monday to Saturday (May 4-9) at 7.30pm. Tickets cost from £5 to £7. Call 07599 890769 to book tickets.