As the title suggests, Stone Cold Murder is a tense, gripping thriller, with James Cawood’s cleverly crafted plot providing a kaleidoscope of bluffs, shocks – and bodies.

Some of the twists are rather contrived, but suspense is maintained by the brilliance of director Patric Kearns and his Talking Scarlet team as their Murder In The Park season gets off to a great start.

But they miss one trick by having the supposed object of three men’s desires, the enigmatic Olivia, dressed in the most unattractive pair of slacks imaginable.

Olivia (Freya Copeland) and her new lovey-dovey husband Robert (Nick Barclay), owners of a remote Lake District hotel, have their enjoyable winter break disrupted by Ramsay (Graham Martin), who claims to be a lost climber looking for shelter.

Ramsey, continually guzzling whiskey yet remaining sober, has a hidden agenda, and things turn nasty when Olivia’s crooked and abusive ex-boyfriend Sam (Gary Turner) makes a dramatic entrance.

There are fine multi-dimensional performances from Copeland (Emmerdale), Turner (Emmerdale) and Barclay, while Martin, a replacement for David Callister, adds a chilling touch of menace.

The excellent set, lighting and sound effects add greatly to a compelling scramble to get hold of a stolen diamond.

Four stars