THE Phoenix Players are tackling a dark thriller this week, with Leslie Sands’ Cat’s Cradle.

The gritty play follows Inspector Frost (no relation to his A Touch of Frost namesake) as he embarks on a last-ditch attempt to resurrect his career in the CID and re-opens the case that ruined him: a kidnapping and possible murder he failed to solve years ago.

With a new piece of evidence, he returns to the village in which the disappearance occurred.

Where he was once a welcome guest, he now finds the villagers are no longer interested in reliving the past. Faced with a conspiracy of silence and hostility, he enlists the assistance of an ambitious local journalist to help him with his investigations.

The terrible secrets of those who spent years shouldering the burden of the truth are finally uncovered in a series of startling revelations.

Cat’s Cradle runs until Saturday at Swindon Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Old Town. Tickets are £11 from swindontheatres.co.uk or call 01793 524481.