There's a pretty simple key to making a murder mystery style play a success: keep the audience guessing. Any play involving the hunt for a killer will live or die on whether or not the audience picks the culprit in the first minute of the piece, half way through or remains in the dark until the concluding stages, with the rest of the play's elements very much playing second fiddle.

In the case of Wayne Tunks' The Girl From The West Of The City, the plot twist is kept reasonably well hidden and one can't really ask for anything more in that regard, even if there's a few bumps and bruises on the road to finding the killer.

The play is set in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith (a smart move considering the production is housed at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, though the script could certainly be adapted to any suburb or city) and follows the investigation into the death of an attractive young woman, strangled in her bed.

The play opens with the police investigators on the scene, looking for clues, and then follows the lives of those closest to the victim - her parents, her flatmates, her student and her husband to be. This is done via extended scenes focusing on each person (there is never more than two people in a scene), which opens up the opportunity for sub-plots, which are developed nicely - a mother's search for love, a couple's crumbling marriage, a young girl's drug addiction etc.

Given the length of each scene, it is somewhat disappointing that most lack a solid ending, and when prostitute Sophie (Alix Armstrong) manages to find a link with the victim during a failed sex session with her fiance, it all becomes a little over the top.

That's not to say that the sub-plots aren't well created - the intense argument between the victim's parents, Ian (Peter Flett) and Laura (Anna Hruby) is constructed nicely, and is probably the most honest and real element of the piece, dealing with gambling addiction, lost faith and an unhappy marriage on the brink of disaster. It is no surprise, then, that Flett and Hruby deliver probably the best performances of the piece, perhaps something testament to their experience.

Alix Armstrong, while needing better projection from her voice, shows signs of a tremendous actor in the making and almost has television written all over her, while Samuel Faull was impressive as Rory, a 16-year-old dealing with the loss of his first unrequited crush. There's other standout performances here too - Ashley Adkins and Emma Harris both get the gritty and tenacious natures out of their characters during a fiery argument, while Alan Lao (also needing a little push with projection) adds a solid touch of comedy.

On the whole there's some good direction here from Alexandra Byron who, despite the very slow and stable nature of the play, manages to keep the action flowing where it needs to, and ensures there's no drag in the scenes.

There's some clever moments here too - the video projection before and during the play works a treat, and there's a very subtle moment involving a tissue that may have nothing to do with the storyline, but adds a touch of realism that I really liked. And Adkins' cold line "When they find him I want to shake his hand" sends a chill down the spine, too.

The Girl From The West Of The City is by no means a perfect play, and it certainly isn't Tunks' best work, but it flows well, keeps the audience guessing and features some solid performances. Some tightening up around the edges would do this work wonders.