The Lion Hotel by Philip Jones
Published by Austin Macauley on 26th February 2021.
A detective-themed young adult play that combines history and humour to tell the modern story of a detective's daughter who is wrongly accused of a crime. The story references the history of The Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK, where it is set. Also, Charles Dickens, whose writings become the alibi for one of the suspects. Dickens stayed at the hotel in 1838 and 1858.
Inspector Horace's teenage daughter, Florence, is quick-witted and takes after her father with her crime-solving abilities. With that in mind, will either of them be able to prove Florence's innocence?
The first clue to the evening not going to plan is when father and daughter become trapped in the hotel's revolving door.
The play is brought to life by the comedic way that the characters speak and interact with one another. In particular, Florence, who manages to create drama even on her mother's birthday.