From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Crime at the Noah's Ark

Molly Thynne

Start date: December 1, 2017

Finish date: December 31, 2017

Discussion: Group reads

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 328 topics — 11,869 comments total

Group reads

* VOTE NOW for November 2025 group read!
By Judy · 19 posts · 21 views

last updated 53 minutes ago

* Sept 25: Lonesome Road (#3 Miss Silver Mysteries) by Patricia Wentworth
By Susan · 13 posts · 11 views

last updated Sep 03, 2025 12:03PM

showing 6 of 6 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Nov 04, 2017 Susan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Published in 1931, this re-published Golden Age crime mystery, was one of six written by Molly Thynne and the first featuring her chess playing amateur sleuth, Dr Luke Constantine. The story begins with a group of people, who are all heading for the exclusive resort at Redsands (though why someone would really want to go to the British seaside at Christmas is beyond me!). Of course, the weather, already bad, turns worse and our central character, author Angus Stuart, finds himself stranded in th ...more

22 likes · Like · see review

Dec 02, 2016 Christine PNW rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vintage-women

I really enjoyed this one! If you're looking for a seasonal read, choose The Crime at Noah's Ark!

Basic plot involves a group of people all unknown to one another who are snowed in at a country wayside inn. Emeralds are stolen, drunk asshats are murdered, and there is lots of lurking about and sneaking through darkened corridors. The main character is a likeable author. I guessed a couple of the twists, and pretty much figured out whodunnit, but it was still tons of fun.

This is a very inexpensive ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2024 Susan in NC rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-library, kindle, ladies-24

This was a mostly fun seasonal GA mystery, with a disparate group of travelers snowed in at the Noah’s Ark Inn over Christmas. There’s a jewel theft and a murder, and despite the enjoyable characters and snowy atmosphere, it goes on too long - as with a previous mystery I read by this author. I became impatient as the plot seemed to slow to a halt, and jumped ahead to find out whodunnit; I still had to read/skim through three chapters to get the facts!

It starts out with a fun, jaunty journey by This was a mostly fun seasonal GA mystery, with a disparate group of travelers snowed in at the Noah’s Ark Inn over Christmas. There’s a jewel theft and a murder, and despite the enjoyable characters and snowy atmosphere, it goes on too long - as with a previous mystery I read by this author. I became impatient as the plot seemed to slow to a halt, and jumped ahead to find out whodunnit; I still had to read/skim through three chapters to get the facts!

It starts out with a fun, jaunty journey by a young man who has struggled to establish himself, against his family’s wishes, as a novelist, and has hit the big-time, with a book sold to Hollywood. Despite the ominously snow conditions, he sets out in his new car to spend Christmas at a luxury resort. He realizes it’s been hours and he hasn’t gotten far; indeed, he comes to a steep hill with other motorists stranded at the bottom! He makes it up the hill, and offers to take two elderly sisters stranded in the snow. They make it to the Inn of the title, and are joined there by others stranded, including a traveling salesman, Soames, and chess champion Dr. Constantine.

Our young author Stuart, Soames, and Constantine strike up a friendship; the last two play chess while Stuart observes the odd assortment of guests and sleeps. Some precious emeralds are stolen from an obnoxious American woman, and a drunken major is killed in his room.

It was fun and gripping up to a point, with the trapped guests in the snow, but it went on too long. The village constable made it once there was a murder, but he was single-handed and no match for masked men, burglars, and eventually a killer stalking the endless hallways and rooms of the old place. Stuart, Soames and Constantine try and patrol the halls to assist, but it got repetitive, with one of them waking the others to wander about, achieving nothing.

Eventually the snow stops, the plows come out, but it seemed a while before Scotland Yard arrived. That’s when I jumped ahead! Turns out (view spoiler)

Anyway, good humor, great atmosphere, some entertaining characters, but needed some editing. A solid GA mystery. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2017 Leslie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: holiday, mysteries, kindle

A twist on the country manor mystery -- in this case, a group of people, mostly unknown to each other, are caught in a December snowstorm in an inn called Noah's Ark. While stuck there in the days leading up to Christmas, there is a jewel robbery & a murder. I liked the fact that while there were some romantic subplots, they remained very much in the background. It was also pleasant to see that the village constable wasn't portrayed as a boobie, even though he required help to catch the culprit( ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 07, 2018 Jan C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gr-group-read, 2018, mystery, england

Enjoyable Golden Age mystery of people stranded in a snowstorm. Everyone is on their way to the resort of Redsands. However, the storm put an end to their plans. I've been in my fair share of whiteouts and have found myself stopping several hours earlier than originally planned. So I could really feel for these people. So all these people drag themselves in to an inn called Noah's Ark, it being the only place available.

There is a wide variety of people - running the range of wealthy, professor, ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 28, 2017 Doris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, z-2017-challenge, z-2017-new

This Christmas setting is pretty well incidental to this: it functions only to give all these people an excuse for being out on the road in a late-December storm.
The 4 stars are generous: 3 1/2 would be closer to the mark. Entertaining, with well-drawn characters, but the mystery itself is a bit of a cheat: too much information is withheld from the reader. And the ending is far too drawn out: we know whodunnit by about the 75% mark, and the rest of the book is just explanation and other characte ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 04, 2017 Elinor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: polar

Très sympa ! Un bon polar golen age comme je les aime, et en plus j'avais raison sur mon suspect et ça ça fait plaisir ;p (impossible d'en trouver un avant au moins 70% d'ailleurs et ça j'aime bien). L'intrigue est vraiment sympa, et je lirai d'autres livres de cette auteure, même si le niveau d'anglais était parfois un petit peu au dessus du mien. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 22, 2017 Jill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Although at times , this reminded me of a farce, where characters were running about this old inn and missing the whereabouts of others , I did enjoy it. Definitely had me guessing for quite some time, even though I did have some suspects in mind. I liked the three sleuths and the others were a good assortment . I felt sorry for the village copper having to put up with some of the characters , but all gets sorted in the end

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 11, 2019 P. rated it liked it

Noah's Ark is well written, with a convoluted plot, a cop that isn't good at his job, and one that is. The series main character [Dr. Constantine] solves the several crimes before the cops do, but it's really not clear how. Three book series. 1931 ...more

Like · see review

Sep 30, 2020 Jenn Estepp rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sleuths-and-gumshoes, kindling, pandemic-and-aftermath

I do so like a All of These Characters Are Trapped in a [Hotel] and Now Some[body] Has Been [Murdered]! story. This isn't the best of them, but it was enjoyable. Plus, it managed both a jewel theft and a murder, with a pretty decent conclusion. ...more

Like · see review