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The Crime at the ‘Noah’s Ark’: A Golden Age Mystery (Dr Constantine Book 1) by [Molly Thynne]

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Molly Thynne

The Crime at the ‘Noah’s Ark’: A Golden Age Mystery (Dr Constantine Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Molly Thynne (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

67 ratings

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“There’ll be blue murder here before Christmas!”

A number of parties heading for a luxurious holiday spot, are forced by severe winter weather to put up at the ‘Noah’s Ark’, a hostelry they will share with Dr. Constantine, a shrewd chess master and keen observer of all around him. Other guests include bestselling novelist Angus Stuart, the aristocratic Romsey family, a pair of old spinster sisters, and a galloping major whose horseplay gets him into hot water – and then gets him murdered.

Who is the masked intruder who causes such a commotion on the first night? Who has stolen Mrs van Dolen’s emeralds, and who has slashed everyone’s (almost everyone’s) car tyres? And are the murderer and thief one and the same, or are the guests faced with two desperate criminals hiding in plain sight in the snowbound inn? Dr. Constantine, aided by two of the younger guests, is compelled to investigate this sparkling Christmas mystery before anyone else ends up singing in the heavenly choir …

The Crime at the ‘Noah’s Ark’ was first published in 1931. This new edition, the first in many decades, includes an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

Print length

219 pages
Language

English
Publication date

5 Sept. 2016
File size

954 KB
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Product description

About the Author

Mary ‘Molly’ Thynne was born in 1881, a member of the aristocracy, and related, on her mother’s side, to the painter James McNeil Whistler. She grew up in Kensington and at a young age met literary figures like Rudyard Kipling and Henry James.

Her first novel, An Uncertain Glory, was published in 1914, but she did not turn to crime fiction until The Draycott Murder Mystery, the first of six golden age mysteries she wrote and published in as many years, between 1928 and 1933. The last three of these featured Dr. Constantine, chess master and amateur sleuth par excellence.

Molly Thynne never married. She enjoyed travelling abroad, but spent most of her life in the village of Bovey Tracey, Devon, where she was finally laid to rest in 1950.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01KQ3TKDS
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dean Street Press (5 Sept. 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 954 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 219 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 226,047 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 4,834 in British Detective Stories
- 5,066 in Cozy Mystery
- 39,058 in Mysteries (Books)

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67 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		54%
4 star		24%
3 star		17%
2 star		5%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Hopeful Evangelist

Superb

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 October 2018

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I love all Molly Thynne's books, but this is her best, of the ones I have read so far. (I chose to read this before the other two Dr Constantine novels.) Unlike one of the other reviewers, I didn't feel there were too many characters. The plot is convoluted, but it makes a kind of sense - a large inn, even though snow-bound, means that, while the inhabitants may be contained, they can't be constrained. The good guys can't cover all the possible rooms, staircases, entrances and exits. It makes for a gripping variation of the classic country house scenario. In a sense it is also a version of the "Locked Room" puzzle, because the snow means that the guilty person or persons must be inside the inn.

The characters are believable, they are recognizable "types" without being complete caricatures. Dr Luke Constantine is both enigmatic and clever, but neither unapproachable nor arrogant. He doesn't show off and doesn't claim infallibility or preternatural insight. The book is old-fashioned, but that is part of the charm. There is no bad language, any "Anglo-Saxon" is alluded to, but never spelt out. There is very little to cause offence.

The only real flaw is the lack of proof-reading by the publisher. The text is marred by some really stupid typos. Nevertheless, it's worth reading.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

The Crime at the Noah's Ark

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2017

Verified Purchase

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 the snow. Rescuing two, elderly sisters, he is directed to a local inn, the Noah’s Ark, and welcomed by the landlord, Mr Girley.

Stuart is a likeable character; he has recently become a success and is still a little unsure of himself. Before long he has been introduced to Dr Luke Constantine, the drunken Major Carew, commercial traveller, Soames, Lord Romsey, his son and two daughters, the attractive Mrs Orkney Cloude, the brash Mrs van Dolen, an American widow who is known for her famous emeralds, Mrs van Dolen’s secretary, Miss Hamilton, the gigolo Felix Melnotte and the shy young chartered accountant, Trevor.

What we essentially have here is a typically closed house mystery. Our characters are stranded by the snow, there are some expensive emeralds, just crying out to be stolen, lots of secrets and, of course, murder. There is also a great deal of chasing around in the night, with masked men being seen, and Stuart, who joins up with Constantine and Soames, to investigate the goings-on at the hotel, spending almost all of their time climbing in and out of windows, chasing up and down staircases, banging on doors and keeping watch. Overall, this is a fun mystery, with a good setting, interesting characters, but a slightly weak plot. I would try more by her and I do applaud publishers for bringing so many ‘lost’ Golden Age authors back into print.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Dr Constantine intervenes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 April 2017

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A delightful mystery which keeps the reader guessing until the final page.The descriptions are eloquent,the characters interesting and the plot convoluted enough to satisfy any mystery afficionado. Thoroughly enjoyable.

One person found this helpful

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Mr. A.J. PENDLEBURY

Get this read before Xmas for maximum enjoyment.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 December 2016

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This is a most seasonal mystery. Huge amounts of snow/guests forced to stay in a wonderful wayside inn/a disparate group of characters. A popular formula done many times. However it still makes for an enjoyable read when it is done with a sense of panache and fun as written here .

The synopsis gives a very clear idea of what to expect and there are red herrings galore . The snow starts to melt at the right time and in the end a form of justice and romantic satisfaction prevails.

3 people found this helpful

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Roman Clodia

Vintage crime

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 January 2018

Verified Purchase

A fun 'golden age' mystery as a murder takes place in a snow-bound inn with an assortment of suspects. There's lots of all-night vigils and narrow escapes through Windows - very vintage!

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 May 2017

Verified Purchase

Fun Christmas mystery read, got me through many night time feeds with my little girl!

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Baghtwin

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 December 2017

Verified Purchase

Ok for a free read.

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CatsAndBooks

Confusing, with too many characters for a mystery plot

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2017

Although I generally enjoy Molly Thynne's crime novels, this one was a frustration. The premise was promising: several travellers stranded on their journeys because of severe weather and forced to stay together in a remote inn. I looked forward to a crime unfolding in this setup with a narrow pool of suspects.

Unfortunately, there were so many characters, it was impossible to keep up with who's who and what is whose relationship with whom. When I downloaded the sample, I was already overwhelmed by the number of characters, but thought I could cope with them. However, in the following chapters yet more characters arrived at the inn. Soon I couldn't remember who was who, and of course the delicious set up of a limited number of suspects cooped up in a limited location was ruined. And more characters arrived, and more, and more..

If you want a taste of this author's work, I suggest you read one of her other novels, perhaps He Dies and Makes No Sign.

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The Crime at the ‘Noah’s Ark’: A Golden Age Mystery (Dr Constantine Book 1) Kindle Edition

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About the author

Molly Thynne

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