First published in 1931, ''The Crime at the 'Noah's Ark'' by Molly Thynne (d. 1950), public domain worldwide.
In The Crime at The Noah’s Ark (1931), an ill-assorted group of guests find themselves marooned by snow at the aptly named hostelry The Noah’s Ark. Most of the visitors had been en route to an expensive seaside resort for Christmas but the heavy snowfall has stranded them. The story is told from the viewpoint of young Angus Stuart, a newly rich, bestselling novelist. One of the guests is Dr Constantine, a charming old gentleman and a shrewd observer of those around him. Also staying at the inn are two elderly spinster sisters, the aristocratic Lord Romsey and his family, a drunken, boorish major, and a flamboyant, bad-tempered woman who flaunts her possession of many valuable jewels including an emerald girdle, which has grown more valuable every time it has been expanded to accommodate its owner’s growing waistline. When the emeralds are stolen and the major is murdered, the only police officer available is the dutiful but bewildered village constable. Dr Constantine, aided by Stuart and Soames (a shrewd travelling salesman and chess enthusiast) have to take on the investigation before anyone else is harmed.--The Golden Age, Molly Thynne (1881–1950) by Carol Westron
