  Mystery
This week: Edited by: Tehanu  
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| As soon as man does not take his existence for granted, but beholds it as something unfathomably mysterious, thought begins. --Albert Schweitzer |
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Reading a mystery book is like embarking on a tantalizing quest for truth. The reader is shown a situation – a disappearance, a murder, a haunting – and reads on, assessing clues and character personalities. Typically, a solution is reached – the runaway returns home, the killer is caught, the ghost is a combination of creaky floorboards and a cranky landlord.
I read mysteries to satisfy my curiosity and to stroke my ego. In opening a mystery book, it is fascinating to find oneself in a fictional chaos where some sort of conflict needs to be resolved. The reader becomes a shadowy detective and must consider the information presented in order to produce an “aha!” moment of clarifying inspiration. Hopefully, if the author has done a good job, this occurs moments before the mystery’s conclusion is revealed.
Often I am disappointed that real life does not have more formulaic puzzles with clear solutions. Yes, Sudoku and crossword books list the answers near the back cover. And it is perhaps easier than ever to catch a criminal through latent prints, DNA, video surveillance, and so forth. But what of the unsolved mysteries that pop up, like where do all the missing children go and can one really have ESP?
I admit that when I was granted the position of mystery editor, I immediately headed toward the nearest local library. Sure, I love to read and I enjoy producing and solving minor mysteries in my own life, but I was not sure what I could share with my fellow readers and authors that they did not already know. This was definitely a challenge, something new and exciting for me.
At the library I took out the maximum number of books allowed in order to compile a list of ideas for my future mystery newsletters. One of the books was The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Unsolved Mysteries. Yeah, okay, so I don’t consider myself a complete idiot, but I wanted to delve into all types of mysteries. 
The book covered urban myths and legends like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. Also, it showcased more realistic unsolved mysteries, like the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and why Jeffrey Dahmer did what he did. These are mysteries we can guess at – Amelia most likely got lost and her plane downed in the ocean; Jeffrey had a disturbing childhood and a mental disorder that made him consider his fellow humans as snacks. However, there is no proof pointing to concrete solutions for these sorts of mysteries. We can still wonder and come up with a plethora of different reasonings, if we so choose.
One story in the guide really surprised me. But some of you may have heard it before. There is an account of an Arnold Paole who claimed that when he was in the army in Greece, he was attacked by a vampire. He then left the army and moved back home to Belgrade where he died a year later in 1728. A month after he was buried, people reported seeing Arnold walking in the village at night. Some even claimed he visited them and these villagers ended up dying “mysteriously.”
The people got in a bit of a panic and some army officers and surgeons, as well the village mayor and members of the church, congregated to open Arnold’s coffin. They found his lips covered in blood. In disgust, the sexton drove a stake through Arnold’s heart and the observers saw warm blood gush from the corpse’s chest.
The villagers who died after being visited by Arnold were also opened. Some of the corpses had chests full of fresh blood, with new skin and nails growing on their hands and feet. The village decided to stake and cremate these bodies to prevent them from feeding at night.
I actually shivered when I read that part. Could vampires be real? (Clearly I did not believe in vampires before reading this guide.) I decided to traverse the trusty WWW to *ahem* dig up more dirt on the case of Arnold Paole.
Well, in the end I concluded that The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Unsolved Mysteries is more akin to The National Enquirer than The Christian Science Monitor. Here are some logical explanations as to why Paole and others appeared to be vampiric:
 · When corpses decompose, they can get a flushed complexion. The gases trapped in their bodies can expand, making the corpse looking full and healthy. Blood may seep out of orifices, like the nose, mouth, and ears.
· When skin decomposes, fingernails and teeth may fall out, revealing new fingernail beds and new teeth underneath the gums.
· I also would like to add that when one has lost someone, it is common to “see” the dead person often over the next six months. You get used to seeing a loved one around and may even have dreams of the deceased.
Although the guide proved more mystic than scientific, I did enjoy shivering while I read certain portions. It was also fun to play detective and do some research on the subject of vampires. The experience reminded me, as an author, to be open-minded, produce chills for the reader….and perhaps leave the conclusion open. For a sequel. Because we all know how well Dan Brown has done with The DaVinci Code. 
Speaking of which, my next newsletter will cover the puzzling topic of cryptography. Until next time! |
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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 Last Month's Feedback 
Vivian  :
Personally, Tehanu, I don't find SM or SMs to be mysterious, but then I've met them. They are both rather private online, which is understandable, but they are warm, friendly people. I think they are great. ~~ Viv
I am jealous that you have met them! Thanks for the feedback. 
karabu:
Wow - very interesting. Thanks for going to the effort to provide us with so much detail!
Thanks for reading! I am glad you found fingerprinting interesting.
nomlet  :
Outstanding series of newsletters, Tehanu! I enjoy TV shows like Numbers and the various CSIs for their portrayal of science as applied to law enforcement. I have wondered just how scientific print-matching really is in practice. It is good to know that at least an unbiased system like AFIS is commonly used.
Have you ever served on a jury? Not the sort of thing you can go down to the courthouse and volunteer for, but absolutely fascinating if you get a chance to do it.
All writing.com people are mysterious. Online folks in general are. You get just enough hints from their writing to guess about them.
AFIS does sound accurate and rather amazing, doesn't it? Yes, I was called for jury duty once, but they ended up getting enough people and I was told to go back to work.
I agree that all writing.com people are fairly mysterious. It is fun to consider what the members are like in "real life."
Thanks for the lovely big chunk of feedback.
Alimohkon :
I really find this Newsletter informative and interesting, especially on the subject of criminal investigator. I was once a crime investigator myself during my heydays in our locality, and now I know investigation has changed a lot. Fingerprinting though is almost similar as today.
You mean I could have interviewed you?!?  That is pretty awesome - I wonder why you stopped being a crime investigator?
merlin  :
Many thanks for the info, I wish the fingerprint/forensics depts over here were so helpful when a writer is researching.
I was surprised and thankful to get such good people to interview on fingerprinting. Is there any forensics research in particular you have been doing? |
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Mystery: December 06, 2006 Issue [#1421]
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