Description

Detective stories from the natural world from the author of the Wainwright and Rathbones Folio Prizelonglisted Ghost Trees

In 1913 all the musk plants in the world stopped smelling Unable to resist the lure of this mystery Bob Gilbert turns detective determined to find the truth in the tale Mixing history memoir science and nature writing The Missing Musk takes the listener on a journey of discovery uncovering the truth behind six mysteries and myths from across the natural world

From the darkest corners of Britains churchyards to Scotlands Pentland Hills Bob travels the length of the UK seeking answers to questions that have intrigued him throughout his life In search of the musks longlost fragrance he discovers a possibly murderous story Investigating the true origins of star jelly leads to encounters with unexplained sightihngs and substances Faced with the urban mythlike stories of mosquitoes thriving in the London Underground Bob digs deeper

Motivated by the curious unexplained phenomena found in wild places and on urban streets and by what these stories tell us about our relationship with nature Bob peers into microscopes delves into horticultural archives and chases a glimpse of the strange water bear finding that when it comes to mysteries the joy is found as much in the search as in the answer it leads you to

P 2023 Hodder amp Stoughton Limited