What is genuinely satisfying about all of this is that I investigate some really weird things. I get mainstream response, even establishment respect, because my approach is one usually reserved for “weighty” subjects. The pantheon of the world’s most famous “unexplained,” such as The Bermuda Triangle, UFOs, Bigfoot, Yeti, Loch Ness Monster, Ancient Astronauts (and the far more “respectable” cold case files I tackle), intrigued generations. They are still with us today, often in elaborate forms, but they have never been solved. A world still wonders, but it is rightly turned-off by the bizarre cults and cottage industries that have evolved around these topics.
Yet all trees grow from a seed. There must be a kernel of truth somewhere.
I’m not an armchair enthusiast who theorizes on the hype and hyperbole that floats in the popular ether. I consider myself an “investigative historian.” I am educated in history (classical western civilization), philosophy and architecture, plus I read in some of the sciences. But the staid and true stuff is so boring, isn’t it? A degree in history basically only qualifies one for the unemployment line anyway. There’s no money in investigating the unexplained either. But a quest! To crack a mystery! To solve a riddle is far more captivating. And if it be a famous historical one, so much the better. But even the small ones are fascinating, offering their own Scooby Doo vibes and Hardy Boys names, like The Mystery of the Shrouded Lighthouse or The Case of the Samurai’s Sword. The big ones offer the most rewards, like Speak of the Devil, my work on The Zodiac Killer.
I am most famous for The Bermuda Triangle, from which this site takes its name. But what Triangle is this? Is it the one of reptilian lizards and dice throwing mystics? No, it is the Triangle of adventure and mystery. It is a fascinating 500 leagues of sea with some of the most exotic locales in the world. And behind this, behind the deceptive beauty that lures the tourists, is its famous enigma: missing ships and planes beyond all acceptable proportions, strange electromagnetic phenomena, shipwrecks, lost treasure ships, pirates, politics, terrorists and high seas murder.
It is the one world mystery that I’ve investigated that I’ve endorsed as genuine. The search for Bigfoot is an adventurer’s dream, but the quest is truly different from the folklore. Flight 19’s disappearance is the greatest in aviation. It is far more intriguing than even Amelia Earhart’s disappearance. But sadly its truth has been buried under the lore of the Triangle. I am particularly proud of They Flew into Oblivion. It removes Flight 19 from the aura of the Bermuda Triangle to reveal it did not even disappear there. It is this work that inspired a Resolution in Congress (passed 420-2) and later received an ovation in the Gold Room on Capitol Hill. The disappearance of the USS Cyclops is another cornerstone disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle, but the story is actually a deep and dark one, strewn with clues suggesting mutiny and murder. It may very well be that its disappearance, as I suggest in Hell Ship, is really the product of America’s Mutiny on the Bounty.
Jack the Ripper’s murder spree was far from that of a demented Jewish hairdresser or drugged-up English socialite. Nor was he an impulsive sexual killer. Folklore has made him a top-hatted gent. Modern PR has given him a profile based on nothing but formulaic and inaccurate recounting of his crime scenes. The clerkly little man with a soft voice and gauche deerstalker hat was very methodical and careful, and he had far more in mind than snatching uteri.
And like the rest of you, I am not impressed with the S&M of name brand. Stereotypes have been set in place from books written by “official experts” in an era when their facts could not be readily cross-checked as today. The internet has changed so much. We now live in a data gathering culture, in a culture where data is a fingertip away. Past “experts” quickly fall by the wayside. But the evidence and the facts remain. Investigative Method is everything. It does not take into account the PR of “who” people are.
The same standards that are prerequisite to enter university have become universal. Arguments must be based on their merits. Conclusions must be drawn from the evidence. Not from sound bites, factoids and PR.
The approach of logic is mandatory for these quite popular and (for some tabloid) topics. This I adhere to in my work. I don’t shout my own name and I’m not impressed with the reputations of others. I study and investigate a broad range of subjects, and I base my arguments on the evidence. It is this which has gotten me international recognition, television coverage, and what continues to bring surfers back to this site.
I’m often asked why I investigate mysteries. The answer is simple. Mystery is an invitation to learn. A mystery conceals something we don’t know. Therefore it represents something new to discover. With each brick of knowledge, we are closer to building entire edifices of science.
When I began 22 years ago I was young, skinny and handsome. Now I’m middle-aged, not so skinny, and my looks have encountered an eggbeater. According to a few celebrities I’m also eccentric. Be that as it may, facts speak for themselves. And I strive to present these and to draw the rational conclusion from the observed data.
I was first published by McGraw-Hill. Due to my love of book production and design, I design my own author’s version (unless contract does not allow) as giveaways and for those who wish to buy an early version. After this, I seek a mainstream publisher for some of my works. A couple I keep under my own auspices. But usually these are sneak peaks at an upcoming corporate edition. Below are icons that lead you to my “author” edition books and to published versions.
