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The Missing Musk: A Casebook of Mysteries from the Natural World
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 reader on a journey of discovery, uncovering the truth behind six mysteries and myths from across the natural world.
From the darkest corners of Britain's churchyards to Scotland's Pentland Hills, Bob travels the length of the UK, seeking answers to questions that have intrigued him throughout his life. In search of the musk's long-lost fragrance, he discovers a possibly murderous story. Investigating the true origins of 'star jelly' leads to encounters with unexplained sightings and substances. Faced with the urban myth-like 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 . . .
From the darkest corners of Britain's churchyards to Scotland's Pentland Hills, Bob travels the length of the UK, seeking answers to questions that have intrigued him throughout his life. In search of the musk's long-lost fragrance, he discovers a possibly murderous story. Investigating the true origins of 'star jelly' leads to encounters with unexplained sightings and substances. Faced with the urban myth-like 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 . . .
- GenresNonfictionScience
320 pages, Paperback
Published March 14, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 21, 2025
In 1826, the naturalist and explorer David Douglas (who also discovered the Douglas fir, among hundreds of other species) discovered the musk flower in western North America. Brought back to Europe, the musk was lauded for its fragrance, and became hugely popular.
And then, in 1913, all the musk flowers across the world lost their fragrance.
This, and five other 'natural puzzles’—star jelly, tardigrades, lichens, the Underground mosquito (endemic to the London Underground) and why most of Britain's yews grow in churchyards—are the mysteries Gilbert sets out to solve in this book.
Each mystery here consists of one chapter. Gilbert’s research takes him through libraries, research institutes, woods, churchyards, marshlands, the London Underground. He meets experts, he goes in search of everything from tardigrades (‘water bears’) to lungwort lichens. His research takes him (at times) centuries back, through scientific documents, literature, newspapers, memoirs, letters.
And he unearths the most astonishing of facts. Not just those directly connected to the mystery he’s trying to solve, but more, too. For instance, how did Douglas (discoverer of the musk flower, as well as of hundreds of other species—including the Douglas fir) die? What really was the ‘ague’ those old writers used to keep mentioning?
Gilbert’s writing is lucid and often witty. He combines a deep ‘personal-ity’ (he takes us along on exploratory treks and trips, shares personal anecdotes, etc) with a more wide-ranging, solidly scientific basis to his explanations. The good thing (as far as I am concerned) is that Gilbert isn’t a scientist; he admits that he was trained in sociology and his interest in nature seems to have little to do with his job: perhaps this is why he is able to write for a lay audience. He doesn’t necessarily dumb it down, though I suspect he probably spent a lot of time and effort whittling down the vast amount of knowledge on all these phenomena in order to create a concise, interesting and entertaining book.
Also, I found it interesting to see how, in all these cases, there’s a certain level of human interaction involved. In the case of the Underground mosquito, that is somewhat obvious; but it also comes forth in other cases, like that of the musk and the yew: Homo sapiens is influenced by nature, and vice-versa, even when we don’t obviously realize that we are affecting our world in any significant way.
I enjoyed this one immensely. It’s informative, yes; but it’s also a very readable, engrossing book. I was left with a sense of wonder—nature has so much more depth to it, so many more mysteries than we humans can even begin to imagine.
And then, in 1913, all the musk flowers across the world lost their fragrance.
This, and five other 'natural puzzles’—star jelly, tardigrades, lichens, the Underground mosquito (endemic to the London Underground) and why most of Britain's yews grow in churchyards—are the mysteries Gilbert sets out to solve in this book.
Each mystery here consists of one chapter. Gilbert’s research takes him through libraries, research institutes, woods, churchyards, marshlands, the London Underground. He meets experts, he goes in search of everything from tardigrades (‘water bears’) to lungwort lichens. His research takes him (at times) centuries back, through scientific documents, literature, newspapers, memoirs, letters.
And he unearths the most astonishing of facts. Not just those directly connected to the mystery he’s trying to solve, but more, too. For instance, how did Douglas (discoverer of the musk flower, as well as of hundreds of other species—including the Douglas fir) die? What really was the ‘ague’ those old writers used to keep mentioning?
Gilbert’s writing is lucid and often witty. He combines a deep ‘personal-ity’ (he takes us along on exploratory treks and trips, shares personal anecdotes, etc) with a more wide-ranging, solidly scientific basis to his explanations. The good thing (as far as I am concerned) is that Gilbert isn’t a scientist; he admits that he was trained in sociology and his interest in nature seems to have little to do with his job: perhaps this is why he is able to write for a lay audience. He doesn’t necessarily dumb it down, though I suspect he probably spent a lot of time and effort whittling down the vast amount of knowledge on all these phenomena in order to create a concise, interesting and entertaining book.
Also, I found it interesting to see how, in all these cases, there’s a certain level of human interaction involved. In the case of the Underground mosquito, that is somewhat obvious; but it also comes forth in other cases, like that of the musk and the yew: Homo sapiens is influenced by nature, and vice-versa, even when we don’t obviously realize that we are affecting our world in any significant way.
I enjoyed this one immensely. It’s informative, yes; but it’s also a very readable, engrossing book. I was left with a sense of wonder—nature has so much more depth to it, so many more mysteries than we humans can even begin to imagine.
April 26, 2023
This book is a series of essays on mysteries found in the natural world. It could be a very dry book, however Bob Gilbert is an accomplished raconteur. The solutions of each mystery could be covered by a couple of pages, but in this book you are taken on a journey with each tale. The journeys are interesting and entertaining. The story of the missing musk, like all good mysteries is told with a few red herrings, an unexplained death, and of course a twist in the tale at the end. I would call this book a collection of scientific shaggy dog stories which would definitely entertain.
May 3, 2023
The Missing Musk is a collection of different mysteries from the natural world that have piqued Bob Gilbert's interest enough for him to investigate and research what really happened. He's not a biologist, but an enthusiastic amateur with a wide ranging network of interesting friends and his findings are often fascinating and very readable.
An enjoyable read from an author who would probably be a brilliant raconteur at a dinner party. Recommended.
An enjoyable read from an author who would probably be a brilliant raconteur at a dinner party. Recommended.
March 13, 2024
A very interesting book with very intriguing questions raised. The author's sense of humor is another bonus. Although, at times, it felt like the author went too far in his answers. For example, speaking about the biography of the composer of a soundtrack for one of the movies in a trilogy of horror movies about star falls...
May 28, 2023
Some non fiction books about natural mysteries are as gripping as the best whodunit. This one of them.
Bob Gilbert delivers six fascinating mystery and I loved what I read
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
Bob Gilbert delivers six fascinating mystery and I loved what I read
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
January 21, 2025
Lent this by Mark - saw at Lit Fest.
Really interesting read.
Really interesting read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2025
Oh man. I’ve been meaning to read this, and it sounds so intriguing, but the title story ended up being the only truly interesting natural mystery… or maybe I’m not “naturalist” enough.
Although the stories and sleuthing are quite interesting (although diminishingly towards the end), I was slowed by the authors looooong diatribes and tangents.
Read this if you’re used to dense non-fiction - for me, it was a bit too dense.
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this eGalley.
Although the stories and sleuthing are quite interesting (although diminishingly towards the end), I was slowed by the authors looooong diatribes and tangents.
Read this if you’re used to dense non-fiction - for me, it was a bit too dense.
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this eGalley.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews