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Missing 411: The Devil's in the Details
This is the fourth book in the blockbuster “Missing 411” series that describes unusual incidents of people that have disappeared in National Parks and forests of the world. It is a significant step forward in the understanding of the missing phenomena that adds several new elements never before identified. This book describes additional victims, new locations and circumstances while outlining new geographical clusters. The number of people that fit the identified profile and the distances and elevations covered during their journeys will mesmerize you. - From CanAmMissing website
422 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
31 people are currently reading
3067 people want to read
About the author
David Paulides
20 books530 followersWriter, researcher, and investigative journalist.
Paulides is mostly known for his writing on disappearances in national parks and Big Foot / Sasquatch.
Paulides is mostly known for his writing on disappearances in national parks and Big Foot / Sasquatch.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 3, 2017
[library]
So. Of course I'm fascinated by David Paulides' Missing 411 series (which I found through the documentary that came out this year). Fascinated and yet brutally skeptical.
Missing persons is a horrifying and baffling phenomenon, and while I appreciate the sheer quantity of data Paulides has collected in this and the 5 other Missing 411 books, I do not appreciate his sensationalist, faux-scientific, and disingenuously "neutral" approach to the material. Paulides is a former Bigfoot researcher, and while I do believe that he is sincerely appalled by the number of people who go missing in our national parks, I also believe that he recognized the inconclusive and bizarre anecdotal evidence as perfect to supply as fodder to every conspiracy theorist under the sun. (He admits in the introduction to this book that it works, too.)
I want to find a copy of Robert Koester's Lost Person Behavior , which Paulides quotes in order to triumphantly prove that the cases he documents are all outside the bell-curve of "normal" disappearances (whatever a "normal" disappearance might be--Paulides doesn't say, and I frankly don't think the beast exists), because from the interview with Koester I found online, it looks to me suspiciously like most of the things Paulides cites as "unusual" (by which he means paranormal, even as he strenuously insists that he is putting no interpretation on the facts whatsoever) are, while mysterious, actually common and even explicable. Some of them aren't even mysterious. More people go missing from wilderness areas. More people go missing when they're alone or when (if they're with a group) they've lagged behind or run ahead. In many cases where a person is not found, bad weather has moved in immediately after they disappear. (I also want to find someone who actually works with bloodhounds, because Paulides sets up as "normal" the idea that bloodhounds can track anyone, anywhere, anytime, and never lose a scent. Thus it is "unusual" when the bloodhound can't find a scent, or loses it after a short distance. But I would like to know what actual normal looks like in tracking with bloodhounds, because I know bloodhounds, while amazing, are not infallible4.) Common sense and logic can provide, with less than ten seconds' thought, why these factors might correlate across a large number of cases. But Paulides simply, willfully refuses, in every case, to accept a logical explanation. He frequently asserts that his cases defy logical explanation. And, of course, because he's made it programmatic that he draws no conclusions and offers no theories, he's permanently off the hook himself. Which is shoddy and, as I said, disingenuous: heads I win, tails you lose.
So. Of course I'm fascinated by David Paulides' Missing 411 series (which I found through the documentary that came out this year). Fascinated and yet brutally skeptical.
Missing persons is a horrifying and baffling phenomenon, and while I appreciate the sheer quantity of data Paulides has collected in this and the 5 other Missing 411 books, I do not appreciate his sensationalist, faux-scientific, and disingenuously "neutral" approach to the material. Paulides is a former Bigfoot researcher, and while I do believe that he is sincerely appalled by the number of people who go missing in our national parks, I also believe that he recognized the inconclusive and bizarre anecdotal evidence as perfect to supply as fodder to every conspiracy theorist under the sun. (He admits in the introduction to this book that it works, too.)
I want to find a copy of Robert Koester's Lost Person Behavior , which Paulides quotes in order to triumphantly prove that the cases he documents are all outside the bell-curve of "normal" disappearances (whatever a "normal" disappearance might be--Paulides doesn't say, and I frankly don't think the beast exists), because from the interview with Koester I found online, it looks to me suspiciously like most of the things Paulides cites as "unusual" (by which he means paranormal, even as he strenuously insists that he is putting no interpretation on the facts whatsoever) are, while mysterious, actually common and even explicable. Some of them aren't even mysterious. More people go missing from wilderness areas. More people go missing when they're alone or when (if they're with a group) they've lagged behind or run ahead. In many cases where a person is not found, bad weather has moved in immediately after they disappear. (I also want to find someone who actually works with bloodhounds, because Paulides sets up as "normal" the idea that bloodhounds can track anyone, anywhere, anytime, and never lose a scent. Thus it is "unusual" when the bloodhound can't find a scent, or loses it after a short distance. But I would like to know what actual normal looks like in tracking with bloodhounds, because I know bloodhounds, while amazing, are not infallible4.) Common sense and logic can provide, with less than ten seconds' thought, why these factors might correlate across a large number of cases. But Paulides simply, willfully refuses, in every case, to accept a logical explanation. He frequently asserts that his cases defy logical explanation. And, of course, because he's made it programmatic that he draws no conclusions and offers no theories, he's permanently off the hook himself. Which is shoddy and, as I said, disingenuous: heads I win, tails you lose.
October 14, 2019
Excellent book. I not only recommend reading ALL his books, but also listen to his podcasts and follow his webpage and social media accounts. These are books that terrifying, mysterious and haunting. They stay with you. These aren't scary stories. These are true accounts of murder and abductions that have been going on for a very, very long time by malicious forces. Read these books.
September 2, 2015
An interesting read - but it certainly doesn't provide any evidence of some strange phenomenon in our National Parks. Rather it is an author trying to twist the facts to support his preconceived ideas. I posted my review on my blog, so I won't recreate it here.
https://wineandhistory.wordpress.com/...
https://wineandhistory.wordpress.com/...
November 30, 2014
This is another book of unusual missing persons cases by David Paulides. The information is intriguing, but I do believe some of the cases can be explained by mundane abduction or murder. While I have enjoyed and am fascinated by all of the "Missing 411" books, I will say that typographical errors cause some of the entries to be difficult to understand and some time lines difficult to follow. I would be interested in reading a follow-up book that details some of the theories as to what/who is causing these disappearances in wilderness areas.
April 13, 2016
order from http://www.canammissing.com/
(also on Amazon, but price-gouging very bad there on these books)
A person is there one moment, but gone the next. Untrackable by any means we currently have. Later found dead, or sometimes in a groggy state, unable to reveal what happened to them. It's pretty hard to ignore what this nonfictional book has to say; having once been made aware of these true missing-person accounts by lawman-turned-investigative-journalist David Paulides, you want to see the whole phenomenom of people going missing with strange circumstances surrounding their disappearance conclude. But it's not; there are new cases that fit the author's profile almost daily in the news. I work in publishing, so I will say this series sometimes lacks literary polish, editing finesse or visual punch; but I must stress that these quickly lose meaning against the expert vetting, the complex, SHOCKING details, and the enigmatic profile developed towards the STRANGE DISAPPEARANCES and DEATHS in these books... and how they reach into your mind and won't let go. Something is going on here, and we have no idea how to stop it.
Many have taken place in our national parks and forests. Though some park employees tried to help the searches, you’ll come to see the authorities of the National Park Service as unconcerned, free of ethics and rather criminally negligent towards folks gone missing or found dead in their parks, which is not the image they'd like to project as they plan various “100th anniversary” events and invite families to come traipse through their wildernesses. Human scale is a character here: what are people, especially children, capable of physically doing in certain amounts of time? What don’t we know about their disappearance, and why aren’t there clues? Why do the parks not advertise the persons gone missing within their borders? Also, the loss and pain of the families left behind is not forgotten by this former police detective, and many interviews with heartbroken loved ones are faithfully included.
Oddities abound. All cases are real, not composites or “re-imaginings,” and are located in places most of us have either been already or have dreamed of going. Many will leave you emotionally stunned; you think, “I've done that,” or “I've been there!” It never escapes you for a minute that you, or your loved ones, could also have been a page in this book. It's brutal going, yet mesmerizing, because each case starts out with absolutely ordinary past-times – most of us have hiked, camped, hunted, played outside or picked berries – yet all finish with a situation, very often death, that cannot be explained by any of the persons involved. I can't really use the word “enjoyed” about the long, late hours I spent, eyeballs watery and twitching, reading this book, and the others in the series. But I did, and still do, feel a profound sense of involvement and mental challenge at mulling the details, and a driving NEED to figure out HOW these things could have happened, and WHAT could be the reasons.
At first, the “answers” come the way our minds are trained and ready to answer (wild animals - weather conditions - psycho killers - UFOs - Bigfoot - demons- etc - fill in your own as you go), but keep with the series and you will see that NO ONE HAS THE ACTUAL ANSWERS to these baffling occurrences to ordinary people just like you and me. I don't think I will EVER forget these books.
***NOTE: This book, and the others in the series, are BEST PURCHASED FROM THE WEBSITE mentioned above.***
(also on Amazon, but price-gouging very bad there on these books)
A person is there one moment, but gone the next. Untrackable by any means we currently have. Later found dead, or sometimes in a groggy state, unable to reveal what happened to them. It's pretty hard to ignore what this nonfictional book has to say; having once been made aware of these true missing-person accounts by lawman-turned-investigative-journalist David Paulides, you want to see the whole phenomenom of people going missing with strange circumstances surrounding their disappearance conclude. But it's not; there are new cases that fit the author's profile almost daily in the news. I work in publishing, so I will say this series sometimes lacks literary polish, editing finesse or visual punch; but I must stress that these quickly lose meaning against the expert vetting, the complex, SHOCKING details, and the enigmatic profile developed towards the STRANGE DISAPPEARANCES and DEATHS in these books... and how they reach into your mind and won't let go. Something is going on here, and we have no idea how to stop it.
Many have taken place in our national parks and forests. Though some park employees tried to help the searches, you’ll come to see the authorities of the National Park Service as unconcerned, free of ethics and rather criminally negligent towards folks gone missing or found dead in their parks, which is not the image they'd like to project as they plan various “100th anniversary” events and invite families to come traipse through their wildernesses. Human scale is a character here: what are people, especially children, capable of physically doing in certain amounts of time? What don’t we know about their disappearance, and why aren’t there clues? Why do the parks not advertise the persons gone missing within their borders? Also, the loss and pain of the families left behind is not forgotten by this former police detective, and many interviews with heartbroken loved ones are faithfully included.
Oddities abound. All cases are real, not composites or “re-imaginings,” and are located in places most of us have either been already or have dreamed of going. Many will leave you emotionally stunned; you think, “I've done that,” or “I've been there!” It never escapes you for a minute that you, or your loved ones, could also have been a page in this book. It's brutal going, yet mesmerizing, because each case starts out with absolutely ordinary past-times – most of us have hiked, camped, hunted, played outside or picked berries – yet all finish with a situation, very often death, that cannot be explained by any of the persons involved. I can't really use the word “enjoyed” about the long, late hours I spent, eyeballs watery and twitching, reading this book, and the others in the series. But I did, and still do, feel a profound sense of involvement and mental challenge at mulling the details, and a driving NEED to figure out HOW these things could have happened, and WHAT could be the reasons.
At first, the “answers” come the way our minds are trained and ready to answer (wild animals - weather conditions - psycho killers - UFOs - Bigfoot - demons- etc - fill in your own as you go), but keep with the series and you will see that NO ONE HAS THE ACTUAL ANSWERS to these baffling occurrences to ordinary people just like you and me. I don't think I will EVER forget these books.
***NOTE: This book, and the others in the series, are BEST PURCHASED FROM THE WEBSITE mentioned above.***
December 9, 2015
Scarier than the average horror novel, IMO.
January 9, 2015
This is the fourth book in the Missing 411 series. Paulides pulls together missing person cases from all around the globe. Most of these individuals disappear in rural areas, often near national parks. Some disappear and nothing is ever found. A few are located. However, most are unable to say what happened to them. Some are just too young to be able to articulate what happened, others have vague recollections. Many are found deceased, often missing clothing and footwear. An odd find considering the rough terrain where the bodies are often found. After reading these books, I'd recommend those heading into the great outdoors carry a firearm. Like other books in the series, the author allows the cases to speak for themselves. He doesn't speculate on who or what may be involved in these disappears.
August 13, 2016
If you like this genre, it's a 5-star read. I found some of it scary. Earlier versions of Missing 411 (there are 4) have less detail and are less subtle about suggesting the paranormal, but this version has longer, more detailed stories and is not pointing as obviously to "alien abduction" and other absurd notions as explanations. Still, some of the stories are pretty spooky when you consider the vast unlikelihood that the victims could be in the place or condition they're actually found in, whether alive or dead. Like the 2-year-old who presumably removed his own clothes and was found at an elevation twice as high as the one he was lost at. There is no explanation for many of these disappearances.
June 22, 2017
"June 22, 2017 – Finished Reading
June 22, 2017 –
70.0% "The stories are going to shock you..."
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "The movie speaks for itself"
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "A lot of cases of disappearances have been reported..."
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "The question is "How did it happen?"
...
They gone and they were never found 1 year... then 2...3....4...5....6.... 7... and how did it happen that?"
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "It's based on true events, stories and that's what's awesome for this whole novel."
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "The story is mind bending"
June 22, 2017 – Started Reading"
- Oh, beloved god all of them are missing... and people are suffering... and are fulfilled with grief.
June 22, 2017 –
70.0% "The stories are going to shock you..."
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "The movie speaks for itself"
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "A lot of cases of disappearances have been reported..."
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "The question is "How did it happen?"
...
They gone and they were never found 1 year... then 2...3....4...5....6.... 7... and how did it happen that?"
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "It's based on true events, stories and that's what's awesome for this whole novel."
June 22, 2017 –
50.0% "The story is mind bending"
June 22, 2017 – Started Reading"
- Oh, beloved god all of them are missing... and people are suffering... and are fulfilled with grief.
August 22, 2017
Awesome Book, just like the others in the Series, Missing 411 (Eastern) (Western) United States! Always hike/climb and camp with others. Do not go in the Woods Alone!!
July 6, 2018
This is some scary truth here,a catalog of mysteries, walking in the woods is not the same since,highly recommended
June 9, 2019
This is a tough one to rate. I didn't like it. It scared me. But that means it was powerful. So... give the Devil his due...
If this were fiction, I would say "How repetitive! Find another way to say things!" But this isn't fiction. It's deeply researched and documented reality. I couldn't finish it and ended up bouncing around checking locations and years and, in one horrible instance, people who were friends of a friend. I was nervous and jittery and something about this topic is talking to me on a level I don't want to access any more deeply.
I began reading this, my first 411 encounter...and likely my last..., because I stumbled across tales from Skinwalker Ranch. It boggled my mind that such a place existed and I wondered why researchers hadn't descended on the place in droves to figure out what was going on there. Well...it turns out the owners sold the ranch and fled. The new owners? The U.S. government. That's when I began to wonder about odd occurrences on government-owned land. Is there another layer to the national parks we assume are simply kept as havens for the wild and playgrounds for the nature-loving? A friend pointed me toward this volume of the 411 series.
So... wow... I'm going to find something fanciful to take my mind somewhere else now.
If this were fiction, I would say "How repetitive! Find another way to say things!" But this isn't fiction. It's deeply researched and documented reality. I couldn't finish it and ended up bouncing around checking locations and years and, in one horrible instance, people who were friends of a friend. I was nervous and jittery and something about this topic is talking to me on a level I don't want to access any more deeply.
I began reading this, my first 411 encounter...and likely my last..., because I stumbled across tales from Skinwalker Ranch. It boggled my mind that such a place existed and I wondered why researchers hadn't descended on the place in droves to figure out what was going on there. Well...it turns out the owners sold the ranch and fled. The new owners? The U.S. government. That's when I began to wonder about odd occurrences on government-owned land. Is there another layer to the national parks we assume are simply kept as havens for the wild and playgrounds for the nature-loving? A friend pointed me toward this volume of the 411 series.
So... wow... I'm going to find something fanciful to take my mind somewhere else now.
March 1, 2017
David Paulides continues to bring us more cases of strange disappearances from the USA and around the world using the same presentation format that he used in his previous books. In addition to the individual entries, he includes a section at the end where he presents complied tables from all his books to date documenting details, such as distances the missing covered before they were found, whether a missing person was an "intellectual" and other strange coincidences of note.
If you enjoy Paulides' work then you'll find this book to be more of the great work you'd expect. To those that have not read any books in the series I encourage you to give it a go. The format may get repetitive but I think it's a proper way to relay the information that Paulides is trying to share to the masses about these strange occurrences in the wilderness.
If you enjoy Paulides' work then you'll find this book to be more of the great work you'd expect. To those that have not read any books in the series I encourage you to give it a go. The format may get repetitive but I think it's a proper way to relay the information that Paulides is trying to share to the masses about these strange occurrences in the wilderness.
November 25, 2015
READ THIS NOW!!! It offers crucial pieces to the puzzle of random disappearances. People disappear every year around the world and it is accepted as just mysterious disappearances. Something unnatural is going on. Just the facts here.
February 28, 2020
This is the third book I have read in Mr Paulides series, named Missing 411. Yet again there are a number of disturbing disappearances that carry many of the hallmarks of the previous books I have read. Although I do feel that some of the cases may be down to crime, or perhaps just some people getting lost in the wilderness. There is another strange section of people whom, quite frankly, it's very difficult to get an explanation of how, where and when they vanished. The cases I find most upsetting are the children and I can never read those cases without taking a break. They are heartbreaking, but at the same time inexplicable. Many of these people know the area they hike/ visit very well, some have compasses or maps. I am at a loss to discover how you can possibly go missing using a map and compass. It still seems to happen though. I am going to read another book in the series. I just wish these books were made more available in the UK. Although they are cheaper to buy on Mr Paulides own website, it is extremely expensive to get them shipped to the UK. I wish there was a cheaper method to obtain the books in the UK. I have had to save up to buy mine.
March 8, 2025
I didn't finish this one, BUT I have a whole stack of them and have read a couple here and there, and parts of others. I will say they're kind of all the same --in a really good impossible-to-put-down way. These books will blow your mind. The stories of ALL the people who went missing in the woods, people who lagged behind and just disappeared into thin air....or children who vanished and then reappeared miles away on top of a mountain. Or find your state and read about all the missing people you know or may have heard of. Seriously, give one of these a read and you'll likely want to read them all.
September 14, 2020
These books are incredibly difficult to rate. I still maintain that this guy needs an editor or two, ...
It is difficult to say "I Liked" a book about people going missing. But it is good that someone is looking into this phenomenon, ....
It is difficult to say "I Liked" a book about people going missing. But it is good that someone is looking into this phenomenon, ....
February 4, 2022
This is the fourth in the series and it didn’t disappoint. Like the others, it was a Christmas gift from my son. David Paulides went into even greater detail than he did in his previous books. And these disappearances can’t be explained. I was surprised to see the story of someone from my area who disappeared and survived. But for many there’s simply no rhyme or reason. 18 month old children can’t walk15 miles in one day. I highly recommend this book.
July 7, 2016
David Paulides is to be commended for the tedious research he has done with his Missing 411 books. In this new edition, he provides even more cases from North America and all over the world. This book will make you rethink your paradigm about people who disappear in the wilds. This book will make you grow eyes in the back of your head when you enter the woods, and be a thousand times more attentive about keeping track of the people in your group.
The author has opened a door to an issue that deserves more national attention, and hopefully someone in Congress will push for full cooperation and disclosure from the National Parks and law enforcement agencies to provide records of withheld cases so that this mystery can be solved.
The author has opened a door to an issue that deserves more national attention, and hopefully someone in Congress will push for full cooperation and disclosure from the National Parks and law enforcement agencies to provide records of withheld cases so that this mystery can be solved.
July 11, 2016
fascinating,,highly recomended. :)
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