Unsolved Enigmas: Incredible events that have puzzled the greatest minds

by Sam Pilger

In our quest to understand the world, we seek meaning in every bizarre situation. There’s nothing more fascinating to us than a good mystery. Collected here are some of the world’s strangest enigmas, from mysterious green children to haunted town halls. Did Australian pilot Frederick Valentich encounter UFOs? What caused the children of the Hollinwell Incident to collapse? Was the Rhode Island vampire, Mercy Brown, really a vampire? Why is the Screaming Mummy screaming? These intriguing tales are told through concise but thorough reviews of the background and evidence, before revealing the often surprising theories surrounding each case. Unsolved Enigmas features over 160 photographs, paintings, illustrations, and maps to help amateur sleuths get to the bottom of what really happened.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Mystery, True Crime

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[SheLove2Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy reading unsolved mysteries, this is mildly interesting. Most of the ones in this book I was already aware of, and didn't really give many details that you couldn't find on a quick Google search. Still, it is broken down into small sections so it makes for easy reading when you don't feel like starting a new book.

[Carlimact · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Unsolved Enigmas" is a collection of the strangest mysteries that have plagued history.

I enjoy true crime and unsolved mysteries so this was a fun read (even if i was familiar with most of them)

The prose is easy to read, which is a highlight since non-fiction can drag sometimes

Overall, a good time all around

[Caryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and occasionally creepy. Needed a better proofreader.

[Millie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved trying to solve it myself knowing that I was ultimately unable to

[c_reads_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unsolved Enigmas by Sam Pilger and Leo Moynihan contains 39 “incredible events that have puzzled the greatest minds,” as the cover states. The enigmas are divided into five categories: Historical Enigmas, Mysterious Disappearances, The Supernatural, Enigmatic Creatures, and Enigmatic People. The mysteries range from occurring centuries ago to currently, and each one has many speculative answers, yet few answers are convincing enough. I enjoyed reading this very interesting book. While some of the enigmas in this book weren’t as intriguing as others, I overall really liked this book. What was the cause of the Dancing Plague?, Why is the Screaming Mummy screaming?, Who - or what - were the Faces of Bélmez?, Why did the Leatherman walk?, and Who wrote the Circleville Letters? were just a few of my favorite mysteries discussed. When I saw this book in the sale section of Barnes & Noble, my curiosity was piqued, and it did not disappoint. I would recommend this book to anyone who, like me, has a curious spirit!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unsolved Enigmas by Sam Pilger and Leo Moynihan contains 39 “incredible events that have puzzled the greatest minds,” as the cover states. The enigmas are divided into five categories: Historical Enigmas, Mysterious Disappearances, The Supernatural, Enigmatic Creatures, and Enigmatic People. The mysteries range from occurring centuries ago to currently, and each one has many speculative answers, yet few answers are convincing enough. I enjoyed reading this very interesting book. While some of the enigmas in this book weren’t as intriguing as others, I overall really liked this book. What was the cause of the Dancing Plague?, Why is the Screaming Mummy screaming?, Who - or what - were the Faces of Bélmez?, Why did the Leatherman walk?, and Who wrote the Circleville Letters? were just a few of my favorite mysteries discussed. When I saw this book in the sale section of Barnes & Noble, my curiosity was piqued, and it did not disappoint. I would recommend this book to anyone who, like me, has a curious spirit!

[Lawrence Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I'm partial to exploring unsolved mysteries because a lot of the media I've consumed about such things is usually really funny or really immersive (Buzzfeed Unsolved, Watcher, Bedtime Stories etc.), so when I got the chance to pick this book up as a quick read I jumped at it.

It's a decently fun guide to all sorts of unsolved mysteries throughout history. It takes the material seriously so there is an intellectual side that tries to convey a rational explanation for a weird phenomena. It's not all just ghosts as well! I was actually quite intrigued by the chapter that covered unidentified people. We know they existed, we just don't know anything about them. Another plus for this book is that it was published in 2019, so modern updates to some of these stories add to the perception that even modern science cannot penetrate the enigmas yet.

A recommend from me if you're looking for a fun, quick read.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty broad cross section of mysteries throughout history, from the relatively mundane (did Shakespeare actually write his own plays? Did Hitler die in his bunker?), to the outlandish (chupacabras, UFOs). A fair number are ones you might already be familiar with (the Dyatlov Pass incident, Mothman, the aforementioned chupacabras), but I did find several strange incidents I'd never heard of before, like the Faces of Belmez, and the Isdal Woman.

However, for all its breadth, Unsolved Enigmas has sacrificed depth. In the introduction, Pilger writes that this isn't a book about searching for answers, but appreciating the mysteries for what they are. Which feels...if not lazy, then at least a bit lacking, to me. Still, if you're looking for an entertaining diversion, or a surface-level introduction to some bizarre rabbit holes, it's a decent enough book.

[Susan Blissett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read covering a number of puzzling events. My favourite chapters included What was the cause of the Dancing Plague? What causes the children of the Hollinwell Incident to collapse? How did the severe feet of the Saltish Sea end up there? Who or what were the faces of Belmez? and Who wrote the Circleville Letters? If you like reading about strange occurrences and bizarre tales, this is the book for you. The photographs, pictures, maps and layout of the pages and book really add to it also. I would have liked a little more detail on some tales, but overall a fascinating read.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond EBN 2023

From Historical Enigmas and the Supernatural to Enigmatic People and Creatures, this is another of the Unsolved series of books. Again, this was well done and I like how they gave us information but then teased us with just a little bit more that is unanswered.

Things like The Screaming Mummy, or Mercy Brown (was she a real vampire?), the Mothman and its history and creepiness, and the people like Bella in the Wych Elm or the Isdal Woman. Wonderful, crazy, creepy, and mind boggling.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short shrift given to a plethora of disparate so-called historically grounded mysteries. Maybe too many mysteries given too little ink to invite further exploration. Sort of a coffee-table book or rather more appropriately a short-visit lavatory tome of almost passing interest. Am surprised I allow myself all too often to be snagged by this sort of shallow book store window dressing. But in this case the real objective was achieved - it managed to separate me from more money than it was worth.

[R.J. Southworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly worth a look if you’re interested in unsolved mysteries, though I’m personally more interested in those concerning actual people or events than supposed supernatural phenomena or cryptids. While the book gets a few details incorrect here and there, it generally takes a fair approach without getting too caught up in more sensational theories, and I certainly learned about a few mysteries I hadn’t heard of before.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fascinating read. There were several segments that really hooked me and had me searching for additional reading material.
I enjoyed the variety of categories found within this book. There were so many interesting and mysterious tales. In fact, I would love to see several of these enigmas blended into fiction stories.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Some of the Enigmas I had heard of others were new to me. The book gives you a short description of the enigma, not getting overly drawn out and a short alternative theory that could be an answer. Some made me curious to so I may look further into them.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book to read, short sections on different cases just enough to make you aware of some cases and cause you to do further interest and ensure that your not bored dragging through pages on cases that maybe aren't as interesting to you.

Bought from the works for a really cheap price, wouldn't recommend buying for the full £13 RRP but a very enjoyable read!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put this down from the beginning. I'm a sucker for the truth of actual events.

[Document Of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genuinely interesting book with loads of cases both well known and lesser know.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There certainly are some creepy things that go unexplained in this world. This was just an easy read and interesting.

[Emily Humphries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories, could have been longer in places.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Faye Sirs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love unsolved mysteries so this was the perfect book for me. Some sections I wasn’t as keen on but overall an easy and interesting read.

[Lucy Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not exactly what I expected but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Richard O' · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting read. would recommend.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally I pick up books like this to help me sleep. This was not the book to do that. It was interesting, and kept my attention the whole time. I'm interested in missing persons, cryptids, and supernatural happenings and this book had a good mix of well known and uncommon cases.

[Erica Char · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a bit more out of this. Some parts were interesting.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting events through history around the world. Quick read.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and interesting read of the more and lesser known mysteries, conspiracy theories and crimes over the last few centuries, lots of fun if a little short on detail.