Ronson has a way of humanizing the worst or most ridiculous among us, and this is a beautiful thing. There are a couple of cases in this book that he didn't even attempt to find apology for, and with good reason. A few of them nod. “She was a lovely girl,” one says. “Not emotional. Just like everyone here. Nice and friendly and happy.” Part One: 'What does electricity taste like?' 'Like a planet around a star.' — The Things We're Willing To Believe

That ship absolutely seethes with rumours,” Melissa says. “Yes. She was in a relationship, and there were problems, and it was upsetting her. It was a very, very intense relationship. It was great and then it was awful. They were both fiery, passionate personalities.”

Success!

The case he’s talking about is that of Lynsey O’Brien, who went missing on 5 January 2006 while on a cruise with her family off the Mexican coast. The cruise line, Costa Magica, conducted its own investigation into her disappearance and decided there was “no evidence of an accidental fall”, that Lynsey had shown the bartender ID stating that she was 23 years old and that her death was caused by “underage drinking”. While they “continued to extend their deepest sympathy” to the family, they claimed their report cleared them of any wrongdoing. I call Disney. Their spokesperson tells me, “If you talked to crew members, you’ll know Rebecca’s disappearance has been difficult and heartbreaking for everyone.” And beyond that they can say nothing much else except, “The police in the Bahamas are also telling us the investigation is still ongoing. They have not shared a timeline with us, either.” When she didn’t report for work at 9am, the crew Tannoyed her. They searched the ship and called the Mexican coastguard, who searched the waters, all to no avail. That was seven months ago. Have you any idea how many people are lost at sea on cruise ships> No? 171 since 2000 Here Ronson tries to get to the bottom of one of these losses. I found this piece more irritating than gripping, but was intrigued by the subject - one that nobody talks about.

Who knew that Robbie Williams believes in UFOs and aligned being abducted by aliens as much like being in Take That as a teenager? The New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Psychopath Test," Jon Ronson writes about the dark, uncanny sides of humanity with clarity and humor. "Lost at Sea "reveals how deep our collective craziness lies, even in the most mundane circumstances. It's very hard to describe this collection of Guardian and GQ columns written by the author of Men Who Stare at Goats. On the surface, the topics sound decidedly dark - a high-school murder plot in North Pole, Alaska, the suspected cover up of the disappeaIn an experiment to see who is offered the most credit cards and loans he sets up a dozen personalities with different magazine subscriptions and hobbies to see what happens. Predictably it is the unemployed gambler who is offed them all. I laughed harder at this book than I’ve ever laughed at any book ever. Not all the way through, mind you - some parts were serious, some sad and some downright depressing, but there were also bits where out of nowhere I’d find myself bent-double, honking with laughter or shooting tea out of my nose. She means it’s magical, but tiny and dark. Their cabins are windowless, below sea level, like steel boxes. Crew members are contracted to work seven days a week for four-, six- or eight-month stretches (according to how high up the ladder they are) before being allowed a few months off. At 10pm one night, I see some women from Rebecca’s department – Youth Activities – playing with kids on the stairs. It seems they’re on duty as long as there are kids who need entertaining. A former member of staff, Kim Button, has written a blog about life on the Wonder: “I don’t think it’s possible to imagine how tiny a crew room is without actually seeing it! Seriously, your mind can’t even fathom such things. We had staff meetings at 2am, the only time when one of us wasn’t working, so even if your work day ended at 10pm, you couldn’t get much sleep because you had to be in a meeting at 2am… The crew pool is literally one of the few places where crew members can just hang out and be themselves, without fear of acting improperly in front of guests.” It's very hard to describe this collection of Guardian and GQ columns written by the author of Men Who Stare at Goats. On the surface, the topics sound decidedly dark - a high-school murder plot in North Pole, Alaska, the suspected cover up of the disappearance of a Disney cruise employee who went missing off a ship, the trial of an '80s pop star accused of pedophilia. But Ronson is the kind of narrator who has the gift of making all these stories accessibly human, truly fascinating, and weirdly entertaining. Jon Ronson’s 2012 book “Lost at Sea” looks at the many weird cases he has reported on. There are loads. Over the years Ronson has covered many memorable stories and scandals.

Who Killed Richard Cullen?. Published two years before the financial crisis, this investigation (obviously couched in the most accessible and human terms possible) of subprime lending and credit culture was extremely perspicacious. If only people had paid attention at the time. I’ve Thought About Doing Myself in Loads of Times… A really dark exploration of family men who lose it and kill their entire families and themselves. This wasn’t fun but it was worth it. Blood Sacrifice, Amazing piece of journalism on the Jesus Christians, who were trying to illegally donate kidneys to strangers in 2002/2003. I can’t think of any other reason why she’d have been upset and wandering around by herself at 6am,” Melissa says. “From what I’ve heard, she was on the phone to a mutual friend. Not the girl she’d been having the relationship with.”On Wednesday a very elegant man called Hugh delivers the gleaming silver Aston Martin to my house. 'Wow!' I say, politely. But I don't feel it. I'm like a sociopath when it comes to expensive cars. I feel no emotion.

And so, after everyone has gone to bed, I have a brief conversation with one of Rebecca’s closer friends from the ship. The Hunger Games. Jon investigates the world of competitive eating in the US. Interesting but overall pretty depressing. And then Melissa starts telling me some odd little things. She says after Rebecca went missing, Disney had a little ceremony. They put flowers at the wall next to the crew pool, “where they think she might have jumped from. But they didn’t say. They put these flowers down but refused to answer any questions as to why. It was left unsaid. It really stirred things up. Why are they putting them there? Nothing was clear.”Lost at Sea. Heartbreaking look at what happens when people fall off cruiseliners and how nobody seems to be accountable. Made me never want to go on a cruise. Ronson is a character himself his pieces, a highly neurotic, cynical one, but also one who also brings the perfect blend of insight and wryness to his personally felt observations. Phoning a Friend. Charles Ingram et al cheated on millionaire in 2001. The least whelming of the chapters.