They Called Him Mostly Harmless

A mysterious stranger is found dead in a tent in an Everglades campground. Identified as a male weighing only 83 pounds, he had $3,500 on him but no ID. Even more perplexing are the handwritten pages of detailed code that were found nearby.

When the police cannot identify the body or determine a cause of death, internet sleuths and chat groups take the search for his identity online. Soon, people begin recognizing him as a hiker they met on a trail somewhere in Appalachia or Florida. Known as “Mostly Harmless,” no one caught his real name or where exactly he was from.

The enigma of it all sparks an obsessive search for answers that builds to the surprising unveiling of one man’s human condition. This fascinating, non-fiction puzzle-box of a story takes you on a journey from the natural world to the digital age of social media and modern science, and back again.