How To Solve a Mystery

How To Solve a Mystery

From How To! with Charles Duhigg by How To!

April 14, 2026 · 40 min · Episode 383

About this episode

Mike Pesca discusses the art of solving mysteries with private investigator Christian and guest Brett, who seeks a more tangible problem-solving experience.

Brett has spent her career in foreign policy — shaping strategy, advising governments, moving pieces on a board whose outcomes she may never live to fully see. It's meaningful work. It just never feels finished. So she's started thinking about a different kind of problem: the kind with a beginning, a middle, and an answer. Oh, also, and these mysteries keep presenting themselves in her workplace, and Brett loves mysteries! On this episode of How To!, Mike brings on Christian, a private investigator to talk through the realities of being a PI. He walks Brett through the subtle art of "elicitation," the unglamorous realities of tailing cars and tracing skips, and why cracking a case in the real world is less about lurking in shadows and more about being the kind of person people want to talk to. Executive Producer Corey Wara Edited by Geoff Craig Booking by Ben Astaire Do you have a burning question or a problem you need help with? Email us at [email protected] and we will consider your topic for the show. For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To receive ad-free content, become a Pesca Plus subscriber at…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Pesca

Guests: Brett, Christian

Topics covered

  • mystery solving
  • private investigation
  • foreign policy
  • elicitation
  • real-world cases

Keywords

  • mystery
  • investigation
  • elicitation
  • private investigator
  • foreign policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Peach Fish Projects

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