The Investigation
The Investigation (original title Śledztwo) is a science fiction/detective/thriller novel by the Polish writer Stanisław Lem. The novel incorporates a philosophical discourse on explanation of unknown phenomena. It was first published in 1958 in Przekrój magazine (issues 698-711) and in 1959 as a book by the Publishing House of the Ministry of National Defense (Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej). Plot The novel is set in London. A young Scotland Yard lieutenant Gregory investigates the mysterious disappearances of corpses from London morgues to reappear somewhere else. The only "explanation" is an abstruse statistical theory that correlates the body snatching with local cancer rates. The detective suspects the statistician Sciss who came up with the theory of being the perpetrator. In reality it appears as if the corpses "resurrect". Gregory suggests that the corpses are being infested by certain microorganisms, which have some kind of collective intelligence. Sciss ponders upon this and thinks that this phenomenon existed for a long time and may explain the belief in resurrection in many religions. Eventually all was explained as a highly unlikely coincidence of several factors. However it turns out that some cases do not fit... Discussion In The Investigation the classic procedural police mystery is