I’ve always had a thing for mysteries. Growing up, Scooby-Doo was my jam—solving spooky mysteries with a goofy crew in a van (a dream gig, really). But this year, I took my mystery obsession to a new level. Scandinavian murder mysteries? Check. Dark, brooding detectives wandering icy landscapes? Yep, I binged them all. And just when I thought I couldn’t watch any more suspects get interrogated, I found myself at a real-life mystery hotspot—the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul.

I should have known that my year of intrigue would lead me here. The place has an Agatha Christie restaurant and an Alfred Hitchcock suite. I mean, come on—talk about living my best sleuth life! There I was, on the next-to-last day of the year, savoring a caramel pudding while surrounded by the ghosts of crime fiction royalty. It was as if all those hours spent binging mystery series had led me straight to the source, like some cosmic clue trail.

But in the grand mystery of life, it’s not just TV shows that keep me guessing. My new job? A mystery unto itself. My old one? A puzzle I’m still piecing together. Life has been full of twists and turns this year, and I’ve had to play detective more times than I can count. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my beloved mysteries—whether it’s Scandinavian noir or Scooby-Doo—it’s that the truth always comes out. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll solve a few more puzzles with a bit of flair and caramel pudding in hand.

Here’s to cracking life’s codes, unmasking the culprits, and doing it all in grand style. Who knows what mysteries 2025 will bring? Maybe I’ll even get my own theme song.