Title: Toxic Minds: A Medical Thriller
Author: Anthony Lee
Publisher: Anthony Lee
ISBN: 979-8348330576
Pages: 435
Genre: Fiction / Thriller / Mystery
Reviewer: Ephantus M.
Hollywood Book Reviews
Anthony Lee’s medical thriller Toxic Minds: A Medical Thriller tells the story of a doctor who, in order to expose a convoluted lethal malignant cult that he suspects caused the death of one of his patients, makes the perilous decision to join it anonymously with the aim of bringing it down.
Shannon Dixon, age 32, is a patient Dr. Mark Lin just released from Ivory Memorial Hospital. An explosion on her side of the call abruptly ends their phone conversation. She had gone to the Ivory Memorial Clinic, a small distance from the main hospital, for consultation on a medical issue which was not Lin’s specialty. Lin remembers overhearing a ruckus that Shannon described as including an armed lady who, while she was being detained, took something from her jacket with a wire attached. He also remembers hearing the woman yell, “Purity is mine,” just prior to the explosion.
When another patient mentions attaining “purity” – a term she uses to describe a path to perfect health that involves repeating and memorizing verses from a certain guru – Lin recognizes that this is not merely a coincidence and begins researching what he discovers to be a covert organization called “The Path to Purity,” which meets online every night and in person once a week. He finds out the group claims to help those who seek lasting harmony, peace, and tranquility. When he joins them to learn more, he finds that one of the criteria to demonstrate devotion is to record oneself doing strange rituals over the course of four months. To his surprise, achieving the “Grand Purity” that the group’s leader promises requires extensive indoctrination, corruption, and radicalism. As an undercover cult member, he aims to uncover the truth and establish whether his patient was murdered by The Path. In the process of trying to release as many purists as possible from the leader’s web, he is compelled to tolerate blatant lies and rhetorical fallacies in an effort to gain the leader’s trust.
The catastrophic results of a decision which the protagonist makes, a very improbable sleuth, are examined in this gripping story. His seemingly sensible decision repeatedly puts him in danger of failing as various theories about specific deaths start to emerge. Conversations throughout the book provide startling information that compel the reader to hold out hope for his eventual triumph.
Lee has skillfully crafted a turn of events that totally defied my expectations. Among them is a figure who breaks free from the cult’s web, exposing not just a likely disaster but also a crucial identity. Throughout the book, I could not help but flip the next page as adrenaline surged in from a well-crafted narrative and startling developments.
Toxic Minds: A Medical Thriller by Anthony Lee is one of the greatest detective thrillers I have ever read, and a must-read for every mystery lover. It features nail-biting action and an underdog who achieves the unthinkable. Lee single handedly encourages courage and bravery in the pursuit of personal goals and aspirations along with striving for social justice while providing escapist entertainment for readers. It is one of those novels not to be missed.