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Rampant Spread of Misinformation
Toxic Minds is a high-stakes medical thriller that plunges a hospitalist into a deadly collision of grief, cultish ideology, and the seductive power of misinformation. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My books in the Dr. Mark Lin Medical Thrillers series involve a new approach to the medical thriller genre, by exploring the intersection between the world of healthcare and society at large. I can imagine plenty of ways where villainous actions out in society result in unusual medical mysteries and crises, such that Dr. Mark Lin, who is disgusted with the worst of humanity, is motivated to go beyond the hospital and tackle the problem at its root. My previous novel, Doctor Lucifer, dealt with a computer hacker interfering with medicine. This time, my latest novel Toxic Minds takes on the issue of cults and disinformation disrupting healthcare.
The inspiration for Toxic Minds draws from my concern about the rampant spread of misinformation and disinformation, particularly in the last decade or so. Whether it involves medicine, science, news, or politics, and whether it’s spread through social media, podcasts, or other routes, misinformation and disinformation have been a serious concern. We have seen tragic deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic that could be attributed to false information about how to treat that disease. Outside of medicine, false information has caused massive divisions and bitter arguments related to major topics like climate change and elections. Then there are examples in which strong belief in ideas contrary to real-world evidence has led to threats of or actual attempts at violence.
As for the issue of cults, they’ve always been around and they still are. I especially remember the Heaven’s Gate cult in the late 1990s, where members had committed mass suicide out of the belief that they can be freed from their bodies and taken away by a comet passing by Earth. That was the first time in my life where I heard about a cult doing something extremely dangerous. It stuck with me for a while.
Altogether, my strong concerns about cults and disinformation led me to create a fictional cult that spreads medical disinformation. That, in turn, led to the writing of Toxic Minds.
The bombing scene is written with restraint but hits hard. What was your approach to writing trauma without relying on graphic imagery?
I’ve always appreciated the technique of hinting at a horror without being explicit about it. A classic example of this is the movie Jaws, where you know a big shark is coming even though you don’t actually see it during its approach. For this scene in Toxic Minds, having the protagonist witness the bombing audibly via a phone call is a perfect way to inflict trauma without imagery.
How did you research the blend of medical realism and conspiracy-driven ideology?
I did plenty of reading into cults in general, along with specific examples of cults like Heaven’s Gate, the Branch Davidians, and the Children of God. The big takeaway is that it doesn’t matter how absurd the cult’s beliefs are. As long as the human mind is susceptible to psychological manipulation, it is possible to get anyone to believe pretty much anything. This made it relatively easy to create the Path to Purity, the fictional cult in my novel. I did not have to follow rules about how cults work because there is no limit to how they function and what their beliefs are. I just created whatever I felt like. Once I did that, then it was a matter of figuring out what medical ailments would result from the Path to Purity. My previous background in medicine made that part easy.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I have begun working on the third novel of the Dr. Mark Lin Medical Thrillers series. I do not wish to disclose the topic at this time, but let’s just say it’s one that plenty of past medical thrillers have tackled. Still, it will be my own unique take on it.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
For hospital physician Dr. Mark Lin, nothing is more gut-wrenching than saving a life only to see it taken by murder.
When one of his patients is killed by a suicide bomber blowing up a clinic, everyone points the finger at a group of anti-abortion extremists. Mark, however, knows the killer’s final words and has a different theory about the culprit: a secretive healing cult called the Path to Purity. It seems the only way to get answers and avenge his patient is to join the Path himself.
Juggling the dual roles of doctor and undercover cult follower, Mark treats patients for ill effects of the Path’s dangerous practices while also proving his worth and advancing along the Path’s ranks. He has only one goal: get close to the mysterious leader known as the Sun Priest and destroy the cult. But the deeper he goes, the deadlier things get. Mark will stop at nothing to uncover the truth, before getting trapped in a heinous plot that could spell devastation on a massive scale.
Toxic Minds is Anthony Lee’s medical thriller where healthcare collides with disinformation and a hateful mind losing touch with reality is the most dangerous of all.
Toxic Minds
Toxic Minds throws you into a whirlwind of hospital hallways, moral dilemmas, and absolute chaos. It’s a fast-paced medical thriller that starts with a fairly routine day for Dr. Mark Lin, a hospitalist, and spirals quickly into something much darker. After one of his patients is killed in a shocking suicide bombing at a nearby clinic, Mark is drawn into a tangled mess of grief, conspiracy, and unsettling truths about the people—and systems—around him. The story doesn’t just deal with medicine; it tackles cult-like ideology, mass manipulation, and the dangerous intersections of pseudoscience and fanaticism.
Lee does a great job writing in a conversational tone that makes you feel like you’re in the trenches with Mark—whether he’s joking with a colleague or stumbling through trauma. I felt the gut-punch during the phone call with Shannon, where she goes from joking about ham sandwiches to facing the terrifying possibility that her pregnancy is now high-risk because of warfarin. And just when you think it’s settled, boom—literally. The way Lee wrote the explosion through a phone call was brilliant. You don’t see the gore, but you feel the horror.
Lee also nails emotional pacing. After the bombing, there’s this wave of guilt, confusion, and dread that just keeps building. Mark’s phone call with Shannon’s husband, Craig, later on hit hard. The way Craig slowly unravels, grasping at hope, is heartbreaking. And Mark—he’s not a superhero. He’s overwhelmed, he blacks out, he doubts himself, but he keeps showing up. That kind of flawed strength makes him feel real. There’s a scene where Mark listens to ‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence while eating dinner, and it’s such a small moment, but it resonated with me. You get to sit in his grief, and it’s quiet and honest.
The plot does get a little ambitious. By the time we’re knee-deep in secret cults and anti-science ideologies disguised as wellness trends, the narrative risks tipping into melodrama. But it works because Lee ties it back to a real concern—the seductive pull of misinformation and how even smart people can fall for dangerous ideas. It’s chilling because it feels familiar. The quotes from Asimov and Voltaire at the start are no accident: belief, when twisted, can absolutely kill.
Toxic Minds is a solid ride. It’s part ER, part true-crime docuseries, and part psychological dive into how we handle (or don’t handle) loss and madness. If you like fast reads with dark turns and emotional depth, this one’s for you. Especially recommended for fans of Robin Cook or Michael Crichton, or anyone who enjoys thinking “well damn” after turning a page.
Pages: 435 | ASIN: B0DZ3JJV4H
Medical Thrillers
Doctor Lucifer follows a proficient but cynical internist who becomes the target of a hacker who is killing his patients by altering their medical records. What was the initial idea behind this story, and how did that transform as you were writing the novel?
As someone who had gone through medical school and the first year of residency before calling it quits, I had seen the various ways that medical records in clinics and hospitals were maintained. Some still primarily used paper charts, another had all-electronic medical records, and others were in between. During the time I began brainstorming my own medical thriller stories after reading several by Robin Cook, I thought about cybersecurity breaches and whether they could directly impact healthcare, where a hacker could change a medication dose or something else in a medical record and ultimately leave a patient suffering or dying from a deliberately placed medical error. I proceeded to think of different ways that a manufactured error in an electronic medical record could harm or kill a patient. Then it was just a matter of placing them in the most appropriate places on the story’s fictional timeline. At first, I had spread them evenly out, but then I knew I had to turn up the stakes. That’s when I decided to shove the first three medical disasters into the beginning, making them occur nearly at the same time.
How did you come up with the idea for the antagonist in this story, and how did it change as you wrote?
I had so much fun figuring out how the computer hacker could sabotage medical records that I never thought about the villain’s identity at first. Once I finished the part of the story where the doctor protagonist has to survive in the hospital, I spent time brainstorming who the villain would be and what the motives are. Without giving anything away, I came up with all of this after thinking about another issue with the medical profession that I felt strongly about. It led me to devise an origin story for the antagonist that, if explained clearly, could ultimately be connected back to the computer hacker plot. It was like taking two pieces of metal and welding them together with a blowtorch, making sure that they connected smoothly and solidly.
I find that while writing, you sometimes ask questions and have the characters answer them. Do you find that to be true? What questions did you ask yourself while writing this story?
Many authors like to talk to their created characters like they’re real-life people in front of them, which can be fun. For me, however, the character of Mark Lin is really a version of myself, specifically me from many years ago during my darkest and most frustrating moments in medical training. I don’t find myself talking to Mark Lin as a separate imaginary person.
While writing my novel, the questions I asked were really addressed to myself. For example, I asked why Mark Lin is such a cynical and angry physician. The answer is simple: I discovered how hard it really is to be a doctor, unlike what the general public might assume, so I naturally felt the need to show everyone outside healthcare what the job is really like and how intense it can get sometimes. Another major question I asked was whether Mark Lin has the potential to grow. The answer was a definite yes because I myself opened my mind and learned things in my adult life. Surely, Mark can, too.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Dr. Mark Lin and the direction of the second book?
My series of medical thrillers featuring Dr. Mark Lin are all about the intersection of the world of medicine and society at large. There is a two-way relationship between medicine and society. Medicine heals people and gives them a second chance at life in society, whereas the things that happen in society determine what kinds of conditions the world of medicine treats. For example, a hospital located in a high-crime area of the city is likely to treat victims of gunshots and stabbings, and a clinic in a poor area of a city is more likely to see preventable conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. In this context, I imagine schemes by various bad actors in society whose impacts amount to a looming public health crisis spilling into healthcare, and Dr. Mark Lin, a doctor who is also disgusted with humanity, tackles the problem both inside the hospital as a doctor and outside the hospital as a tough amateur sleuth. On the way, he may learn lessons that help him become more of a compassionate human being.
Normally, I try to avoid previewing future books before their manuscripts are finished, just to maximize the anticipation before eventual publication. But if anyone asks, I can gladly share select details. My second book will be about the intersection of healthcare and cults. Specifically, Mark faces the consequences of a secretive healing cult that is spreading medical disinformation. Besides treating patients who suffer from the cult’s dangerous practices, Mark goes undercover as a member of that cult, to find out if this group had indeed radicalized someone into murdering multiple people at a clinic, including a patient of his.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
In today’s digital world, no one is safe from cyberattacks. Not even medical doctors and hospitals. Can a hacker remotely kill a doctor’s patients, just by altering medical records?
Dr. Mark Lin, a proficient but cynical and disillusioned internist, is the target of such a hacker, known as Doctor Lucifer. Three of his patients at Ivory Memorial Hospital suffer from medication errors, created by the hacker, yet Mark is forced to take the blame. However, he knows that a computer worm is spreading worldwide and crippling network security everywhere. When Doctor Lucifer threatens more patient deaths, Mark vows to defend his honor.
Together with the hospital’s information technology team, Mark scrambles to outwit the hacker and avert one medical crisis after another. But the consequences of Doctor Lucifer’s actions still hurt Mark, who soon hits rock bottom at the hands of a vengeful widow and an egotistical surgeon. He has no choice but to hunt down and confront Doctor Lucifer, an enemy with a truly malicious purpose.
Doctor Lucifer, Anthony Lee’s debut novel that is the first of a series, is a new take on the medical thriller, featuring unusual life-and-death situations, an antihero doctor taking center stage, and hard-hitting commentary on the state of humanity itself.
Doctor Lucifer
Doctor Lucifer by Anthony Lee is a compelling blend of medical drama and cyber warfare, delving into the sinister potential of our digital age. The story follows Dr. Mark Lin, a skilled yet skeptical internist at Ivory Memorial Hospital, who becomes ensnared in a deadly game with a malevolent hacker known as Doctor Lucifer. As medication errors orchestrated by the hacker lead to the deaths of three patients, Mark finds himself wrongly accused and must team up with the hospital’s IT team to unmask the real perpetrator. The stakes are high as he battles to clear his name and avert further tragedies.
Anthony Lee’s narrative shines in its portrayal of the complex intersection between modern technology and medicine. Themes such as technological vulnerability, professional integrity, and the personal toll of cybercrime are explored with depth and nuance. The novel’s strength lies in its ability to weave suspense with a dramatic portrayal of contemporary challenges in the medical field. The diverse supporting cast, particularly the hospital’s IT team and staff, enriches the story, creating a multifaceted world that adds layers to the main plot. The abundance of technical jargon related to cybersecurity may present a learning opportunity for readers new to these concepts. A more balanced integration of technical details could enhance the story’s accessibility, inviting a broader audience to appreciate its depth. Dr. Lin’s internal conflicts and introspections, essential for his character development, are richly portrayed; however, a more varied and succinct expression of his thoughts could refine the narrative’s pace, making it even more engaging.
Doctor Lucifer is a thought-provoking and exhilarating read that revitalizes the medical thriller genre. It promises a thrilling journey for fans of the Dr. Mark Lin Medical Thrillers series and leaves readers eager for more adventures.
Pages: 315 | ASIN : B0D1YTHPG1
LITERARY TITAN 