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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.
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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
LITERARY TITAN 