Review: Toxic Minds by Anthony Lee

An ominous and timely collision of medicine and murder, Toxic Minds by Anthony Lee exposes a shadowy side of alternative healing and the deadly power of disinformation.

Just hours after an appointment with a young pregnant mother, Dr. Mark Lin is an unwilling witness to her murder at the hands of a suicide bomber. While initial clues and assumptions point to an anti-abortion extremist group, Mark was uniquely privy to the bomber’s chilling last words: “Purity is Mine.” Recognizing the ominous phrase from some of his patients who had been treated by a secretive healing cult called the Path of Purity, Mark takes his Hippocratic Oath to the next level and infiltrates the cult, propelling himself into its zealous order of believers.

Haunted by the visceral memory of the mother’s death, the good doctor attempts to balance his new double life, but pretending to be in a cult means playing dangerous games of ego, worship, and devotion to the cause. Healing those who have suffered from the cult’s rituals by day, and digging deeper into the nest of vipers by night, the two sides of his life begin to veer dangerously close. Following the Path turns to protest and violence, and those seeking healing become weapons for their guru’s twisted war.

The thematic core of this novel is blatantly raw and contemporary, highlighting the real-time debate of truth vs. fake news, the perennial plague of media manipulation, and the existential danger of laying one’s trust in charlatans. The multisided conflicts between Western medicine, holistic traditions, and faith-based healing are given a measured critique. The narrative tone varies between conversational and detailed, but it is never overloaded with ideological messaging, which gives the storyline added propulsion.

That said, some scenes do feel unnecessarily drawn out in terms of dialogue, narration, or exposition. Immersing readers in medical jargon and physiological nuance is good for mood-setting, but these moments can also affect pacing. Additionally, Lee also overshares his protagonist’s internal monologue and running commentary, frequently explaining the obvious consequences and challenges of a given situation, instead of trusting readers to comprehend the scene’s context. This spoon-feeding approach to storytelling makes it difficult for tension to organically build, especially as the book transforms into more of a taut psychological tale.

Still, many of the medical emergencies, such as Glenda Clarkson’s code blue scene, are riveting moments filled with powerful cinematic energy. When Mark is undercover as “Eric” with his Circle of the Path, it is intensely gripping and relatable, as the reader feels an alternating sense of fascination and fear. One might think that a secret (and ultimately sinister) society would be a bit more thorough in their vetting process, so some suspension of disbelief is required, but the core scenario is so captivating that it’s easy to put this issue aside.

Exposing the grim underbelly of alternative medicine, while making sharp critiques of America’s fractured systems of health care and media, this second installment of the Dr. Mark Lin Medical Thrillers series is a dark and daring novel that fully establishes Dr. Lin as a strikingly original protagonist.