Calumet Editions

Toxic Spirits

Author:

Toxic Spirits is a richly atmospheric thriller set in Thailand’s expat underworld, blending dark humor, macabre violence, and meditations on nature and biodiversity. Benton, a widowed African-American intelligence analyst, retires to Thailand and is drawn to Siri, a tribal singer who vanishes after protesting drug trials on her hill-tribe. His search leads to a disturbed doctor—and into the trials himself. Genetically engineered drugs transform Benton as love, tribal healing, and high-tech science collide in the Golden Triangle.

complex and enthralling international intrigue

—Frederick Barthelme, author of There Must Be Some Mistake

Description

Toxic Spirits is a highly atmospheric thriller set in Thailand, a playground for colorful expats, gorgeous women and limitless skullduggery. Narrated with insightful meditations on nature and biodiversity, interspersed with macabre violence and dark hilarity, the novel is also a brilliant, genetics-inspired take on multiculturalism and personal identity.

Benton, a widowed African-American intelligence analyst from Washington, retires to Thailand. At an expat bar, he is captivated by Siri, a beautiful tribal singer. When Siri disappears, he discovers that she had been speaking out about the side-effects from drug trials conducted on her hill-tribe. Benton’s investigations draw him uncomfortably close to Pierre, the seriously disturbed Indo-Cambodian doctor running the trials. Becoming an unwilling guinea-pig in the trials, Benton is transformed by the genetically-engineered drugs and falls in love with Mimi, a stunning and gifted young Thai-Australian muay thai boxer. As the genetic manipulations spiral out of control, spreading to the botanical treasures of Thailand’s Golden Triangle, the forces of tribal healing, high-tech medicine, and love battle to determine who will survive.

Product Details

PublishedFebruary 22, 2023
ImprintCalumet Editions
LanguageEnglish
Print length266
ISBN-13978-1959770428
Dimensions6 x 0.67 x 9 inches

I was transported from Prajawan, a fictional seaside town in Thailand, to the suburbs of Washington DC, to Auroville, a ‘utopian’ community near Pondicherry, India. Mani knows his locales well and characters in his novel are drawn from people he has met in real life. Mani brings the sensibilities of a novelist with an ear for the patois of the region.

—Probhakar Krishnamurthy, verified review on Amazon

A riveting, fast-moving thriller set in Thailand that interweaves the threads of East Asian cultural traditions within the imperious backdrop of Western popular culture, militiarism and technology. Mani is adept at creating fascinating characters, expats, Western-trained Asian intellectuals, tribal natives steeped in ancient medicine and mysticism, who represent the modern mishmash of Eastern and Western cultures.

—David W., verified review on Amazon

I knew, before I started reading Toxic Spirits, that my mind was in for a workout because the author, Inderjeet Mani, is an intellectual. The author is wise in the sense that he knew to talk down to my level and bring on some understanding and appreciation for his story.

—Schuyler T Wallace, author of Tin Lizard Tales

…the mix of expat and Thai characters is fascinating and the writing, which matches the luxuriance of the Thai landscape, makes for absorbing and disturbing reading. Recommended!

—Annie Zaenen, verified review on Amazon

Toxic Spirits is a complex novel that tells a strange tale of murder, cruelty and the grotesque, intermingled with healing, re-birth and love. A mystery or thriller like no other, unique and beautiful and unutterably sad. A must read.

—Livia P., verified review on Amazon

This book is written with brilliant insight into what is happening in the pharma world today. Mani has combined Eastern and Western cultures focuing on issues involving the mix of Expats, local Thais and the hilltribe communities. Mani has a good ear for the vernacular of the local community.

—Nargis, verified review on Amazon