Reflective novel set in Denmark, France and Canada
Toxic Spirits

Era(s): contemporary
Toxic Spirits is a highly atmospheric thriller set in Thailand, a playground for colorful expats, beautiful 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- and AI-inspired take on multiculturalism and personal identity.
Reviews:
“Mani tells his story in taut, highly descriptive prose, capturing his Thai setting’s cornucopia of sights and tastes … fans of more literary-tinged genre offerings like those of Chris Abani or John le Carré will enjoy Benton’s strange–even phantasmagoric–adventures in Thailand. … enjoyable thriller set in the shadowy world of medical experimentation.” Kirkus Reviews.
“It’s rare to see an international thriller that captures the intricacies of a complex story so succinctly. Toxic Spirits achieves this and more, adding dashes of humor, social inspection, and insights into multiculturalism. Moody and atmospheric, compellingly swift and surprising, and steeped in intrigue and Thai culture, Toxic Spirits is an engrossing read on many levels.” Midwest Book Review.
Advance Praise:
· “Mani writes Thailand beautifully with heart and a lot of souls.” Colin Cotterill, author of The Coroner’s Lunch, from the Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery series, and sixteen other novels set in Laos and Thailand.
· “A complex and enthralling international intrigue with a treasure of remarkable detail neatly packed into a short novel that dances on the edge of John le Carré territory. A rich read from start to finish.” Frederick Barthelme, author of New Yorker stories and eleven novels including There Must Be Some Mistake.
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