Toxin: A Thriller in Paradise

Thriller in Paradise #2

by Rob Swigart

DOES A SATELLITE CRASH ON KAUAI COUNT AS TROUBLE IN PARADISE? HOW ABOUT A SIMULTANEOUS PLANE HIJACKING?“Swigart gets a lot of mileage out of the beauty and isolation of his Hawaii locale, and his characters are thoroughly likable. A welcome return for an unusual cop in an exotic place.” -Peter Robertson, Booklist "Toxin has all the ingredients necessary for a superior thriller: strong characters, an exotic background, and a compelling central puzzle." -Michael Berry, San Francisco ChronicleToxin is the SECOND book in Rob Swigart’s Thriller in Paradise series.Hawaii police lieutenant Cobb Takamura and molecular biologist Chazz Koenig return in this tale in which the murder of an unpopular real estate developer leads to the inner circles of international defense. On the same day that Victor Linz is shot during an early morning jog, reports filter in that an out-of-orbit satellite may land on Kauai. A reporter tailing an intelligence officer from the mainland is found near the remote site of the satellite crash; he is comatose and suffering from severe skin and internal ailments. Panic follows when a rumor spreads that the satellite carried a deadly toxin. Cobb must conduct the murder investigation and maintain calm on the island all while negotiating with one of the murder suspects who is hijacking a commercial airliner. Meanwhile, Koenig races the clock to control the effects of the an effort he threw back up onto his mental wall the computer screen of his spreadsheet program. The numbers appeared again, glowing green, each in its cell. Without willing it, he saw his alimony payments fall into place, and all the profits that had glowed so richly before dropped alarmingly. He could feel the stab of disappointment as they fell, could feel the bitter taste in his throat when he thought of Anne lying beside the pool, sipping one of her endless silent gins.The sun was above the horizon now, and traffic on the Kuhio Highway grew with it. The pickups and ancient sedans flowed steadily north toward the remaining sugar fields, engines occasionally barking on the downshift. The quiet hum of traffic reassured him. To hell with Anne. Let her stew, let her roast. Let her burn her skin with ultraviolet until she rots. More power to her. He let the slap of his hand against the trunks slacken as he turned onto his eighth lap. By the time he was closing once more on the hotel entrance he was smiling again. What the hell, he thought. He should start adding that extra mile or two today. Why put it off? He ran on past the steps and into his ninth lap.He saw that distant flash again as he turned the corner and moved down the line of palms.At the moment the bullet struck he was calculating how much of his income he could conceal from Anne’s lawyers by putting the Kapuna deal into a dummy corporation in Angela’s name.He felt the surprisingly powerful shock, and ran on three steps, too surprised to stop. After the third step the pain seared him with a new heat far greater than that of the sun, now hovering, a red sphere, above the wet blue horizon behind him. He stumbled then and fell sideways against the nearest tree, pressing his hand to his side. What the hell is this? he thought. A heart attack? Wrong place, in the side here. He took his hand away and looked at it.“What’s this?” he said aloud. “What is this?”It was a stupid question. It was blood, a lot of blood, and it was his.

Genres: Thriller

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Two recent books:

Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past came out in late 2019. In unforgettable stories of the human journey, a combination of compelling storytelling and well-researched archaeology underscore an excavation into the deep past of human development and its consequences. Through a first encounter between a Neanderthal woman and the Modern Human to the emergence and destruction of the world’s first cities, Mixed Harvest tells the tale of the Neolithic Revolution, also called the (First) Agricultural Revolution, the most significant event since modern humans emerged. Rob Swigart’s latest work humanizes the rapid transition to agriculture and pastoralism with a grounding in the archaeological record.

Just out: Python, third in the Lisa Emmer series:

by Rob Swigart (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
Book 3 of 4: The Lisa Emmer Series
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EVERYONE WANTS A PIECE OF HIM…HE HAS A MILLION
VIDEO FOLLOWERS AND HE’S ONLY SIX YEARS OLD—
To his mom, he’s just sweet Félix, a very special six-year-old. She doesn’t understand him, but she loves him to bits.

To his million young video followers, he’s their beloved science teacher.

To the little-known Delphi Agenda, working, as always, for peace and harmony, he’s not only a prodigy, he’s a prophet with the potential to become more powerful even than Lisa Emmer, the current Delphic Oracle. Perhaps even the power to save the world from humanity’s dumpster fire.

But to a few others who understand how enormous his powers are, he’s a pawn they could put to their own use.

So everyone wants a piece of him. Kidnapping is not off the table.

In fact, it’s pretty likely. He and Lisa, his mentor, can see that coming a mile away.
A crooked Cardinal has his own ideas and Python, a pharmaceutical company run by a pair of sketchy twins, needs him for their own “world-changing” project. Then there’s the fanatical cult that first predicted his birth. They want him back.

The Delphi Agenda’s job is to keep him safe. But does he really need them? Half the fun's watching his innocent brilliance effortlessly deflate the kind of twisted, power-hungry villains that threaten the Agenda and its ideals.

Fans of intrepid women sleuths will love Lisa Emmer, as well as anyone smitten with the romance of the ancient world, action-adventure in historical fiction, and thriller conspiracies.

But this thoroughly modern tale of historical sleuthing has a little something for everybody: a high-tech invention that dances on the edges of sci-fi, excursions to various historical locales in Europe to delight armchair travelers, and a literary trail of crumbs to charm puzzle lovers.

In addition, author Swigart offers a wonderfully hopeful worldview that will intrigue not only mystery readers, but devotees of Merlin Sheldrake, Michael Pollan, and the world of fantastic fungi.