THE MALTHUS PANDEMIC
Terry Morgan
Copyright © Terry Morgan
First published by TJM Books in 2018
Second edition published 2023
ISBN: 978-1-7384692-0-8
The right of Terry Morgan to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Ref: 7741090520S006
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
About the Author
Terry Morgan is a biologist who now lives in Petchabun, Thailand.
Having travelled extensively, worldwide, with his own export business, his books and novels cover international politics, commercial crime, corruption, fraud, science and environmental issues.
Printed in Thailand by:
Tanabutr Co., Ltd. 931 Rama1 Rd., Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330. Web: http://www.tanabutr.co.th
The background:
The Malthus Pandemic was first published as a novel in 2018 to highlight the perceived risk of commercial exploitation of gain of function research on viruses. Then, in early 2020, along came the Covid pandemic and ongoing controversy about genetic engineering, especially Coronaviruses.
Since the Covid pandemic, the book has been recognised by many as an example of foresight and prescience.
This 2023 post-Covid edition includes some minor editorial changes but keeps the story in pre-Covid times. The fraudulent commercial and political exploitation of genetic engineering is a theme the author also covered in “The Mosquito Conspiracy” published in 2022.
The Malthus Pandemic was the first book in the Asher & Asher series of international criminal investigations. Others followed including
‘The Mosquito Conspiracy’, ‘Vendetta’, ‘An Honourable Fake’, ‘Park Road’ and ‘The Red Lantern’.
The storyline:
Mark Dobson from the London-based international commercial crime investigators, Asher & Asher, has been tasked by a US biomedical research company to investigate missing samples of a genetically altered virus. With outbreaks of a fatal virus infection already cropping up in Asia and Africa, the investigation turns to finding a virologist with extreme views on human population control who, using advanced genetic engineering technology, has created the new virus, Malthus A, and a company planning to spread the virus in return for profits from ineffective treatments and counterfeit drugs.
But can Dobson with others in USA, Nigeria, Kenya, and Thailand persuade politicians, the WHO, and international crime agencies to act in time and stop the spread?
Comments:
“Anchored firmly in the present, no high-tech, Bond-style gadgets, just good old-fashioned detective work. Gritty descriptions of international locations, compelling plot, and poignant rants about the inadequacy of democratic institutions” (Smashwords)
“A clever novel about politics, extremism, fraud and the sinister effects of modern so-called gain of function research. A great plot, an easy read, and a masterful ending that leaves the possibility of a sequel.