“Sun Tzu’s Café” by Eric Bornstein has been released worldwide. This 356-page novel, which has achieved Amazon Bestseller status as #3 in the “Historical Chinese History” category, #6 in the “Historical Asian Fiction” category, and #30 in the “Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction” category, delves into a secretive, complex world of intelligence agencies, illegal drugs, and covert operations. 

Centered around principles from the timeless writings of Sun Tzu, particularly those focused on psychological warfare and disarming an enemy from within, the Chinese government has engaged in a plot to dose American graduate students with THC and synthetic hallucinogens through upscale cafés planted near universities. 

To put this plot in motion, the Chinese Communist Party collaborates with a former CIA agent involved in America’s MKULTRA program, which entailed unlawful and unethical experiments with hallucinogens and mind control on American citizens during the Cold War. The former agent, haunted by his instrumental role in the CIA program, is now using his skills and training to take revenge against the American government. 

As the café operation takes shape, students unwittingly ingest the synthetic hallucinogens and begin to show strange side effects, drawing the attention of an E.R. doctor and his addiction counselor wife. Their suspicions grow with each new case, threatening the secrecy and effectiveness of the Chinese plot. 

With dense historical references and meticulously researched footnotes, this novel pulls together the dark past of the U.S. government’s MKULTRA programs, ancient military strategy, looming present-day foreign threats, and the terrifying possibilities associated with America’s modern cold war with China. As a biochemist and photobiologist, Dr. Bornstein has an intimate understanding of the chemical compounds at play in the novel, and uses this knowledge to add a sense of depth and technicality to his thrilling story. 

Simultaneously riveting and educational, this novel draws readers into a fast-paced world of intelligence agencies, military operatives, scientists, secrets, and suspicion. The story illuminates overlooked parts of American history that most people aren’t taught about in school. It builds an intriguing narrative around the rise of legalized cannabis, the nefarious intent of existential adversaries that span nations and time periods, and the difference that even just a few people can make on a global scale.

Evocative, exciting, and eye-opening, this tale of espionage and government control is sure to raise critical questions and provide thrilling entertainment. 

Sun Tzu’s Café (ISBN: 9781962987172) can be purchased through retailers worldwide, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon. The paperback retails for $19.99 and the ebook retails for $2.99. Review copies and interviews are available upon request.

From the back cover:

In the era of legalized marijuana, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has nefarious plans to exploit America’s best and brightest graduate students using synthetic hallucinogens and THC compounds. They have partnered with a disaffected CIA agent who was instrumental in the CIA’s domestic hallucinogen experiments known as Project MKULTRA during the Cold War. The former agent is a student of the strategy of Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher who lived 2500 years ago.

The hallucinogens open a person’s mind to the power of suggestion and allow CCP baristas at upscale American cafés to easily question graduate students for technical information about new technologies in their university laboratories. The methods used mirror the MKULTRA protocols from the Cold War. The plan is for the CCP to gain a head start on America’s most crucial security and new technological advances.

But there is a problem. The drugs are beginning to have strange effects on some of the students. An E.R. doctor living in Burlington, Vermont, has confronted some of these students suffering from bizarre psychotic symptoms and has started investigating. If the CCP plan is discovered, there will be accusations of international terrorism. With congressional committee hearings and politicians sharply focused on banning TikTok and other Chinese technologies, the CCP will stop at nothing to prevent this from happening… 

Sun Tzu’s Café is a Historical Spy novel that brings the reader into the lives of the people behind the CIA’s illegal Project MKULTRA program during the Cold War. The thrilling conclusion occurs in the present day of America’s existential conflict with the modern Chinese government.

About the author:

Dr. Eric Bornstein is a biochemist, dentist, and photobiologist. He has patented technologies in the areas of lasers, circadian medicine, and biofilm eradication. He is widely published in peer-reviewed journals such as Current Trends in Microbiology and Compendium. Dr. Bornstein currently delivers C.E. webinars to medical professionals on the subjects of Hallucinogens and Psychedelics, Cannabis, and Opioids for the Institute for Natural Resources (inrseminars.com). His second novel, The Goliath Pathogen, will be published by Adir Press in Q1 2024. 

About MindStir Media:

MindStir Media LLC is an award-winning book publisher. To learn more about publishing a book with MindStir Media, visit http://mindstirmedia.com or call 800-767-0531.

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