False Positive

A Southern Boy's Descent Into the Global Drug War

Published by Histria Perspectives
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

False Positive is a gripping, unflinching memoir that takes readers from the American South to global battlefields and prisons, chronicling a life shaped by survival, love, and the pursuit of justice. It is both a modern epic and a raw, authentic exploration of resilience in the face of extreme circumstances.

From a troubled childhood in the American South to the battle-scarred fields of Ukraine, Tristan Seth Nettles has lived a life that almost defies belief. 

Born between wealth and poverty, armed with stubborn determination and a restless spirit, Tristan navigates a world that seems determined to break him to its mold — and somehow survives, grows stronger, and fights back.

False Positive is the true story of a man who outruns his past but never forgets it. As a rambunctious youth, soldier, international dark web drug dealer, outlaw, lover, and mercenary, Tristan travels the world — from armed home invasions in Mississippi to mountain top temples in Nepal, from Southeast Asian prisons to battlefields in Eastern Europe — chasing truth, redemption, and ultimately, justice. When the woman he loves, Ashley Oosthuizen, is wrongfully imprisoned and sentenced to death in Thailand, Tristan's mission becomes clear. What began as a reckless search for freedom turns into an international fight for someone else's.

Told with dark humor, brutal honesty, and heart-stopping intensity, False Positive is a modern epic — a real-life odyssey in the spirit of Forrest Gump and Catch Me If You Can. It's a raw, unforgettable journey through love, loss, crime, war, and the deep, messy beauty of being human.

About The Author

Tristan Seth Nettles is an American author, combat veteran, and world traveler known for his intensely realistic storytelling. Born in Atlanta, GA in 1987, he overcame a severe speech impediment and a troubled youth before enlisting with the Marine Corps infantry and later earning a B.S. in Biology from the University of North Florida. His life has intersected at various times with crime, war, and technology, including a combat tour in Ukraine. Drawing from real-life grit, his writing explores the extremes of humanity with needle-like precision. Now, on his fourth passport, Nettles lives abroad, continuing to advocate for Ashley Oosthuizen's release. His work fuses lived experience with historical scope, delivering fiction that is both timeless and deeply personal.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Histria Perspectives (October 20, 2026)
  • Length: 500 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781592117789

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