This is a fast-paced novel that is alarmingly realistic. It feels authentic and frightening. The characters are excellent - likable and relatable. They're not your cookie=cutter characters. It's interesting pairing a doctor and a police detective to do the sleuthing (and an intriguing personal connection as well)

The book is well written and full of action. Maybe the first in a series with these characters? I hope so!!

I was so excited for this new book by Daniel Kalla. I read his last book, We All Fall Down, last year and could not put it down. Both of these medical thrillers have timely themes, a pandemic in the last book and the opioid crisis in this book. I found The Last High to be fast-paced and well-researched. I liked the mixture of a fictional story interlaced with a behind the scenes look at emergency medicine, police procedures, and drug trafficking. In addition to the main characters, Dr. Julia Rees and Detective Anson Chen, there were many secondary characters who added layers to the story. While sometimes a bit confusing to keep track of, I actually think the story unfolding through their different perspectives is part of what made it so intriguing to me. Overall, I enjoyed this book and am planning to read some of Kalla’s previously published books as well. My rating for this book is four stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my copy of this book.

› Dr. Julie Rees is working at the ER when a group of teens who overdosed at a party are brought in. She's shocked at the deadly effects of the mysterious drug, much worse than regular fentanyl, and suspects something serious is happening in Vancouver.

› There's action right out of the gate and this book is a page-turner, however, I do want to warn readers that there are very descriptive medical procedures which some may find disturbing. The trigger warnings for drug abuse, overdose, death are implied. I'd also like to point out that there is sexual assault and a male purposefully drugs a female to make her "more friendly". I really wish the story would have dived deeper into this situation, showing the male be punished for this action or at least someone saying how horrible it is.

› The Last High has a large cast of characters, but this is about Dr. Rees working with Detective Anson Chen to find out who's selling a deadly illegal drug in Vancouver. I'm Canadian and love to read books by Canadian authors. I lived near Vancouver for a while and have seen the areas talked about, making this all the more real for me.

› Dr. Rees is an incredibly interesting character. Her dark past with drug addiction is a shadow that follows her throughout the narrative and the reader eventually discovers why she's so driven to solve this crime.

› My Goodreads Rating ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• The Last High is a frightening book about greed, addiction, crime, and the opioid crisis. This is a scary and compelling story that I'd recommend to fans of medical/crime thrillers.

A dear friend recommended Daniel Kalla's novels to me and I am so glad to have started with The Last High.
The author, a true ER physician brought to life the current ongoing opioid crisis so that it was sadly believable and compelling.
A gritty, fast-paced story that focuses on an ER doctor and toxicologist, and a homicide detective who race against time to find the source of a new deadly batch of fentanyl in an attempt to prevent more deaths.
Daniel Kalla gives us a well-crafted medical thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This novel is set in my neighborhood (sort of.) I am very familiar with the subject matter and where it all takes place due to constant news coverage.
I found the story believable and intriguing. This could very well happen and if a drug like this took off through society, what would the devastation look like.
Well written, enjoyable characters. I'd read more by this author

This book was a fast and somewhat disturbing read with great characters that drew me in, and a story so realistic in today's world that I will not soon forget it. I like the Vancouver location, but this story could happen anywhere. The hospital, toxicology, and medical issues seem quite believable. I am very glad I read this one and definitely recommend.

The Last High is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank both NetGalley and Edelweiss, the publisher Simon & Schuster, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
 

My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Dr. Julie Rees is an ER doctor who also specializes in toxicology.  So when a number of teenagers who were at the same party show up in her ER, all dying of an an opioid overdose, she is stunned.   How could there be so many?  What did they all take?  What could possibly react this fast in these kids?  Why can't she save them?  These kids are not the only ones to die.

She soon learns that the drug must have been almost pure to have resulted in such fast deaths.  This is definitely not your normal overdose situation.  What is making this worse is that it seems this drug is all over the streets of Vancouver, and it doesn't care if you are rich or poor, first-time user or addict -  one dose is enough to kill you.  They are starting to call it TLH...The Last High....you probably won't survive to try again.

Julie works with Detective Anson Chen to get to the bottom of this crisis.  Finding the one dealing the bad drug is hard, but finding the manufacturer is even more difficult when there are so many gangs out there.  The possibility of a drug gang war looms.

Meanwhile, Julie's own past is coming back to haunt her.

 
My Opinions:  

This was a really fast read, about a very dark subject.  It is about more than the amount of drugs on the streets.  It is about the greed and depths that the criminals who traffic drugs will stoop.  It is about the victims, and their families, and those that try to help them.  Although a fiction novel, a lot of the headlines today could tell the same story....not just in Vancouver.

The author knows his stuff.  He is an ER doctor in a hospital in the middle of the same opioid crisis he writes about.  So although he may have expanded on the truth a little, everything seems possible, which makes the book that more interesting, and that more scary.

So, the plot was good, as was the writing.  The touch of romance did not bother me, and I liked the characters, who all had enough depth to make them feel real.  It was a fast, entertaining (if somewhat disturbing) read.

This is the first book I've read by this fellow Canadian, but it will not be the last!

His main characters are well-flashed out, his plot timely to the point that is almost viewing a live news story about the ongoing opioid crisis on the 6 o’clock news. As a medical professional he explains the medical procedures/language included in the story in very easy layman’s terms.

This book is a fast-paced gritty tale which focuses on the true faces of the victims and those who care about them come to life. This gripping nightmare is real and ongoing and while told as fiction, is like looking through a mirror and seeing both the worst and best of mankind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love medical thrillers and Dr Daniel Kalla does not disappoint. Since he is actually an ER physician, the book shows first hand knowledge and doesn't pontificate against today's healthcare like Robin Cook's books have been doing in recent years. This book is about the emergence of an extremely deadly drug making an appearance on the scene in Vancouver. TLH (The Last High) as it becomes known, is so potent that a mere finger stick of a used needle can cause an overdose that is fatal in minutes. It can killer no matter whether it is injected, snorted, taken orally or even inhaled. Dr Julie Rees, ER doctor, toxicologist and recovered addict works with Detective Anson Chen to discover what the drug is and where it is coming from. The book explores the drug culture of Vancouver from importation to manufacture to the distribution chain. All these characters including Persians and Chinese got a little confusing at times and hard to keep straight. The main characters were well developed and complex. The medical cases and terminology seemed accurate and were well explained. There was a little romance but not a soap opera like TV medical dramas with everyone hooking up in a supply closet. The drug problem and the overdoses took center stage. The book was very timely and shows the dangers of today's street drugs. I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy of this book. I look forward to more of Dr Kalla's books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. To be frank, I wasn’t familiar with Daniel Kalla before I started The Last High, but he is absolutely on my radar now. I loved this book! Part medical thriller, part police procedural, with a tiny bit of romance to add interest. It kept be hooked from the start.

Julie is an ER doctor who moonlights as a toxicologist with poison control. Anson is a homicide detective on the case of several deaths by carfentanil poisoning. When several teens are brought to Julie’s emergency room dead or dying from the drug, they team up to try to determine who is responsible. It’s a wild ride and the flow is great. It’s one of my favorite books of the year so far!

When a new street drug causes multiple deaths and the medical experts have no protocol to help the victims, one doctor decides she cannot just stand by and watch her patients die. She joins the investigating policeman in following the trail of bodies back to the source. A particularly good suspense, the characters are well defined, you can see and hear their desperation as they try to stop this manmade epidemic. I had not read any of Kalla's work before but now will have to research. Great read!

We all know about the Opoid crisis and the havoc it has been causing in many communities. The Last High brings this crisis into a fast paced book that I couldn't put down.

This was a fast paced read that deals with the opioid crisis and is set in Vancouver. It really gives a good portrayal of the addiction issue and the heartbreak that comes to the families. There is also the added element of gangs that just adds to the tension. A well written thriller that showcases very relevant issues.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

I was hooked on this book from the first chapter. I read one chapter before work and I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day, and I was telling all my co-workers about it because I just wanted to know what was going to happen next!

Follow Dr Julie Rees and Detective Anson Chen as they try to figure out why there are so many opioid overdoses, in particular ones that are rapidly dying from
the drug. Originally believed to be fentanyl, it is quickly apparent it is not a fentanyl issue. In a race against time to figure out what it is and why so many are dying before more people succumb to this drug, this story deals with addiction, investigation, hospital protocols, and gang wars.

Action filled right from the get-go, this story about the opioid problem in Vancouver will not let you down! There are so many twists and turns and I kept changing my mind about who I thought was behind it and naturally I was wrong haha. It is a very eye-opening story and I love how many questions it created in my brain.

I’ve read Kalla’s historical fiction novels, but this was my first thriller of his and I would definitely read more! I think it’s great the choice of topic with him being an ER doctor and everything he must see in his line of work! It adds a very real element to the story, and I could see this thriller being a real life event. I highly recommend this book! It will keep you on your toes, pique your curiosity, and open your eyes to the very real opioid problem.

This was just the book I need to keep me engaged and feverishly turning pages.

The story is sent in downtown Vancouver B.C.
A powerful opioid called TLH ( the last high) is killing people at an alarming rate. Julie Rees an emergency room doctor and a toxicologist and a recovering opioid addiction herself,sets off to find out who is supplying the drugs. Anson Chen a handsome and fashionable homicide detective is here companion during this taut medical thriller and police procedural.

Living just across the border from Vancouver and spending a lot of time in the city, it was fun to recognize a lot of the places mentioned. The gangs and the crime was an added bonus.

I look forward to reading more from this author who is an emergency room physician himself.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so excited when Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada approved me for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. However, then COVID happened and I had to put off starting a medical thriller until I was emotionally ready to read about random deaths.

I started The Last High one day before its publishing date (which is today) and read it in one sitting. It was fast paced, riveting and because of the way it's written, was very easy to read.

The story explores the opioid crisis in Vancouver. Obviously well researched, the book does a lot to explain the severity of the crisis and the indiscriminate ways that opioids kill.

Although the book does not fall within my usual genre, it felt nostalgic - like books I read in my 20s from Grisham or Crichton. I'd give this book a 3-3.5 and recommend it to anyone looking for a compelling quick read.

One evening, the emergency room at St. Michael’s Hospital is overrun with teenagers near death. They have all been at the same party. Dr. Julie Rees, ER physician and toxicologist, recognizes that these kids have taken fentanyl, but they do not react to standard protocols and anti-opioid drugs. As more victims find their way to the ER, Julie teams up with Detective Anson Chen of the Vancouver Police Department to find the source of the bad drugs. But finding the source is easier said than done as the police (and Julie) must work their way through the network of drug dealers and gang leaders to stop the flood of death. What they find is a drug called TLH, the last high. A good story regarding the opioid crisis in today’s society written by an ER physician who has seen the epidemic first hand. This is the first book I have read by Daniel Kalla, but it will not be the last. My thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to review the ARC of this novel.

3.5 stars

This was a good fast paced read. It’s a mystery focused on a deadly opiate making the rounds in Vancouver, British Columbia. The investigators are an emergency room doctor and a police detective, with their own pasts and a romantic interest in each other. The author himself is an emergency doctor in Vancouver, where he clearly deals with many opiate deaths. It’s not a complex mystery, but it makes its point without being pedantic, moves quickly and pulls at the heartstrings. This is the type of books that seems to work well for me these days. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

A haunting portrayal of the emotional toll an ER doctor and police detective face and confront during an alarming opioid crisis.

The innerworkings of drug trafficking and the affect on users are examined when people begin dying from poisonous fentanyl. This novel shows how one wrong choice affects not only the users but people around them, as well. Not often seen is the way the doctors who treat victims and those investigating ODs are personally affected. The feelings of frustration and despair are often too real. The author captured the general sense of immediacy, anxiety and elation so often experienced in drug cases when users are dying at an alarming rate.

While having the ER doc/toxicologist directly involved with overdose deaths ride along with the detectives seems a tad unreal, it helps the story along. The story flows better by having questions or explanations about opioids come in the form of conversation as they arise.

This is a good book to read for information about the drug trade and its intricacies. It is also a good mystery. The reader cannot help being moved by the death of teenagers and the callousness of suppliers. The story is heartbreaking, eye-opening and even humorous, at times. Suffice to say the reader will be changed by reading it and glad they did.


I received an ARC from Simon and Shuster Canada through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance readers copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review .

This is the type of medical/ police drama I used to love reading a few years ago, and it was a nice reintroduction to that genre.

The story explores the current opioid crisis in Vancouver , which quickly escalates when a new batch hits the streets that causes almost sudden death even in very small dosages ( the last high ).

You can tell the author has done a lot of research on this book. I enjoyed the story and the characters and would definitely read other books by this author.

4 ⭐️