A thriller set across two countries involving several mysterious deaths due to a diet supplement.

This one kind of fell flat for me. I wanted it to be more gritty. Instead, the plot was substandard, the characters one dimensional and the ending not very satisfying.

On a more positive note, it is a quick read.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fit to Die is a gripping novel filled with intense medical scenes and suspenseful detective work. Following a series of DNP related deaths, detectives in LA and Vancouver work together to stop the spread of this dangerous weight loss drug. With a highly relevant topic, the novel had me wanting more after each chapter and left me surprised by the ending. It truly did not disappoint.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The plot intriguied me but there were a lot of characters which sometimes got confusing. In the end it was just an ok read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced digital copy of this book.

3.5

What bothered me the most about this book was the fact that the supplement in the story was actually real. I read this story feeling as though I was reading about a fictional toxin but I googled it after reading the book and couldn't believe it was real. Yikes!

I enjoyed the subject matter as it wasn't the traditional thriller. The characters were a bit lack-luster but some of them were fun to hate. It was obvious that some serious research went into this story and I am looking forward to checking out more books by this author.

In the latest medical thriller, Fit to Die, by author Daniel Kalla, people are dying to get fit. The story takes place in Los Angeles and Vancouver and opens in LA with the death of the track star son of a prominent State Senator, of an apparent overdose.

In Vancouver, Toxicologist, Dr Julia Rees has noticed a rise in overdoses among body builders and the wellness community. The symptoms are always the same - extremely high fevers and prolonged and violent seizures leading to death. The autopsies reveal the presence of DNP, a substance that should never be found in a human body,

Then a famous pop singer from LA dies in Vancouver after showing the same symptoms. Detectives from both countries must join forces to discover the source of the drug.

I gotta say, Fit to Die is one doozy of a page turner. It delves deeply into issues like eating disorders, body shaming, toxic diet drugs, and the dangers of fitness at any cost. It grabbed my attention and didn’t let go to the satisfying ending. It’s well-written, well-plotted, and smart with interesting characters and plenty of twists and turns to provide me with another sleepless night but it was so worth it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Fit To Die by Daniel Kalla
Yes! What a great crime/mystery novel. I've just found another favorite author. I will be reading more of Daniel Kalla's books.

I loved the characters, they were well described and likeable (or not if they weren't supposed to be) the novel had a great plot, loved the mystery, and detective work that takes place in the USA and Canada.
People are dying, using a drug to help with weight loss, some don't even know what they are ingesting, the detectives needs to figure this out and fast before more innocent people die.
The story takes place in LA and Vancouver and the detectives and medical professionals work well together as they figure out that a wellness centre could be behind this fatal weight loss drug that people are ingesting.
I like how the author encompasses the detectives personal lives into the story so we aren't only reading about the criminal aspect,
this makes the characters realistic and likeable.
I liked the authors writing style, the story really flowed and read well, great plot and just enough characters, well introduced, not trying to remember who is who in the story.
I like how there are a couple of storylines within this novel, but all relating back to the same plot
The novel was well researched with the addition of factual medical terminology and a focus on the ever increasing issue of weight loss, eating disorders and body image
I could not put this book down! Can't wait to read another book from this author

Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Canada and the author Daniel Kalla.
This novel is set in Vancouver, Canada and Los Angeles, USA. It starts in LA when the son of a US senator is found dead of an overdose in his bedroom.
While in Vancouver, toxicologist Dr. Julie Rees is noticing a growing number of overdoses among bodybuilders and people with eating disorders. Julie mentions it to her boyfriend Detective Chen to see if he can look into it.
Both countries are partnering to see if they can find who is providing these deadly supplements.
I have read numerous novels by this author and he never has disappointed. He is an ER Doctor and it shows in the novel. Lots of research on the topic which was new to me, I had never heard of DNP.
Well written and researched.
4 stars

This is the first novel written by Daniel Kalla that I have read. While I found the story interesting and entertaining, it did not have any of the twists or wow moments that I look forward to in thriller novels. Even though the storyline occurs over Canada and the United States with 2 sets of detectives vying to solve the case, the plot does not become cumbersome and is easy to follow. The topic is relevant at this time and Daniel Kalla has researched it thoroughly bringing an informative view of a topic that is now at the forefront in the news. All in all an entertaining medical thriller well worth the read!

I want to thank NetGallery and Simon Schuster Canada for the ARC of Fit to Die, Release Date May 9, 2023

Thanks once again to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read Fit to Die. It was a very difficult book to get into with a lot of characters being introduced quickly. At the start of each chapter, I had to pause and refresh my memory as to who these characters were again. Unfortunately, it took me until I was about 40% to catch on to all the players. After that point I really enjoyed the book.
There were times when there was too much of the medical jargon but I survived. The subject matter, the plot was very good. It seems to be very relevant to this day and age. Diet pills and body image are a really big thing. I would rate this as 4 out of 5 stars due to the difficulties at the beginning. The plot deserves 5 out of 5. I would recommend this book with a warning as to keep reading and sort out the cast of characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of "Fit To Die" in exchange for my honest review.

Daniel Kalla's books get better and better the more he writes. His books are always on timely topics and his real-world medical knowledge makes the books even more relevant. This book explored the world of body image and eating disorders - along with the lengths people will go to in order to become "perfect".

Detective Cari Garcia is investigating the death of Senator Galloway's teenaged son Owen. Did he OD, was it suicide or perhaps murder? The path to answers reveals many chilling discoveries.

We once again have a story with Dr. Julie Rees (toxicologist) and Detective Anson Chen who we were first introduced to in "The Last High" where Daniel Kalla explored the world of Fentanyl overdoses. This time they are investigating DNP an explosive diet "supplement" that is causing deaths in Los Angeles and Vancouver. People of all ages and walks of life are dying. What links them and more importantly who is supplying them with the pills? When a famous singer dies they realize that there is a link between the Los Angeles and Vancouver cases and Detective Garcia travels to Vancouver to work with Anson and his partner. A fitness studio also figures into the story and everyone involved backtracking and trying to cover their tracks before the authorities catch up with them.

A brilliant read that was hard to put down. Very educational as well as thought provoking. Wish there were more than 5 stars to award!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: May 9, 2023
Canadian author Daniel Kalla brings another relevant, intriguing medical thriller to the forefront with his newest novel, “Fit to Die”.
First, a senator’s son is found dead, presumably by an overdose. But when a young up-and-coming Instagram star dies from a similar overdose at a party, the pressure on the police to find the culprit is heavy. Across the border, in Vancouver, similar deaths are occurring; young, fit people, are allegedly overdosing on the drug DNP, and police are convinced there’s a connection to the Los Angeles deaths. But DNP is not a drug at all and was in fact used to make weapons in World War One. So how is it ending up in the hands of the community at large? And why are they ingesting it?
Kalla’s novels are always some of my favourites, not only for their fraught and tense plots but also for their thought-provoking themes. Both “The Last High” and “Lost Immunity” had me on pins and needles throughout, but left me thinking about them for days afterward and “Fit” is no doubt going to leave the same indelible mark.
“Fit to Die” crosses two countries, with police investigators in both Canada (Vancouver) and the United States (Los Angeles) sharing the lead roles in this novel, as well as Julie, an emergency room doctor and toxicology specialist in L.A, ensuring Kalla covers all the angles. Kalla is respectful when he writes about major issues, as has been the trend in his previous novels as well, and “Fit” is no different, covering heavy, emotional topics like drug abuse, body image and eating disorders with complete compassion and class.
This is one of the novels I was able to read for hours at a time without realizing it, and one of those novels that I was sad to finish. Although Kalla tied up all the loose ends and the ending of the novel was satisfying and believable, I didn’t want to stop. Kalla is a medical doctor, but he easily pulls double duty as an author. Not only is “Fit to Die” compulsively readable, but you won’t be able to stop thinking about it. I want more Kalla!!

I was initially drawn to this book because the synopsis was so fitting to today’s culture. Social media, influencers, tick-tock challenges and body dysmorphia. I really enjoyed the mystery and was happy. It was more than just a flesh piece on what’s wrong with the world.

Let me be clear it was not a fluffy story. This was a well-done medical mystery/police procedural that had a full plot.. I really enjoyed the Hospital scenes as they felt realistic, a definite plus to having an ER Doc as the author. I also really enjoy that the story took place in LA and Vancouver, we don’t get many books in North America that cross country borders.

If you’re looking for a quick easy to follow mystery, this is for you!

Content warning: eating disorder, body dysmorphia, drug abuse.

Thank you to Netgalley, Publisher Simon and Schuster Canada and author, Daniel Kalla for the advanced readers copy.

Fit to Die is based on an intriguing and timely premise...the dangers and pitfalls of the "wellness" industry, risky pill addictions and overdoses. Anything to get thin or build muscle. And from the industry's perspective, anything for financial gain.

Set in both Vancouver and LA, influencers, high profile and everyday people alike are risking their lives taking pills to "improve" their bodies.
However, the pills unfortunately contain the toxic explosive DNP. Dr. Julie Rees is deeply disturbed by deaths she sees in the ER. Vancouver detectives Anson and Theo and LA detective Cari investigate deaths and trace DNP laced pills and those who manufacture and distribute them. Families are torn apart.

Glimpses into the personal lives of the characters add interesting elements and the drug information is credible as the author is a doctor. Very insightful and sad. Though aspects of this novel are compelling, on the whole I was inexplicably left with only lukewarm engagement. It may suit other readers beautifully.

My sincere thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this novel.

Practically read this in one sitting. The length one will take to become thin is heart wrenching. In this society the premise of this novel is very believable and the characters are easy to either despise or care for. A definite best seller.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

This is a book I could not put down. I have read other books by Daniel Kalla and this addition to his work did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this book down! Fit To Die was such a great fictional story of no matter what cost people will go to to lose weight. The book was just the right size and keep me interested in reading to find out how it ended. I will definitely be recommending this to friends.

This is a must read. Beautifully written, short, easy to read, page turner chapters. I like how he writes and have enjoyed his other books but Fit To Die is Daniel Kalla’s best yet! It’s a 6/5 WOW!!
Thank You to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Daniel Kalla for the opportunity to devour this ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to review this book.
He is one of my auto-read authors. I haven’t met a book of his that I did not enjoy. Linking LA to Vancouver took me back to my film work days. It is always fun to see BC play BC in his stories.
Diet pills and the influencers who seem to have it all take you on a dark ride through the ERs and online dark web drug buying. You never know what is behind the filtered pictures you see on Social Media.
Only, It doesn’t always rain in November here. Promise. :)

A Medical Thriller

I have been a huge fan of this author since his first interview on TV many many years ago and to this day I am still loyal and wouldn’t miss out on any new release. This latest is about celebrity, online body shaming, toxic diet pills and addiction. “Fit to Die” tells the stories of 3 individuals found dead from a drug overdose.

In a few words:

The story brings us to LA and Vancouver with patients showing same symptoms high fewer, seizures and organ failure.

First, was the son of a prominent U.S. senator found dead in his bedroom, and then a famous pop star and social media influence in her hotel room and finally the story bring us to the co-owner of a Wellness clinic whose fate was the same. All three autopsies show a high level of DNP in their blood.

Dry. Rees, a toxicologist, notices a growing number of overdoses among the eating disordered and body builders. Inquisitive she gets her boyfriend Detective Anson Chen to see if similar cases came his way. In mean time, LA Detective Cari Garcia tracks down the sources of the drug and the illegal distributors. Pooling their efforts, together the two Detectives must find and eliminate this deadly drug and those behind it.

My thoughts:

This is an entertaining medical and police procedural in a theme tragically too real. Writing with a lot of medical jargon but it is easy to follow, most of all quite interesting. The chapters are short and move along quickly in a narration that flows smoothly. The story is said from the perspective of both police detectives and the toxicologist in an active and clean language. Of course to keep us on our toes and captivated we find a few plot twists to derail us. This is another page-turner hard to put down played out by well-rounded characters.

Well said and done.

Entertaining medical mystery and police procedural written by Daniel Kalla, an ER physician in Vancouver. Deals with serious topics (body dysmorphia, body image issues, the weight loss industry, and societal pressure/shaming to be thin regardless of age or gender - for some, at whatever the cost) but is written in an easy to read style. Relatively short chapters, the pace moves along quickly as the police and a toxicologist try to find out who is supplying a deadly weight loss supplement laced with a toxic substance, as several people start dying from it. I liked that the story was told from the perspectives of both police detectives and a toxicologist - the ER scenes are fascinating. The characters are likeable - in fact, two return from this author’s previous novel which was a nice treat. A good summer read by the pool.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.