Thanks @netgalley for read number 31 of 2023 (& March Break read number 2). There were a few different intersecting plot lines in this book. While the book was fast-paced, keeping all of the characters straight could be challenging at times. I didn’t expect any twists, so I was pleased with the couple that there were. This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 read in my books. ⭐️TW - eating disorders⭐️

Another fantastic read by Daniel Kalla Fit to Die was well researched. I’m happy that the author has brought awareness to an important issues of body shaming and eating disorders the toxic diet industry and banned diet pills that are killing people around the world. I found it engaging from the first chapter, I was happy to see characters from the last high woven into the story seamlessly..It was a fast paced read that I couldn’t press the turn page button on my e-reader fast enough. It had some plot twists I didn’t see coming and some I did.. Highly recommend
I would like to thank Net Galley and
Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley, and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy of Fit To Die in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this ARC as I was particularly interested in the subject matter to begin with, and the Vancouver setting. With an exciting and realistic medical element, written by an actual physician, Fit to Die is an action packed page-turner from start to finish.

An illicit (and very real) drug being used for weight loss is killing people as a cast of characters tries to figure out how to stop it. Since we’re given multiple POVs to follow, the reader gets to be the most immersed in the story as it unfolds.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a weekend thriller to read , but would definitely want readers to be aware of any CW’s as it does address the realities of the toxic weight loss industry, eating disorders, body shaming and drug use.

Daniel Kalla, author of riveting best-selling medical thrillers, is also experienced as an ER doctor in Vancouver. He writes gripping and informative books about medical issues. Central to the Fit to Die plot are the dangers caused by unscrupulous distributors of drugs to the diet-obsessed and to competitive athletes, which can lead to rapid death. The focus here is DNP, which has been added to pills and 'health drinks'. The sellers avoid being charged by selling online under various company names, moving to the dark web, and routing their online presence through several countries. Tracking them down to face legal charges is difficult. A quick search shows that DNP originated as an explosive in WW1, and was recently sold for weight loss and has been banned for competitive athletes and in diet pills.

In this story, doctors in LA and Vancouver are seeing patients exhibiting high fevers, seizures, and organ failure leading to death. When traces of DNP is found in their bodies, Detectives Cari Garcia in LA and Anson Chen in Vancouver try to track down the source of the drugs so the illegal distributors can be shut down. A Wellness clinic in both cities may be involved as a co-owner has died from a huge dose of DNP. We observe the strenuous and futile attempts to save the lives of some of the patients.

The psychology of people obsessed with body image, where the victims would risk anything to lose healthy weight quickly, was well explained. I would have preferred less focus on the detective's and a toxicologist's personal lives, and I initially had trouble sorting out which characters were based in LA or Vancouver. Still, it all came together well in this engaging and frightening story with a basis in reality. this was a cautionary tale about taking unapproved medications and the necessity to shut down their distributors.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an early ARC. Publication is expected on May 9th.

(Dr.) Daniel Kalla has again presented a life issue with intense drama. A toxic, explosive chemical developed for WW 1 has become the latest toxic addition to weight loss and body building products. Fatal consequences are the basis for this fictionalized investigation when a series of deaths are attributed to DNP. Police in Los Angeles and Vancouver team up to find the sources and shut them down.

Characters face intense emotional reactions and the grueling amount of hours put in to find the 'bad guys' kept me reading this thriller until I finished it!