Daniel Kalla
Author of Pandemic
About the Author
Image credit: Daniel Kalla
Series
Works by Daniel Kalla
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1966-05-04
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of British Columbia (M.D.)
- Occupations
- Physician, emergency room
- Short biography
- Born, raised, and still residing in Vancouver, Kalla spends his days (and sometimes nights) working as an ER Physician in an urban teaching hospital.
The idea for his first medical thriller, PANDEMIC, sprang from his clinical experience in facing the SARS crisis of 2003. He has written five science thrillers and or medical mysteries, delving into themes and topics as diverse as superbugs, drug addiction, prions, DNA evidence, pandemics and patient abuse.
Kalla’s last book, THE FAR SIDE OF THE SKY, is a historical novel set in Second World War Shanghai against the dramatic backdrop of converging cultures and ideologies. His latest, RISING SUN, FALLING SHADOW continues the story of the Adler family through 1943, the bleakest year in war-torn Shanghai.
His books have been translated into eleven languages, and two have been optioned for feature films.
Daniel received his MD from the University of British Columbia. He is married and the proud father of two girls in a home predominated by the XX chromosome (even his beloved Labrador retriever, Lola, is female.) - Nationality
- Canada
- Birthplace
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Places of residence
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Associated Place (for map)
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Members
Discussions
The Deepest Fake, Daniel Kalla, JUNE 2025 LTER in Reviews of Early Reviewers Books (June 2025)
Reviews
An electronic copy of this book was provided for review by publishers Simon & Schuster, via Library Thing.
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Liam Hirsch is a man who has everything – a beautiful home in a pricey section of Seattle, a loving wife, two great kids, and a high-tech company on the cutting edge of interactive AI, which is about to explode with a quantum leap forward.
And he’s about to lose it all.
Faced with a devastating medical diagnosis, Hirsch is driven to tie up all the loose ends, to choose a show more worthy successor for his company, to ensure a secure financial future for his family, and to select his own time of departure via Washington state’s death-with-dignity program. But then, in a stunning about-face, he discovers his wife is having an affair, someone deep within his company is tapping the till, and his revolutionary AI program has been used to deepfake a career-destroying video of a U.S. Senator. It seems his carefully-conceived departure plan requires major readjustment, even though his mortality clock is ticking.
These are the elements Daniel Kalla has dropped into his intricately-plotted mystery/suspense novel that changes the game plan in almost every chapter. There are plenty of suspects for each of the attacks being launched at his tough-minded hero, and the tenacious private investigator he hires. Together Hirsch and Andrea DeWalt sift through an ever-changing landscape of betrayal until the last, most devastating betrayal of all once again changes the game completely.
Most readers won’t see this one coming, and even those few who have penetrated the multiple smokescreens can still enjoy the fast pace and engaging characters Kalla has served up here. There’s nothing fake about the entertainment value here. show less
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Liam Hirsch is a man who has everything – a beautiful home in a pricey section of Seattle, a loving wife, two great kids, and a high-tech company on the cutting edge of interactive AI, which is about to explode with a quantum leap forward.
And he’s about to lose it all.
Faced with a devastating medical diagnosis, Hirsch is driven to tie up all the loose ends, to choose a show more worthy successor for his company, to ensure a secure financial future for his family, and to select his own time of departure via Washington state’s death-with-dignity program. But then, in a stunning about-face, he discovers his wife is having an affair, someone deep within his company is tapping the till, and his revolutionary AI program has been used to deepfake a career-destroying video of a U.S. Senator. It seems his carefully-conceived departure plan requires major readjustment, even though his mortality clock is ticking.
These are the elements Daniel Kalla has dropped into his intricately-plotted mystery/suspense novel that changes the game plan in almost every chapter. There are plenty of suspects for each of the attacks being launched at his tough-minded hero, and the tenacious private investigator he hires. Together Hirsch and Andrea DeWalt sift through an ever-changing landscape of betrayal until the last, most devastating betrayal of all once again changes the game completely.
Most readers won’t see this one coming, and even those few who have penetrated the multiple smokescreens can still enjoy the fast pace and engaging characters Kalla has served up here. There’s nothing fake about the entertainment value here. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
“We All Fall Down” is a thought-provoking book which looks squarely at a cataclysm of unimaginable proportions. The Black Death has arrived in Italy and the story will tell us how people will react to the catastrophe. Will Dr. Alana Vaugh, an infectious diseases expert with NATO find the source in time to save the world?
Daniel Kalla who practices emergency medicine in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada has once again written an absolutely riveting drama hard to put down. Very show more knowledgeable in the subject, his words plunges his readers’ right in the middle of the crises where experts are on the hunt to track down Patient Zero. Their search brings them across an 800 year monastery and a medieval journal that may be key to understanding and solving the outbreak.
This 10th novel that combines suspense with a historical mystery is told in alternating chapters drawing us back to the Middle Ages where the initial outbreak took place then we are smoothly taken forward to today’s crises where NATO, WHO and local representatives need to find a solution. Mr. Kalla demonstrates a masterful skill needed for genuine suspense by capitalizing and building on the danger of exposure and the panic ensuing. The writing shines with medical and scientific expertise.
No person is left unscathed, no family untouched. Death grows insatiable……this is scary to think, could biological terrorism really happen, how fast can viruses spread and how safe are we?
Mr. Kalla is one of my favourite authors and I wouldn’t miss any of his books. I read them all….This latest is a well-done nail biting thriller….
I received this ARC from the publisher Simon Schuster via NetGalleys for me thoughts. show less
Daniel Kalla who practices emergency medicine in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada has once again written an absolutely riveting drama hard to put down. Very show more knowledgeable in the subject, his words plunges his readers’ right in the middle of the crises where experts are on the hunt to track down Patient Zero. Their search brings them across an 800 year monastery and a medieval journal that may be key to understanding and solving the outbreak.
This 10th novel that combines suspense with a historical mystery is told in alternating chapters drawing us back to the Middle Ages where the initial outbreak took place then we are smoothly taken forward to today’s crises where NATO, WHO and local representatives need to find a solution. Mr. Kalla demonstrates a masterful skill needed for genuine suspense by capitalizing and building on the danger of exposure and the panic ensuing. The writing shines with medical and scientific expertise.
No person is left unscathed, no family untouched. Death grows insatiable……this is scary to think, could biological terrorism really happen, how fast can viruses spread and how safe are we?
Mr. Kalla is one of my favourite authors and I wouldn’t miss any of his books. I read them all….This latest is a well-done nail biting thriller….
I received this ARC from the publisher Simon Schuster via NetGalleys for me thoughts. show less
This was a quick read with short chapters and an unsophisticated writing style. It explained a lot of (too many?) medical terms and procedures, but otherwise moved at fast pace. The depiction of the whole array of people involved in the supply of opioids and the wide variety of customers, was well done and informative. However, I did struggle a bit with the enormous number of characters, many of whom died shortly after being introduced.
A sad and gently hopeless book, which humanized addicts show more and even drug dealers and at least reminds the reader that there are people who care about the problem, even if they have no easy answers. show less
A sad and gently hopeless book, which humanized addicts show more and even drug dealers and at least reminds the reader that there are people who care about the problem, even if they have no easy answers. show less
There is a certain eerie element to this tale in that it seems like something that is coming right out of the newspaper headlines in real time. With the escalation of deaths attributed to Opioids, the concept of a lethal, tainted batch of Fentanyl making it onto the streets isn’t so far off. Set in Vancouver, Canada, ER doctor Julie Rees has seen a lot in her life. She herself is a recovering Opioid addict who lost her fiancé to an overdose. Living with her guilt she feels compelled to do show more all she can to save the lives of addicts who come into her ER. She is unprepared for an accidental overdose that brings multiple teenagers into her ER. Unlike other Opioid cases, this unfortunate group of teens are succumbing at an alarming rate. They are only the beginning as it becomes apparent that a particularly deadly batch of Fentanyl is on the streets. Julie joins her friend, Detective Anson Chen, in the investigation. With many powerful drug sellers in the game, who would have the motivation to release a deadly batch of Fentanyl? Like I said this story has a real life vibe to it, which is also bolstered by the author’s obvious experience in the medical field. This is a story that has a little bit of everything. A little romance, a multidimensional look into the drug world, excitement, and a touch of sadness for all the lives affected by these insidious drugs. Any one of them, while they are fictional could stand in and represent a real life cut short. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 21
- Members
- 1,435
- Popularity
- #17,925
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 59
- ISBNs
- 96
- Languages
- 6
