Fit to Die

In the latest medical thriller, Fit to Die, by author Daniel Kalla, people are dying to get fit. The story 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 show more 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. show less

Contemporary issue in a fast-paced thriller.

What price are you willing to pay to lose weight and be fashionably thin? Are you willing to die to be fit? Detectives in LA and Vancouver are racing to find the supplier of diet pills and supplements that contain DNP -- a weight loss agent that has significant toxicity.

The son of a senator and a social media influencer are found dead due to overdose of the toxin DNP, a deadly chemical that was once used as an explosive agent during WWI. When more body builders and people with eating disorders come to emergency rooms with high fevers and uncontrollable seizures, the hunt is on to find out where those people are getting DNP and to stop the supply chain.

This was another great read by an author show more who has become a favorite of mine. He always finds an issue that needs to be addressed and I love the medical aspects and details. The characters in this were not really as well developed but the focus was on the drug and its effects as well as shedding light on the difficulties in managing eating disorders. Many people have an obsession with fitness and weight so definitely a timely topic -- and who doesn't want a fast and easy way to shed those extra pounds. Unfortunately, there is no method that works like that, and definitely it's not one that is healthy.

Thank you to the publisher for granting access to this ARC for me to read, review, and recommend. Looking forward to Kalla's next book. show less

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 more 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.

I received this arc from Simon & Schuster via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it. show less

Fit to Die is Danel Kalla's new novel.

There is such a focus on body weight in our society - rather than on being healthy. Kalla takes this skewed thinking as the basis of his plot in Fit to Die. Emergency rooms in Vancouver and LA are dealing with overdoses of an unnamed drug. Once the common thread is named, I thought, no way. But no, it's real. (and that is pretty scary)

Here's the neat bit - Kalla is himself an emergency physician in Vancouver, Canada. I can't even imagine what's he's seen or dealt with over the years. His medical expertise adds much to his book's overall feel in terms of setting, action and dialogue.

His protagonists are medical and law enforcement players whose lives intersect. Some of the characters have appeared in show more previous books and it's nice to see them again. The investigation is believable from both points of view.

Kalla keeps things moving at a good pace. There's a few twists that keeps the reader on their toes. Overall, an entertaining read for those who like medical thrillers. show less

Cari, the investigator from LA, makes sure to find out who is standing behind extremely toxic pills containing DNP. Recently, the senator's only son who was an elite distance runner, lost his life because of DNP overdose. At the same time, Raid, a popular singer from LA, dies in a Vancouver hotel. Investigation confirms that she used DNP, the same drug that lately is used among bodybuilders and people with eating disorders. It's hard to track the distributor who illegally sells diet pills online. More people are dying, and the crime becomes more complicated. Investigators in both LA and Vancouver are determined to solve this crime fast.

This was such a quick and easy read. It kept me intrigued with its plot and topic. Nicely executed show more while alternating between Vancouver and LA investigations. From the beginning, the story unfolds people involved in those toxic pills, but the author manages to bring moments of tension and twist that was awaiting at the end. show less