The Last High is an in-depth medical/crime suspense story. The story centres around the rampant drug abuse in Vancouver which is a large problem for this Canadian city. While Julie is working a night shift in the ER she is faced with a group of teenagers that all arrive by ambulance after a drug overdose. All of the teens die with the exception of two, one who is doing well and the other who Julie keeps alive by putting her in ECMO, against the cardiologists advice. Due to the fact they all died quickly and the same way she realizes that they were poisoned high is confirmed by her friend Anson, a police detective who finds no drugs or paraphernalia at the scene. What follows is a deep investigation into the drug world. There seems to be a lot of research into the city itself and they groups/gangs that make and supply the drugs to the dealers, making this not only realistic but interesting to read. Julie is an Addict herself, 9 years in recovery and this drives her to dig deep with Anson to find the truth. I really enjoyed this book and the characters. Julie and Anson are well developed characters. This book will keep you guessing and is a good mixture of police, medicine, crime and a touch of romance that is not out of place. The only issue I have with the book is the ending which seemed to be rushed. Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Daniel Kalla has written another blockbuster of a book. It's extremely well-written and up-to-date on current affairs. As an ER Doctor on the front lines of the opiod crisis the details in this book set it apart from any other book written.

The main characters are Dr. Julie Rees an ER doctor at St. Michael's Hospital and a toxicologist for the Poison Control Centre. Detective Anson Chen is with the Vancouver Police Department. Detective Chen's partner is Detective Theo Kostas and the three of them are determined to find out who is putting 'The Last High' on the streets.

It all starts at a party where 6 teenagers OD. Except for one, they are all dead. Did they know what they were taking or was it an accident? They have to find what links teenagers, a pilot, a developer, a junkie, a nun - people from all walks of life who either take drugs or are exposed in some way. No one is talking in Vancouver but someone is putting this lethal mix on the streets. There are several layers of middle-men and no one will admit to being in charge. Several different groups control the drugs on the streets but Julie and Anson are determined to find out where 'The Last High' is coming from.

An incredible real-life page turner. As always Daniel Kalla is a brilliant read that I would highly recommend to anyone that is not familiar with his books. They are all worth the read.

Riveting from the first lines. Grabbed me and sucked me in on the first page.

Being a critical care nurse, and loving nothing more than the pump of adrenaline from an emergency situation...I was surprised at how well written the medical aspect of this book was. It really drew me in and left me wanting more.

I liked that the novel showed many different perspectives of the variety of characters, splicing them all together to form a full story, but always coming back to Dr Julie’s perspective. It really helped to draw attention to the varied perspectives and lives impacted in the drug epidemic (not sure this is the word I’m looking for, but for lack of others in my mind currently, that’s how I’ll refer to it) impacting many major cities in the Western world.

I found the investigation to be interesting, but was a bit put off with how involved Dr Julie, an emergency physician and toxicologist, was in it. She’s not a detective, so why is is she involved in stake outs and meetings with suspects?

All in all, an interesting book that ties itself up rather nicely!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this novel for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Thanks to netgalley.com for the opportunity to read this ARC. This medical thriller grabs and keeps your attention from start to finish. Physicians, police and families find themselves in a race against the clock to determine where a powerful new strain of opioid is coming from and why users can’t be revived even with multiple doses of Narcan. The reader moves through the streets of Vancouver with the police (and the ER physician who treated a group of young victims) searching for answers. As they meet and interview the players in the multi-layered drug production and distribution chain it becomes apparent that a product with lethal potency has been created and no one seems to know who made it and who is selling it. The book is technically well crafted and the story moves quickly. I look forward to reading more of this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc of The Last High. What a great medical thriller! Julie is an ED physician and a toxicologist who is on staff the night a group of teenagers arrive in full cardiac arrest due to an opioid overdose at a party. Little do they know, a new drug, referred to on the street as TLH, has hit the streets and it’s killing people at an alarming rate. Being a respiratory therapist myself (thanks to the author for the acknowledgment of RT staff in the ED), I found the medical jargon accurate, believable, and relevant to the story. I knocked one star off for Julies annoying insistence on following cops around and trying to insert herself into dangerous police business...is being an ED physician AND a toxicologist not enough for you!? Overall great story that I really enjoyed.

This book will grab you at the beginning. It's a book that is very practical for this day and time. It deals with the opoid crisis. It takes place in Vancouver, Canada, but could easily take place in any U.S. city. The research that went into this book was awesome.

We have to delve into the ER of a hospital. Teens show up in the ER, all overdosed from a drug. The homicide detectives get involved as some die, I am not spoiling this happens at the beginning, along with the ER Doctor, Julia. She's also a toxicologist and helps the detective with this case. They have to figure out why this has happened and who is responsible.

The case will take them from the dregs of society to millionaires. From petty drug dealers to major gangs in the drug trade. I highly recommend this book if you like medical thrillers with police procedural.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the Kindle copy, as well as the author. All options are my own.

Medical cum police procedural with a light romance. Highly authentic with details of opioid addiction and emergency treatment. While those familiar with Vancouver, B.C. should enjoy the detailed street and neighborhood locations, for others these copious details may be distracting from a well-told story.

I received an advanced copy of this book. I read it in a day. I couldn’t put it down. The drug crisis that is hitting every town and country. Rich or poor. Made a riveting story.
It starts with teens at a party. Experimenting with a drug that is highly potent. And meeting with Doctor Julie, herself an ex-addict. Her relationship with a cop who drags her in to the hunt of the drug dealers who are selling the bad drugs, and the breaking bad type who cooks up the drugs. So many other points to this book organ donations. I hate to reveal to much of this story.
I definitely found a new author with this book, and can’t wait to read some of his other books.

The Last High refers to carfentantil, a drug derived from fentanyl that is used to tranquilizer elephants that somehow finds its way into the massive drug culture of Vancouver, BC. The story tells of the hunt to find the deadly drug before it kills more people than it already has. It’s certainly a terrifying insight into drug cartels, the intoxicating thrill of illicit substances to those who crave them and those who are caught in the crossfire, and involves some very clever police work.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

This novel is about the opioid crisis in Vancouver.dr. Julia Rees is a toxicologist and ER doctor who must treat teenagers who are admitted to the hospital. All are DOA except for two. She tries to save Alexa using a special machine which she is not supposed to use."Julie thinks the drug is fentanyl but why did so many die so quickly and the no ole ever didn’t revive them? A son Chen is the detective assigned to the case. Julie and Anson team up to find out what the substance is and who is dealing it. The story revolves around their quest and the under world of drug distribution.there is a side story about a young mother who needs a heart transplant. A son and Julie both have a backstory which haunts them and affects their lives. The novel is about medicine and detectives and would appeal to those who enjoy mystery/detective/suspense novels. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC for my honest review.

The Last High is the latest book by Daniel Kalla. The Last High is an interesting story that deals with the opioid epidemic from the view point of police and an ER doctor. Fans of medical dramas will enjoy this book. I want to thank Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the early copy to review.

I was first introduced to Daniel Kalla's work with "Pandemic." That was when I knew he was a first rate medical thriller author. With "The Last High," that opinion is only cemented further. The scary part of this book (as well as Pandemic) is the fact that the events described in the book could actually occur. A group of teenagers at a party die suddenly from what is thought to be a normal drug overdose but as things develop, a far greater horror is discovered. More people begin dying from all walks of life. A driven cop and a recovering addict doctor race against the clock to find the source of the poison and stop further deaths from occurring.
Kalla has done his research. There are many medical and chemical references in the book and I learned a few things from reading it. I enjoy books that are fiction but based on facts, frightening though they may be. This one is a winner.

Kalla brings us face to face with the frightening reality of the effects of the devastating opioid crisis that is crippling every corner of the world.

When a Vancouver emergency room becomes overflowing with overdosed teenagers and high doses of the opioid antidote naloxone are ineffective, the teens do not survive. On duty ER Dr Julie Rees realizes that there’s nothing typical about the drugs the teens have taken. Dr Rees knows all too well about drug abuse not only from her past addiction but also the loss of her lover to a drug overdose.

In the days that follow more overdoses fill the ER and the morgue. Innocent party goer, casual drug user or opioid addict, no one is exempt from the heartless greed and exploitation of the dealers and suppliers.

Dr Rees teams up with Detective Chen to find the source and stop the flow of these deadly drugs.

A thriller that takes us from the ER into the world of behind the scenes drug trafficking and the finality of drug overdose.

Exciting medical thriller! I could barely put it down to have dinner and then sleep. Julia is a doctor, working in the ER and also in toxicology. Possibly deciding to work in these areas stems from a feeling of guilt. Her boyfriend, Michael, was an addict and died from an overdose. Julia was an addict too and blames herself for his death. One night seven teenagers are brought in by paramedics suffering from a drug overdose. Six died, only one survived. The drug involved was lethal, ten thousand times stronger than heroin. Julia teams up with Detective Anson to chase the source of this dangerous drug. There is chemistry between Julia and Anson, will a romance result!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a real page turner for me - I finished it in a day. The story opens with five teenagers doing drugs. Three are found dead, a 4th is brain dead and a 5th survives, with a secret. Julie Rees is the ER doc who can't seem to get ahead on the deaths and dying from the new fatal street drug. The hospital lab had issues determining the chemical of the street drug. Simultaneously Julie (and some cops) began searching for the source. Although Julie and the cops are never in danger, they, too, have their own drug secrets.
The characters are well developed and the scenes are crisp in my mind. And if you ever thought about just trying a street drug, well, after reading this, you won't dare.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

Incredibly written book about a current problem. We hear often in the news about the opioid addiction but Daniel Kappa brings it front and center with all its deep pain and consequences. This book definitely drew me in immediately and continued to engage my mind and emotions. I will be reading more of his work.