I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

This is a fine thriller that showcases the very real danger of diet culture. Although I expected the drug at the heart of the story to be fictional I was surprised and saddened to realize it is very real. Although this wasn’t a standout story for me , I did enjoy it and encourage you to read it too should you find yourself with a copy. An enjoyable summer beach read type book.

ARC Review: Fit to Die

Thank you @simonschusterca for my copy of this book - it’s out now!

I’ve been really trying to get into more thrillers recently, especially since realizing that a lot of them aren’t actually scary enough to keep me up at night. This one definitely had the vibe of a thriller I could handle but I was a bit disappointed in the lack of suspense.

Overall I found this book to be well written and I actually enjoyed the plot but the characters fell really flat for me. There was a slight attempt at a love interest storyline that felt kind of forced and unimportant to the general story so I didn’t care for it much. I did appreciate that everything made logical sense and there wasn’t a random third party thrown in to explain away the mystery.

This is definitely not a book where you can pick apart the technical pieces - the medical descriptions were fantastic and had an incredible amount of details portrayed very accurately!

Read this if you:
- Have ever done something shady to get ahead in your career
- Love a ‘whodunnit’ where all the pieces fit together pedectly
- Enjoy a plot where justice is served

When the son of a senator is found dead in his home in LA, no foul play is suspected. Soon after, a famous influencer in Vancouver turns up dead with many of the same symptoms that have also been showing up in other young people who have died of apparent drug overdoses. When the autopsy confirms that her death was caused by overdosing on a diet pill that contained toxic levels of DNP, police detectives in LA and Vancouver must work together to find the source of the illicit drugs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Fit to Die” is in many ways a basic police procedural following the investigation of deaths linked to a diet pill laced with a deadly toxin. Detectives from Los Angeles and Vancouver team up to solve the case.

I really enjoyed it, with a few reservations. The plot is fast-paced and interesting. The author raises questions about body image, social media influencers, and the diet industry. Unfortunately, he doesn’t go too deeply into any of these issues. The books is plot heavy, with little depth of character. And there are a lot of characters! At times I had difficulty remembering who was who.

Despite these issues, the plot moves along and the resolution is satisfying. I really like the relationships between the two teams of detectives. I thought it was suspenseful and twisty, and the author’s experience as an ER physician definitely added to the story.

The book isn’t highly memorable, but it’s enjoyable. I recommend it to pass a weekend or a day by the pool.

Reading the description of this one was super intriguing but the actual story fell a bit flat for me. I did like that it was a pretty quick read, quite fast paced.

3.25-3.5 stars

This one was okay, but I did find it a bit underwhelming. The idea had promise, but it didn’t feel like it lived up to its full potential. I may have enjoyed it more if it focused more on the details of the plot and less on the cop characters investigating the situation. Ultimately, I thought it was okay but not great.

When several deaths are linked to the diet pill industry in both LA and Vancouver, detectives from both cities join forces to get to the bottom of this high profile growing issue.

The book is super easy to read, and I liked that it was a quick read. I found the ending the be underwhelming and it fell quite flat for me. While the topic was interesting several times I found the story lacking at times.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for a digital copy of the book.

Daniel Kalla presents a riveting glance at the impact of influencers and the fitness crazes on society. The story alternates between a Vancouver and a Los Angeles setting, as each city is seeing an increase in deaths linked to the latest diet pill used by those seeking to lose a few pounds quickly. Are these deaths intentional? And who is behind the distribution of this newish pill, DNP, which contains an explosive which is putting so many lives at risk?.

The concept is interesting but I wish the author delved a bit more into the story as it relates to the role of influencers in today’s society, The characters are engaging, especially as we see police forces from both cities joining forces to identify the culprits and try to halt the widespread use of DNP. However, while there are hints at romance between two characters, the storylines, at times, feel rushed and sometimes abandoned.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for thé ARC.

I haven’t read anything by Daniel Kalla before but I would definitely pick up more of his books.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this one as crime/thrillers aren’t normally my go to but I was pleasantly surprised!

This was a pretty quick read with an interesting plot and likeable characters. I’ve never heard of DNP before, it’s wild it was used as a weight loss drug.

I always enjoy Kalla. His books are thought out, real life dramas that tackle tough and relevant subjects.

Fit to Die revolves around the diet industry and how people will go to extreme lengths to reach their weight or body goals, even when they don’t know exactly what they are doing.

There are always a lot of perspectives which can be confusing, but isn’t a deal breaker to me. These characters have been seen previously and there is a lot of backstory with the Vancouver detective and toxicologist that isn’t necessary to the overall story but goes with the back story from before. Unnecessary, as the plot does not need that much back story of the characters love life in my opinion.

A very enjoyable read. I had never heard of DNP before reading this. I was very unfamiliar with the black market of diet pills. It certainly is a good book for bringing some awareness to this issue as the author is also an ER doctor and probably seen some of these poisonings first hand.
I really liked the characters and the investigation. They all had just enough background to make their characters struggles with the case interesting. I did not have it figured out. At least not half of it. I had some ideas in regards to the mind over body side of the story, but I was surprised by the Dr. X pharmaceuticals side of the mystery. I’m curious now to try other books of his. Solid four stars

This was a bit shallow of a read for me and I struggled to finish. I felt the plot was a bit too obvious and the characters a bit flat

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

This book was just okay to me. Exploring the lives of influencers and what they do to get to the top was interesting but I felt like the writing was very simple and because of that, I was kind of bored. Although it was clear Daniel Kalla knew what he was talking about in terms of the medical aspect, I still wasn’t totally sold.

This was my first Daniel Kalla read and I have to say I was really impressed. It was a fascinating and exciting medical thriller.

First the son of a US senator dies of a drug overdose. Then a popular influencer also dies. Both of the deceased had similar symptoms before their deaths. Soon there are more people turning up to their hospital ERs.

The media is quick to jump on the story. An investigation is started by a toxicologist and two detectives working from Vancouver and L.A. They are all determined to find out who is making and selling deadly diet pills targeted to those who are looking for a quick way to lose weight.

Well written and fast paced, I had a hard time putting this novel down. There are many characters and it did take a little time to keep everyone straight. I really liked the short chapters and thought the pace was very good.

Thought provoking and thrilling with an ending I did not see coming. Fit to Die is a unique and timely novel that deals with many important issues like weight loss, body image, eating disorders, and the influence of social media.

I'm looking forward to reading Daniel Kalla's next book as well as those from his back list.


I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Daniel Kalla’s books have become auto-purchases for me. He brings his emergency room experience to the page, and offers current, relevant topics. His books are fast-paced, and his characters keep me engaged from start to finish.

In Fit to Die, he turns his focus to the diet industry, and the heightened need to meet the unrealistic standards of beauty and weight. Diet pills, laced with poison. Greed and treachery in the criminal organizations determined to take a cut off the market. And the devastating fallout, when people start to die. This was a page-turner for me, and led me back to his previous book The Last High, when I found out that Detective Chen and Dr. Rees were featured. I’m hoping we see more of these characters going forward.

A solid 4.5 stars from this reader. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

One of my favourite things about reading is when the book subject is so fascinating that I find myself on the internet wanting to learn even more. When I picked up Fit to Die by Daniel Kalla, I was expecting to read about the impact of social media on the diet industry; but, it was definitely so much more than that!

When a politician’s son dies, followed by a social media influencer, this story centres around a toxicologist, police detectives in Vancouver and LA who use their expertise to investigate the deaths that seem to be related to the hot new “diet pill” dinitrophenol or DNP. If you haven’t heard of DNP, you’re not alone. A quick internet search tells me that DNP has resulted in a number of deaths worldwide when used as a diet pill. What was fascinating to me was learning about what DNP actually is. It’s an explosive (you read that right) that has been around since the first world war. It has been used as a diet pill in the past; however, it is primarily available for purchase online. The side effects are deadly with the characters in this book spiking an abnormally high fever resulting in seizures and very few avoiding death. Those selling DNP on the internet are preying on those vulnerable to the claims of quick weight loss. When a high-end wellness centre offers a special drink to their most valued clients, the results are amazing. When one of the partners asks for an increase in the special ingredient hoping for results, things turn deadly and what follows is an unpredictable ending with so many unsuspecting victims and unpredictable villains. Social media plays a small role in this story, as medium to project a perfect image and the characters in this story will do what it takes to achieve that perfection. This book was fascinating and gripping and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kalla’s latest medical thriller. Extremely timely, this was a very fast paced, quick read. I always look forward to this author’s medical expertise and excellent writing. I can’t wait for his next novel!
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC!
4.5/5 rounded up!

I am unable to read this book on the NetGalley shelf app due to the font size. I would like to thank you for the copy but I could not read it.

With sodium nitrate poisoning/suicides and shady websites dealing this product, these current news headlines resonate with this story of dark shady websites and the very unsafe DNP as a diet drug found in this novel. Well paced story with an international flair as we have cops in Vancouver and LA working together to solve these crimes. I found the characters interesting and the plot and pacing worked well. Interested in reading more of Daniel Kalla's work.

4 stars