Although this book started strong, the AI aspect definitely threw me off and I found it hard to keep up
Was not my favorite but glad I took a chance on this author

Thoroughly enjoyed this gripping read by Daniel Kalla. He is a new author to me but one I will make a point of looking out for in the future (and catch up on all the books I've missed). This is a suspenseful and very relevant read that takes a number of important issues we are encountering in present day - AI, assisted dying, familial relationships, betrayal, and provides the catalyst for the reader to sit back and be entertained while hopefully thinking critically about some of the challenges we are facing as a society. That said - this is a very entertaining and fast read and perfect for your next holiday or weekend. This is a book everyone will be talking about this summer! Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a review. Looking forward to reading more by Daniel Kalla soon!

🤖 ARC BOOK REVIEW 🤖

PUB DATE: July 28th

My Rating : I Loved it 🙌🏼

Be sure to add this to your TBR , you don’t want to miss this timely speculative thriller 👀

The Deepest Fake is an edgy gripping page turner that will make you question everything and everyone 😮

This is my 5th book by Kalla and with his physician background he blends medical plots that are convincing & believable and interlaces current subject matters that gets the wheels turning which is why he will always be an auto buy for me , his stories are unique & refreshing!

I could NOT put this one down and was on edge the entire time…everyone had a motive but will our protagonist figure out who wants him dead in time ?

Liam is the CEO of an AI 🤖company on the verge of releasing an APP that could change the world , but at the same time he has been diagnosed with an illness that is slowly killing him …and has discovered his wife has been cheating on him .

Slowly Liam starts to see things differently and hires a PI 🕵️ together they work together trying to connect the dots as to who could be sabotaging Liam and his Tech company ??

Will Liam figure it out or will he be too late and find himself buried 10 feet under 💀… you need to read this one for yourself to find out !!

In a world today that is weighted heavily with technology, AI has been leading the way with mastering company meetings , writing articles , Siri , Alexa , facial recognition and so much more to the point I can’t tell what’s real or fake on social media anymore, it’s wild & it’s also creepy & frightening, which made this fictional read seem so real 😱

Read this if you like :
🤖 Current Topics
🤖 Speculative Thrillers
🤖 Smart Dialogue
🤖 Pulse Pounding Reads
🤖 Relatable Characters
🤖 Multiple Motives

Thank you @netgalley , @simonschusterca @danielkallawrites for this piercing page turner ARC 🙌🏼

. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the early digital copy of 'The Deepest Fake' by Daniel Kalla, a book I had been highly anticipating. Kalla is a Canadian physician, professor, and author based in Vancouver. I have read most of his thrillers, which have a medical component. This latest book combines tech and medical issues, but the author explains everything so clearly and concisely that there is no difficulty in following the story. Publication is due July 29, 2025, and I highly recommend it. There are many probable suspects in the story, with twists that keep one guessing.

Liam had achieved a happy and prosperous life. His attractive wife, Celeste, had held a position as a coding expert, but gave it up for marriage and raising their two children, now teenagers. Through his hard work and computer innovations, he is the CEO of a successful company, TransSend, which designs popular Apps. The family has moved into a house in an exclusive gated community in Seattle. The home is undergoing renovations by a contractor.

His remarkable life is suddenly beset by tragedy. His wife is acting cold and distant because he spends so much time and effort on his work. Liam hires a private detective, Andrea, to follow her. He learns she is engaged in an affair with Ben, the man updating their home. He has developed symptoms that he believes are due to stress, such as numbness in his hands and feet, muscle twitches and decreased mobility. A neurologist confirmed through X-rays and other tests that Liam has an aggressive form of ALS. The condition is progressing rapidly, and he will lose motor function in a few months and be unable to care for himself. Against advice, he keeps the diagnosis a secret from his family and workmates. Even his children notice him tripping and dropping things, and are worried. Liam has chosen an early death by medical assistance MAiD), before there is much more deterioration.

His AI company is rapidly losing money, and he wants to secure his family's future before he passes away, as well as appoint a new CEO to succeed him. His main App. HisStory has been exposed as interfering in a political race with a deep fake video, and someone is siphoning off large sums of money from the business. He fears a collapse of the entire operation. The company's stock is rapidly declining. He informs his staff that he is moving the launch of the new, improved APP, TheirStory, to be released earlier than planned. His staff is opposed to his haste and wants more safeguards added, but he insists it must be available quickly, before a competing company comes up with something similar. He feels it will restore public faith in his company.

Now Andrea is tasked with investigating his top VPs to succeed him, and discovering who is leaking information and embezzling money.
HisStory is capable of bringing historical and famous people to life as avatars by searching the internet on how they might respond in conversations. This allows deceased actors to be cast in significant roles in movies. The upcoming TheirStory will upload detailed data from personality profiles, public records, social media, and other sources, enabling the avatar to have realistic communication with family and friends.

Andera is to investigate his VPS, as he feels the company's decline must be an inside job. He learns that unauthorized payments are being made to a mysterious company, EANC, based offshore. Ellis, a financial officer, has a serious gambling addiction, and the trail leads Andrea to learn that Ellis controls EANC. Ramona, who oversees financial transactions, is covering up for Ellis. Ramona's wife is an expert hacker with knowledge of pharmaceuticals and destroyed a company she opposed.
Nellie, director of cybersecurity, insists that AI could be used to topple governments and start wars. An old friend from Liam's past, Rudy Ziegler, is also under suspicion. Years ago, they developed ideas together for AI, and Rudy has sued Liam for intellectual property theft, but without success. Revenge?

Liam discusses his suspicions with his trusted employee and good friend, Sam. No one at the office is aware of his approaching death. He has only told Andrea, who has now observed Rudy visiting Nellie at her home. Is she the leak?

After a second diagnosis of ALS is confirmed, Liam travels to Canada for a duplication of the tests. He learns he never had ALS, and his previous tests and X-rays were faked. As he is still experiencing tremors and numbness, it is discovered that an industrial toxin is poisoning him by inhalation, and it is affecting him at a high and lethal level. After much searching for its source, he finds the poison hidden in a heating duct attached to his home office and being released through a vent. It is the same pipe that Ben worked on, and are Ben and Celeste conspiring to kill him?

So many suspects with motives for his death and the destruction of Liam's company. With all the revelations and twists, I had no idea what the solution to the mystery was—highly recommended!