The Last High

“In this riveting novel from international bestselling author Daniel Kalla, a Vancouver doctor and a detective face the deadly consequences of the opioid crisis as they track down the supplier of fentanyl that landed a group of teens in the ER with critical overdoses.“

About The Book 📚

Publication Date: May 12, 2020

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

My Review

› Dr. Julie Rees is working at the ER when a group of teens who overdosed at a party are brought in. She’s shocked at the deadly effects of the mysterious drug, much worse than regular fentanyl, and suspects something serious is happening in Vancouver.

› There’s action right out of the gate and this book is a page-turner, however, I do want to warn readers that there are very descriptive medical procedures which some may find disturbing. The trigger warnings for drug abuse, overdose, death are implied. I’d also like to point out that there is sexual assault and a male purposefully drugs a female to make her “more friendly”. I really wish the story would have dived deeper into this situation, showing the male be punished for this action or at least someone saying how horrible it is.

› The Last High has a large cast of characters, but this is about Dr. Rees working with Detective Anson Chen to find out who’s selling a deadly illegal drug in Vancouver. I’m Canadian and love to read books by Canadian authors. I lived near Vancouver for a while and have seen the areas talked about, making this all the more real for me.

› Dr. Rees is an incredibly interesting character. Her dark past with drug addiction is a shadow that follows her throughout the narrative and the reader eventually discovers why she’s so driven to solve this crime.

› My Goodreads Rating ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• The Last High is a frightening book about greed, addiction, crime, and the opioid crisis. This is a scary and compelling story that I’d recommend to fans of medical/crime thrillers.