This latest is another winner, one of those stories that grab your attention from the start, an awesome medical thriller that deals with the terrible opioid crisis. The Last High (TLH) is carfentanil, a derivative of fentanyl a drug so lethal who ever tries it may end up dead. The story takes place in Vancouver BC one of the cities where the crisis is at the highest level but although this city is in Canada, the crisis is certainly a worldwide occurrence that kills thousands of users. Mr. Kalla, an ER doctor by profession has penned a story of what happens when teens show up in the ER from a deadly drug overdose.

The development is said in alternate chapters from the point of view of ER doctors, the toxicologist, the homicide detectives, the dealers and their associates. The pace is a bit slow at first but as good thriller does it soon springs into action and from then on we are into a rollicking tempo till the very end. The plot has a lot of intrigue and some violence after all dealing with the Triad, major drug gangs and petty dealers, one cannot pussyfoot around. We find a lot of medical jargon and chemical references in the book regarding the illicit drug world; I learned a few things (actually a lot)……and following the cleaver police force at work we find out the tricks they need to do in order to get the drugs off the streets. “Chapeau” to them. Thank you, Mr. Kalla for writing such a lively and timely story to enlighten us as well as for our enjoyment.

I received an ARC from the publisher Simon & Schuster for my thoughts.

“We All Fall Down” is a thought-provoking book which looks squarely at a cataclysm of unimaginable proportions. The Black Death has arrived in Italy and the story will tell us how people will react to the catastrophe. Will Dr. Alana Vaugh, an infectious diseases expert with NATO find the source in time to save the world?

Daniel Kalla who practices emergency medicine in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada has once again written an absolutely riveting drama hard to put down. Very knowledgeable in the subject, his words plunges his readers’ right in the middle of the crises where experts are on the hunt to track down Patient Zero. Their search brings them across an 800 year monastery and a medieval journal that may be key to understanding and solving the outbreak.

This 10th novel that combines suspense with a historical mystery is told in alternating chapters drawing us back to the Middle Ages where the initial outbreak took place then we are smoothly taken forward to today’s crises where NATO, WHO and local representatives need to find a solution. Mr. Kalla demonstrates a masterful skill needed for genuine suspense by capitalizing and building on the danger of exposure and the panic ensuing. The writing shines with medical and scientific expertise. 

No person is left unscathed, no family untouched. Death grows insatiable……this is scary to think, could biological terrorism really happen, how fast can viruses spread and how safe are we?
Mr. Kalla is one of my favourite authors and I wouldn’t miss any of his books. I read them all….This latest is a well-done nail biting thriller…. 

I received this ARC from the publisher Simon Schuster via NetGalleys for me thoughts.

Book 3, in the Adler Family Trilogy

“Nightfall Over Shanghai “is the epic final chapter of the remarkable Adler family who fled to Shanghai along with 20,000 Jews and managed to survive there under surreal circumstances during WW11. The third installment opens in April 1944.

Mr. Kalla has written once more an exciting page-turner very hard to put aside. We follow the characters through their ordeals dealing with the Japanese and trying not to fall on their wrong side. Death is at every corner and dodging their wrath is not an easy task. When the end of the war seems near, the Adler’s faces a new challenge: whether to stay or leave Shanghai.

I admit it took some time remembering each recurring character but I fast overcame this challenge. I became so committed to each player and so enthralled in their saga that I kept flipping pages at a rapid pace to see what would happen to them next. The research and work invested in this story in order to be as close as possible to real events must have been extensive. Kudos Mr. Kalla you have captivated me and held my interest for hours. I loved the way you told the story, how you vividly described events and how colourfully you have painted your players: the good and evil ones.

To enjoy this trilogy at its most it is highly recommended to read it in sequence as we follow through the years the Adler family and some of their friends.

Seriously, England has been freaking cold place to live since the last August bank holiday and OMG the rain. Hence, emoji for this week. Best news is that we are now past the six month mark of this deployment and are making plans for hubby's return. And since it is the month for all things Halloween, my browsing has reflected the preparations for the upcoming holiday.

This week's additions to the TBR pile:

1. Fun Home and Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel. I have heard nothing but great things from the Book Riot media folks about these two graphic memoirs about a lesbian coming to terms with her family and her sexuality. Hopefully, these books look good on my Simple Touch NOOK.

2. Son of a Witch (The Wicked Years #2) by Gregory Maguire. This was on sale in the NOOK daily deal, so I picked it up to add to the other books in the series I had already. Still need two more to complete the set and dive in.

3. Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee. This was a case of cover love. Picked up for free from NOOK store in the hopes of finding something new and different in paranormal romance.

4. Dragon Romance: Rising Inferno by Lucile Wild. Picked it up for several reasons: OMG that cover model is beautiful; dragons - a preference which is wholly influenced by my son's obsession with all things dragons and HTTYD movies; heroine is "BBW" meaning she is probably a size 12 (US) or maybe even *gasp* a 14. I know dragons have had a serious run in the paranormal romance genre, but this is the first dragon book for me. Freebie in the NOOK store.

5. The Guardians (The Guardians #1) by Elise Marion. Not to sound like a broken record, but oh my that is a beautiful cover model. Also, I like that in this paranormal romance genre, the paranormal beings are humans with superpowers, rather than being completely "other". Another freebie in the NOOK store.

6. The Tenth Life of Vicki Torres: A Court of Annwyn Short Story by Shona Husk. Another freebie in the NOOK store. A short story to try our the author and the world she created in the hopes of finding a new series.

7. Home for the Howlidays by Chloe Cole. Another freebie in the NOOK store. Going to put this one in the winter holidays reading list to help break up all the syrupy-sweetness that holiday romances tend to wallow in. Also, another cover lust.

8. Her Mad Hatter by Marie Hall. Something about the Mad Hatter really interests me. I hope Alice isn't TSTL or bitchy.

9. The Far Side of the Sky (Shanghai Series #1) by Daniel Kalla. I picked up the very last copy of book two in the series at the Shopette (basically, a military version of a liquor store/gas station/conveince store) completely on a whim. Came home to discover that the book was part of a trilogy and picked up book one off Abebooks.com. Book three comes out in January 2016. This series has Chinese and Jewish refugees in Shanghai fighting the Japanese and Nazis while also falling in love. Also, this book will be my first by a Canadian author.

I bought this book off Abebooks.com on August 19. One month and ten days later, it is now safely in my hands. Now to wait for the final book in the trilogy, which doesn't come out until January.