Lost Immunity: A Thriller
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- Create Date：2021-05-06 12:51:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Daniel Kalla
- ISBN：1982150157
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Summary
In this explosive new thriller from international bestselling author Daniel Kalla， an experimental vaccine is deployed to battle a lethal outbreak—until patients start dying of unknown causes。
An ordinary day
The city of Seattle is stunned when a deadly bacteria tears through a nearby Bible camp。 Early tests reveal the illness is a form of meningitis， and the camp’s residents are among its most vulnerable victims: children and teenagers。
A new vaccine
Facing a rapidly rising death rate， Seattle’s chief public health officer， Lisa Dyer， and her team quickly take all steps necessary to contain the devastating outbreak。 And when further testing reveals that the strain of the bacteria is one that caused catastrophic losses in Iceland six months before， Lisa decides to take a drastic step: she contacts Nathan Hull， vice president of a pharmaceutical company that is doing final-phase trials on a viable vaccine， and asks him to release it early for use on the city’s population。
An epidemic in the making
Lisa gets the go-ahead on her controversial plan， despite the protests of dubious government officials， anti-vaxxers， and even those on her own team。 Vaccine clinics roll out across the city， and the risky strategy appears to be working， leaving Lisa， Nathan， and thousands of others breathing a sigh of relief。 Until people start dying from mysterious and horrific causes—and the vaccine itself is implicated。
But what if science isn’t to blame？
An ordinary day
The city of Seattle is stunned when a deadly bacteria tears through a nearby Bible camp。 Early tests reveal the illness is a form of meningitis， and the camp’s residents are among its most vulnerable victims: children and teenagers。
A new vaccine
Facing a rapidly rising death rate， Seattle’s chief public health officer， Lisa Dyer， and her team quickly take all steps necessary to contain the devastating outbreak。 And when further testing reveals that the strain of the bacteria is one that caused catastrophic losses in Iceland six months before， Lisa decides to take a drastic step: she contacts Nathan Hull， vice president of a pharmaceutical company that is doing final-phase trials on a viable vaccine， and asks him to release it early for use on the city’s population。
An epidemic in the making
Lisa gets the go-ahead on her controversial plan， despite the protests of dubious government officials， anti-vaxxers， and even those on her own team。 Vaccine clinics roll out across the city， and the risky strategy appears to be working， leaving Lisa， Nathan， and thousands of others breathing a sigh of relief。 Until people start dying from mysterious and horrific causes—and the vaccine itself is implicated。
But what if science isn’t to blame？
Reviews
Nadia Jonesy
，
Thank you NetGalley and the author as well as Simon & Schuster Canada for this read。 IF the Covid-19 virus is becoming too much for you， this is not your book。 This book was a good read though， fast paced and just showed where life can bring you at times。 Decisions， decisions decisions！！ Things went wrong in this book for a few recipients of the vaccination and boy。。。is all I can say。 Have a read！ thank you。
Mathura
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In this novel， a bacterial meningitis outbreak wreaks panic in Seattle - and while I was concerned it would be too difficult to read in our current times， much like with other pandemic fiction， the dramatic speed and intensity of the outbreak helped me keep it at a distance。 The population affected in this fictional pandemic are children and teenagers which also helped me separate it from our current reality。I really appreciated reading about different character viewpoints that represented publ In this novel， a bacterial meningitis outbreak wreaks panic in Seattle - and while I was concerned it would be too difficult to read in our current times， much like with other pandemic fiction， the dramatic speed and intensity of the outbreak helped me keep it at a distance。 The population affected in this fictional pandemic are children and teenagers which also helped me separate it from our current reality。I really appreciated reading about different character viewpoints that represented public health， big pharma， patients， and anti-vaxxers。 I found the medical tidbits and science insights compelling and clearly explained but not overly so for those with a science background。 Most interesting was the public health decision-making， as seen through our main protagonist， a chief public health officer （Lisa）。 Through Lisa， we also got to see her conflicting views with her family and her difficulty in balancing her career with a crumbling marriage （to a husband who sounds too real）。 While the author， a medical doctor， has a clear pro-vaccine stance as outlined in his 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳'𝘴 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦， the book explores the different challenges and concerns that vaccine development and distribution face with clarity and nuance。I had a harder time with the pharmaceutical company's VP （Nathan）， who had a couple cringey moments where he was romantically sizing up the two women he interacts with。 This could have been realistic character building， because I am not surprised at that thought process， but it was cringey to read nonetheless。 I also wish that while the "vaccine hesitant" character （Max） was questioned by characters around him， there could have been more pushback against having his son's autism as his driving force。 I think it would be interesting to discuss in fiction how these antivax movements contribute to stigma around autism and detract energy from improving resources。Overall， I found this thriller to be a fast read teeming with tension and enjoyed the mix of medical and corporate drama。 I was also pleasantly surprised to enjoy the multiple perspectives。 ★★★½ out of 5 stars。Thank you to @simonshusterca for the review copy。 。。。more
Maggie （Magsisreadingagain）
，
When reviewers indicate a book is “timely”， I’m not sure they anticipate a novel that is literally reflecting questions and concerns that are relevant on the publication day。 Lost Immunity， a medical thriller written by Canadian ER physician Daniel Kalla， dives deep into the questions and concerns that have simmered for decades surrounding vaccines。In a post-COVID Seattle， an outbreak of deadly meningitis is infecting children and young adults， leading to hospitalizations and death。 The Public H When reviewers indicate a book is “timely”， I’m not sure they anticipate a novel that is literally reflecting questions and concerns that are relevant on the publication day。 Lost Immunity， a medical thriller written by Canadian ER physician Daniel Kalla， dives deep into the questions and concerns that have simmered for decades surrounding vaccines。In a post-COVID Seattle， an outbreak of deadly meningitis is infecting children and young adults， leading to hospitalizations and death。 The Public Health Officer， Lisa Dyer， learns of a new vaccine that could change the path of this epidemic， but it hasn’t finished the full trial process。 When she pushes through a vaccination plan， she bumps up against government officials and anti-vaxxers， but celebrates the early success… until there are serious side effects。 Who is to blame？ And is the cure worse than the disease？Kalla has done a stellar job of balancing the pros and cons of vaccination， and has blended the scientific with the emotional and psychological impacts felt when vaccine decisions need to be made， both on a government and personal level。 To be reading this novel， as politicians and health officials are trying to overcome vaccination hesitancy， and as side effects from COVID vaccines are making the news， was an exercise in separating fact from fiction。 I felt compelled to keep reading， to find out who has undermined the process， and more importantly， why。 This book will not be for everyone， especially considering world events currently， but I appreciated the perspective and research that Kalla brought to the story。Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the free advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jenn （burlingtonbibliophagist）
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BOOK REVIEWLost Immunity by Daniel KallaThank you to @netgalley and @simonandschusterca for my copy in return for an honest reviewThis is my first book from Kalla， and it did not disappoint。 Reading about a pandemic while the world is in the midst of one may not be for everyone but I was all for it。SynopsisA strain of meningitis is sweeping across Seattle。 Newly appointed Chief Public Health officer Lisa and her team are racing against the clock。 Nathan - a Pharma VP- has a possible solution… a BOOK REVIEWLost Immunity by Daniel KallaThank you to @netgalley and @simonandschusterca for my copy in return for an honest reviewThis is my first book from Kalla， and it did not disappoint。 Reading about a pandemic while the world is in the midst of one may not be for everyone but I was all for it。SynopsisA strain of meningitis is sweeping across Seattle。 Newly appointed Chief Public Health officer Lisa and her team are racing against the clock。 Nathan - a Pharma VP- has a possible solution… a vaccine… not yet through final testing that may be the solution to their problem… as body counts rise they decide to roll out the vaccine…… will it be enough？A reminder that this is fiction。 There is a lot of content about immunization hesitancy， the connection between autism and immunizations， the theory of corporate Pharma companies creating diseases as a financial scheme costing the economy and healthcare systems billions of dollars…。 It is fiction BUT…… these are real concerns。 Kalla puts it all out there。 The doubt， the science， the data， all of it。 You don’t have to agree with it all to appreciate the perspectives and controversy Kalla embeds throughout the dialogue。 The reader will feel the tension building as Lisa and Nathan fight to contain the disease。 You will empathize with the families of the children who fall ill and succumb。 You will be reminded of Covid 19…。 Kalla mentions it in passing as yet another pandemic the world overcame。 I would describe this book as a medical thriller with a bit of corporate espionage。 Its full of trigger warnings and uncomfortable moments that you cant look away from。 The reader is compelled to finish… hoping and praying the vaccine works。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
thereadingowlvina （Elvina Ulrich）
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The Story: Epidemiologist and Seattle's new Chief Public Health Officer， Lisa Dyer and her team are racing against time to contain the devastating meningitis outbreak which is affecting children and teenagers。 Further investigation reveals that six months ago， Iceland had the same outbreak。 A vaccine for meningitis has been developed by Delaware Pharmaceuticals to inoculate 50， 000 people in Reykjavik。 However， it had just finished the final-phase trials and is not ready for the public。 Desp The Story: Epidemiologist and Seattle's new Chief Public Health Officer， Lisa Dyer and her team are racing against time to contain the devastating meningitis outbreak which is affecting children and teenagers。 Further investigation reveals that six months ago， Iceland had the same outbreak。 A vaccine for meningitis has been developed by Delaware Pharmaceuticals to inoculate 50， 000 people in Reykjavik。 However， it had just finished the final-phase trials and is not ready for the public。 Desperate， Lisa contacted the pharmaceutical company to convince them to divert the clinical vaccine to Seattle instead of Iceland。 Her controversial plan is working in the beginning until people started dying from an even more horrific and mysterious illness and the vaccine gets the blame or is there another explanation for these deaths？ My thoughts: This was a solid 5-star read for me！ Gripping twisty plot， fast-paced， incredible characters and just AMAZING！ I think you would need to be in the right headspace to read this book as it can be scary reading this during pandemic。 But the story is so relevant and relatable now since we are trying to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 through vaccination。 The story offers both the POVs from those who truly believe that vaccines save lives and from those anti-vaxxers （vaccine hesitancy）。 I liked learning about the workings of public health in containing an outbreak， contact tracing and all the complicated behind-the-scenes。 I truly enjoyed this medical thriller。 A MUST READ - well-written， highly engaging， informative and unputdownable！ I am looking forward to reading more of this author's books！ Pub。 Date: May 4th， 2021***Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and author Daniel Kalla for this gifted copy to read and review。*** 。。。more
Sandra
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*Publishes May 4， 2021*Yet another scary medical thriller from Daniel Kalla。 This one hits a bit too close to home with the story though， with an out of control virus， a new vaccine， big pharma and anti-vaxxers。 There are many storylines going on here; juggling high profile careers with marriage and kids， terminal and mental illness all provide the backdrop for a deadly meningitis outbreak and how the Public Health Dept。 tries to deal with it。 While I did enjoy the rush of the story， I didn't fe *Publishes May 4， 2021*Yet another scary medical thriller from Daniel Kalla。 This one hits a bit too close to home with the story though， with an out of control virus， a new vaccine， big pharma and anti-vaxxers。 There are many storylines going on here; juggling high profile careers with marriage and kids， terminal and mental illness all provide the backdrop for a deadly meningitis outbreak and how the Public Health Dept。 tries to deal with it。 While I did enjoy the rush of the story， I didn't feel connected to any of the characters。 I only wanted to finish the book to see what was really going on because Dr。 Kalla's books are never straightforward。 （It is a thriller after all）。 This is probably not the best book to read right now in light of Covid-19 and the controversary over vaccines and the anti-vaxxer movement， but if you read it with an open mind you'll learn some interesting facts from an actual ER doctor。Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Kat Dietrich
，
3。5 starsLost Immunity by Daniel Kalla is a medical thriller。First， let me thank NetGalley， the publisher Simon & Schuster Canada， and of course the author， for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。My Synopsis: （No major reveals， but if concerned， skip to My Opinions）Lisa Dyer， Seattle's Chief Public Health Officer， is in the middle of Public Health Forum discussing the State's view on immunizing young boys and girls with an HPV Vaccine 3。5 starsLost Immunity by Daniel Kalla is a medical thriller。First， let me thank NetGalley， the publisher Simon & Schuster Canada， and of course the author， for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。My Synopsis: （No major reveals， but if concerned， skip to My Opinions）Lisa Dyer， Seattle's Chief Public Health Officer， is in the middle of Public Health Forum discussing the State's view on immunizing young boys and girls with an HPV Vaccine， when her pager goes off。 Four teenagers have died from Meningitis， and they had all attended the same Bible Camp。 Lisa leaves both the podium and the anti-vaxxers behind。They quickly find that the strain of meningitis is identical to the one that devastated Iceland last year。 After discovering that Iceland is in the middle of a final-stage trial of a vaccine that shows promise， Lisa contacts the American manufacturer and asks him to release it early， and to release it to Seattle instead of Iceland。 Not everyone on her team is on board with the decision， not even the manufacturer。 It takes some convincing， as the vaccine has not had a true test yet， but eventually the manufacturer agrees to supply the vaccines。Initially， everything works well， but then people start dying from horrific causes， and the vaccine is blamed and the anti-vaxxers are declaring a victory。However， it may not be the vaccine at all。My Opinions: Perhaps I was wrong。 Perhaps in this time of COVID， this was not the time to be reading about vaccines and their side-effects。I am already not a fan of anti-vaxxers， and this book did not improve my opinions of these people。 It just ended up pissing me off。 I did， however， gain more respect for the people at Public Health and the difficult job they have。My main problem with the book was that I couldn't relate to the characters。 I liked Nathan， but other than that， I didn't even like Lisa。Overall， the book was good。 It was well-written， suspenseful and interesting。 It was an easy read。 I'm just not sure the timing was good for this topic。For a more complete review of this book and others （including my reason for choosing to read this， as well as author information）， please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog。wordpress。com/ 。。。more
Dana
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"One vaccine。 One hope。 What could go wrong？"What a fantastic， fast paced medical thriller！ Lost Immunity takes place post Covid-19 in Seattle。 A deadly and resistant outbreak that targets children and teenagers has hit the city。 Cheif public health officer， Lisa Dyer， and the rest of her team need to move fast in order to contain the nasty bacteria。 A bacteria that was last seen in Iceland six months earlier。 One that caused devastating losses。 Knowing there's a viable vaccine， Lisa contacts a "One vaccine。 One hope。 What could go wrong？"What a fantastic， fast paced medical thriller！ Lost Immunity takes place post Covid-19 in Seattle。 A deadly and resistant outbreak that targets children and teenagers has hit the city。 Cheif public health officer， Lisa Dyer， and the rest of her team need to move fast in order to contain the nasty bacteria。 A bacteria that was last seen in Iceland six months earlier。 One that caused devastating losses。 Knowing there's a viable vaccine， Lisa contacts a pharmaceutical company in hopes they will agree to help save lives。 But as vaccine clinics roll out in the city so do mysterious deaths 。。。 horrific deaths。 Has the vaccine been compromised？ 。。。I really enjoyed Lost Immunity。 As with The Last High the writing is great and really packs a punch。 Daniel Kalla creates well thought out characters and a storyline that will keep you turning pages。 The fact Kalla writes from experience is very telling。 I would highly recommend to those who enjoy medical thrillers。Huge thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for my gifted copy！！ I can't wait to see what Daniel Kalla writes next。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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I admit I was a little worried about this one given the current effort to vaccinate as many as possible against COVID。 Kalla， has， however， written a taut medical thriller that poses a different issue than I was concerned about。 Lisa Dyer， chief Public Health officer for Seattle， is desperate to do something， anything to stop the spread of meningitis killing kids。 That a pharmaceutical company is working on a vaccine as a result of a similar outbreak in Iceland seems like a godsend and she's abl I admit I was a little worried about this one given the current effort to vaccinate as many as possible against COVID。 Kalla， has， however， written a taut medical thriller that poses a different issue than I was concerned about。 Lisa Dyer， chief Public Health officer for Seattle， is desperate to do something， anything to stop the spread of meningitis killing kids。 That a pharmaceutical company is working on a vaccine as a result of a similar outbreak in Iceland seems like a godsend and she's able to convince Nathan Hall to give her some of the not yet fully tested vaccine。 You know what happens。 But why and how did someone contaminate the vials？ And who？ No spoilers from me but this one offers a variety of perspectives on vaccines， among other things， and it's got good twists， Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 Kalla's fans know that he writes a good page turning medical conspiracy thriller and this is no exception。 。。。more
Mar’s Book Bag
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Lost immunity I usually read because of the escapism component but this book hit pretty close to home！ “Lost Immunity” by Daniel Kalla takes place in a post-COVID-19 Seattle where there is a vicious outbreak of resistant measles targeting youth with a 60% survival rate。 The only thing that can flatten the curve is an experimental vaccine。 Things appear promising to Lisa after， head of Public Health， until the program starts to fail。 Without spoiling it， the continued ups and downs and political Lost immunity I usually read because of the escapism component but this book hit pretty close to home！ “Lost Immunity” by Daniel Kalla takes place in a post-COVID-19 Seattle where there is a vicious outbreak of resistant measles targeting youth with a 60% survival rate。 The only thing that can flatten the curve is an experimental vaccine。 Things appear promising to Lisa after， head of Public Health， until the program starts to fail。 Without spoiling it， the continued ups and downs and political dichotomy of vaccinations kept you hoping for the best but imagining the worst。 。。。more
AudreyHepburnOfBooks
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“ One Vaccine， One Hope - What could go wrong “Rating : ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️Book : Lost ImmunityAuthor: Daniel KallaThis was a really good， fast-paced medical thriller。 Even with all the medical jargon， requiring me to google certain things， did not hinder me from not enjoying it。This one takes place in the near future， after Covid-19， a new strain of a deadly virus， Meningitis， is unleashed in the city of Settle。 With a race against time， to produce and implement measures so the death rate doesn’t explo “ One Vaccine， One Hope - What could go wrong “Rating : ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️Book : Lost ImmunityAuthor: Daniel KallaThis was a really good， fast-paced medical thriller。 Even with all the medical jargon， requiring me to google certain things， did not hinder me from not enjoying it。This one takes place in the near future， after Covid-19， a new strain of a deadly virus， Meningitis， is unleashed in the city of Settle。 With a race against time， to produce and implement measures so the death rate doesn’t explode， Lisa Dyer （CPHO） and her team get to work。 They link this virus with a strain that caused catastrophic loss in Iceland not to long ago。What could go wrong when pushing a pharmaceutical company that is doing final-phase trials on a viable vaccine， to release it early for use on the city’s population？ Check it out to see what happens！This was my first medical thriller， this was definitely。。THRILLING - INFORMATIVE & RELEVANT I Recommend！Special thank you to @simon for this #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Eva
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Dr。 Daniel Kalla has written an engrossing medical thriller with his newest book Lost Immunity: a Thriller。 Had I read this book 15 months ago I might have been overwhelmed by the medical jargon in this book but now terms like herd immunity have become well known in our Covid-19 age。 Taking place in the near future （hopefully）， an outbreak of Meningitis occurs at a bible camp near Seattle， WA。 Dr。 Lisa Dyer is the Chief Public Health officer for the city and is responsible for informing the publ Dr。 Daniel Kalla has written an engrossing medical thriller with his newest book Lost Immunity: a Thriller。 Had I read this book 15 months ago I might have been overwhelmed by the medical jargon in this book but now terms like herd immunity have become well known in our Covid-19 age。 Taking place in the near future （hopefully）， an outbreak of Meningitis occurs at a bible camp near Seattle， WA。 Dr。 Lisa Dyer is the Chief Public Health officer for the city and is responsible for informing the public on the outbreak and how public health is handling it。 With numbers growing and the death of children， Dr。 Dyer learns that this particular strain of meningitis is the same as one that caused an outbreak in Iceland previously。 The death rate in that outbreak was 46%。 A vaccine for meningitis has just finished its last clinical trial but is not ready for the public。 It has been developed to inoculate 50，000 people in Reykjavik， Iceland before a new outbreak occurs。 In a desperate move， Dr。 Dyer and her former boss， Dr。 Angela Chow， convince Delaware Pharmaceuticals to divert the vaccine to Seattle from Iceland。 Vaccination clinics are set up to inoculate children and everything seems to be exceeding expectations of the vaccine。 That is until a patient develops a horrible rash that is life threatening。 The vaccine is implicated and anti-vaxxers celebrate as they feel this justifies their arguments against vaccines。 But is the vaccine responsible or could it be something else。 Read Lost Immunity to find out！Coming from a criminal justice background myself， I gravitated more towards the author’s previous book The Last High which I loved。 I really enjoyed this one and found it to be very topical to today’s debates about vaccines and feel people in the health care community and those who are on top of the latest Covid numbers will find this story to be very compelling。 The character’s in this one fell a bit flat for me and I had trouble connecting with them。 The setting was described well and I could picture sitting in an office looking out over the water and towards the mountains or in the buildings downtown。 The plot was strong and had me wanting to not put the book down。 I stayed up last night as I just had to know how it ended。 I really appreciated the fair and honest viewpoints of both the medical and pharma community and those of the vaccine hesitancy group known commonly as anti-vaxxers。 While this book may instill some fear in our current vaccines， Dr。 Kalla has put forth a balanced argument for the use of vaccines。 Thank you to @netgalley and @simonschusterca for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Lost Immunity publishes May 4， 2021。 。。。more
Rah
，
4。5 stars I really love Daniel Kalla。 His stories are so real and so raw。 There’s an infection running wild in Seattle， the exact same strain that just overran Iceland。 With a population of much more than Iceland， Seattle is looking to have an overwhelming pandemic on their hands。 In order to save their kids， the chief of public health approves a trialed vaccine that hasn’t seen the light of day yet。 Will it save their kids， or hurt their kids， and is it more than just the vaccine working agains 4。5 stars I really love Daniel Kalla。 His stories are so real and so raw。 There’s an infection running wild in Seattle， the exact same strain that just overran Iceland。 With a population of much more than Iceland， Seattle is looking to have an overwhelming pandemic on their hands。 In order to save their kids， the chief of public health approves a trialed vaccine that hasn’t seen the light of day yet。 Will it save their kids， or hurt their kids， and is it more than just the vaccine working against her。 I was afraid to read this， as I just got my COVID vaccine last week， but I would advise anyone to not that that deter you。 His story is so good。 It takes you for a ride and makes you question your own thoughts and beliefs。 The only reason it’s not a 5 star is because there are a lot of differing character perspectives， almost too many and I find that hard to keep up with sometimes。 Limiting the perspectives would be nicer in my opinion。 。。。more
Andrée Charron-Martin
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What a wonderfully anxiety inducing medical thriller this was！ Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the Advanced Reader Copy （#giveaways） of Lost Immunity where the protagonist， Seattle's chief public health office Lisa Dyer， tries to get the better of a deadly （post COVID-19） meningitis outbreak which targets only the young。 Her only hope: a new vaccine。 The vaccine is very effective。。。 until people start dying a few days after inoculation。Daniel Kalla， the author， makes great use of his medical b What a wonderfully anxiety inducing medical thriller this was！ Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the Advanced Reader Copy （#giveaways） of Lost Immunity where the protagonist， Seattle's chief public health office Lisa Dyer， tries to get the better of a deadly （post COVID-19） meningitis outbreak which targets only the young。 Her only hope: a new vaccine。 The vaccine is very effective。。。 until people start dying a few days after inoculation。Daniel Kalla， the author， makes great use of his medical background to explain not only the medical terminology necessary to understand this novel but also the social and political baggage that comes with vaccines。 He organically weaves in the anti-vaxxers beliefs along with the doctor's reasoning （facts and risk assessment） for vaccine promotion。 The reader also gets a glimpse of the stress/exhaustion/impossible decisions bureaucratic positions like the head of public health have to face on a daily basis。 No matter the decision: you can't please everyone。 Reading this book in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic might not have been the best idea for my nerves but it gave me better insight as to why there is so much discord about this virus。Back to the novel: I loved Lost Immunity。 I loved that it had very short chapters which alternated in between select characters。 I kept telling myself: "Just another chapter， it's just another 4 pages！ I want to know what Lisa did/found。" I also loved that it was fast-paced。 I had a very hard time putting it down。 That being said， I found the characters a little underdeveloped。 Maybe it wasn't necessarily that they were underdeveloped but something was missing！ I wanted more background， more adventure， more conflict， more in depth relations， more emotional intensity。 I felt like I had only scratched the surface with these characters and only got a basic understanding of their thought process which left me unsatisfied。 I guess the author went with a "less is more" approach。 Nonetheless， I loved Lost Immunity and am looking forward to reading his other novels。 。。。more
Jessica
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To read a book about an epidemic， a deadly virus， a potentially life saving vaccine， during the times of covid 19。。。am I crazy？ Maybe！ But I'll be honest， I really liked this book！ It was very timely and relatable given the present circumstances of the world。 But it was also different and not too stressful to read for me。 While it focused on the virus itself， a deadly bacteria in a form of meningitis， it was also very focused on the vaccine itself and the anti-vaxxers fighting it。 I've read one To read a book about an epidemic， a deadly virus， a potentially life saving vaccine， during the times of covid 19。。。am I crazy？ Maybe！ But I'll be honest， I really liked this book！ It was very timely and relatable given the present circumstances of the world。 But it was also different and not too stressful to read for me。 While it focused on the virus itself， a deadly bacteria in a form of meningitis， it was also very focused on the vaccine itself and the anti-vaxxers fighting it。 I've read one book from Daniel Kalla before - The Last High - and I really enjoyed that one。 I had high hopes going into this one and it delivered！ It was very fast paced， thrilling and entertaining。In the book， the crazy virus is spreading at alarming rates and targeting mostly children and teens。 Chief public health officer Lisa Dyer makes the drastic decision to release a viable vaccine early in the hopes of stopping the spread。 It's a risky plan that the anti - vaxxers of the city don't like one bit。 But the clinics begin rolling out the vaccine and it seems to be helping。 That is until more people start dying from horrific causes and the vaccine itself is implicated as the cause。 Sounds good right！？I really like that Daniel Kalla writes from experience。 He actually practices emergency medicine in Vancouver and comes across as very knowledgeable in his writing。 This book had a few twists that I really enjoyed and I loved the fast pace。 It was a very quick read for me。 If you have read any of his other books， or enjoy medical thrillers， I would highly recommend adding this one to your list！ 。。。more
Emily
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This was an enjoyable， fast-paced medical thriller about a deadly meningitis epidemic that emerges in the near （post-Covid） future。 I received a free copy through a Goodreads giveaway。The author is a medical doctor himself， so I trust that all the medical information is accurate and realistic。 The story follows the chief public health officer in Seattle through the initial weeks of the outbreak as she struggles to contain the spread and contend with the pitfalls of introducing a new vaccine （inc This was an enjoyable， fast-paced medical thriller about a deadly meningitis epidemic that emerges in the near （post-Covid） future。 I received a free copy through a Goodreads giveaway。The author is a medical doctor himself， so I trust that all the medical information is accurate and realistic。 The story follows the chief public health officer in Seattle through the initial weeks of the outbreak as she struggles to contain the spread and contend with the pitfalls of introducing a new vaccine （including possible foul play by anti-vax activists！）。 It was really interesting to me to follow her perspective， given the current pandemic we are facing; I couldn't help but imagine our Provincial Health Officer in her place， and it gave me a new appreciation of the challenges and tough decisions she must have to deal with。A nice quick read on a timely subject。 。。。more
Jennifer
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I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 If you are a fan of Michael Palmer， or medical thrillers in general， then this is the book for you。 I could not put this book down！ It is not bombarded with medical terminology that would require a dictionary to be nearby nor does it lack excitement。 Simply a great book all around。 I will definitely be checking out his other works。
Shanannigans
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"One Vaccine， One hope。 What Could Go Wrong？"Hmmm， what could go wrong indeed？Lost Immunity by Daniel Kalla， is literally the first book I have read in one sitting in I can't even remember how long！I'll give you the gist， before I go on with my rave。Basically， a deadly strain of meningitis rips through a children's camp leaving few victims alive before spreading into other communities throughout the Seattle area。 The bacteria is resistant to antibiotics and all existing vaccines。Scary right？ But "One Vaccine， One hope。 What Could Go Wrong？"Hmmm， what could go wrong indeed？Lost Immunity by Daniel Kalla， is literally the first book I have read in one sitting in I can't even remember how long！I'll give you the gist， before I go on with my rave。Basically， a deadly strain of meningitis rips through a children's camp leaving few victims alive before spreading into other communities throughout the Seattle area。 The bacteria is resistant to antibiotics and all existing vaccines。Scary right？ But it is an incredibly timely tale that takes place in a post- Covid Seattle and more importantly plays on very real fears of our current pandemic and vaccine roll-outs。The MC is Lisa Dyer， the newly appointed chief of public health and she along with a good group of supporting characters， take us on a chilling journey。This book had me gripped from the first paragraph and didn't let me go until I read the last。 I stayed up late reading into the night for the first time during my pandemic induced reading slump。 It was so thrilling and fast-paced I couldn't stop！This is my first book by this author and it will not be the last。 It's been a long time， but this hair-raising thriller was exactly what I needed！ 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
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Lost Immunity by Daniel Kalla is a recommended medical thriller。Lisa Dyer， Seattle’s chief public health officer， is suddenly facing a deadly outbreak of meningitis。 The same strain broke out in Iceland six months earlier， with devastating losses。 This outbreak explicitly emerged at a nearby camp and the virulent strain of bacteria is now infecting teens and children。 Due to the Icelandic outbreak， a pharmaceutical company immediately began work on developing a vaccine and is currently commencin Lost Immunity by Daniel Kalla is a recommended medical thriller。Lisa Dyer， Seattle’s chief public health officer， is suddenly facing a deadly outbreak of meningitis。 The same strain broke out in Iceland six months earlier， with devastating losses。 This outbreak explicitly emerged at a nearby camp and the virulent strain of bacteria is now infecting teens and children。 Due to the Icelandic outbreak， a pharmaceutical company immediately began work on developing a vaccine and is currently commencing final-phase trials on it。 Lisa contacts Nathan Hull， vice president of the pharmaceutical company that developed the new vaccine， and requests doses of it to release to Seattle's citizens in order to stop the meningitis outbreak and save lives。 This decision is met with resistance from several fronts and tension increases when people who have been treated begin dying。 Lisa must find out why the initial success is now resulting in fatalities。Kalla is a well-respected writer of medical thrillers and， as a working ER Physician， he has insight into into the medical community that provide a realism to his novels。 In Lost Immunity， Kalla takes observations from the current health crisis and applies his observations to a bacterial outbreak of meningitis instead of a viral outbreak。 Controversy surrounding vaccines plays a major role in the plot。 The believable plot moves along at a brisk pace， keeping the tension high and instilling a palpable interest in the outcome。 In some ways this almost mirrors reality too closely。My qualms about the book are two fold。 Lisa wasn't a compelling protagonist for me and it was a challenge to overlook certain aspects of her personality。 Secondly， keeping this wording spoiler free， I knew the antagonist almost from the start and what would be a major emotional plot point。 So， this is a recommended medical thriller for the fast-paced plot， but parts of the narrative will be very predictable for many readers。 3。5 stars。 It must also be said that I do look forward to Daniel Kalla's next book。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Simon & Schuster in exchange for my honest opinion。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2021/0。。。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Received a free copy for honest reviewWhen a deadly bacteria that resembles a form of meningitis starts killing children and teenagers in Seattle， Chief public health officer Lisa Dyer must contain the devastating outbreak。 When testing is done it reveals it is the same strain that caused similar deaths in Iceland six months before。 Lisa and her team must take drastic measures to ensure the safety of Seattle citizens。 She decides to distribute a vaccine that was developed for the outbreak in Ice Received a free copy for honest reviewWhen a deadly bacteria that resembles a form of meningitis starts killing children and teenagers in Seattle， Chief public health officer Lisa Dyer must contain the devastating outbreak。 When testing is done it reveals it is the same strain that caused similar deaths in Iceland six months before。 Lisa and her team must take drastic measures to ensure the safety of Seattle citizens。 She decides to distribute a vaccine that was developed for the outbreak in Iceland before it mysteriously disappeared。 She gets the go-ahead despite many who are against using a vaccine that is in its final phase trials as well as anti-vaxxers。 The vaccine seems to be working and then people start dying and the vaccine is implicated in their deaths。 Did they make a horrible mistake or is someone or something else killing these people？I really enjoyed this medical thriller。 It brings up a lot of things that we are all going through at the moment with covid 19 as well as the anti-vaxxers movement。 It was a fast paced read that was well plotted and completely believable。 I recommend this book to those who love a good medical mystery/thriller。 。。。more
Chris devine
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Awesome book， it takes place after covid （so probably like 50 years in the future， stupid covid）， and focuses on a new outbreak of meningitis and how the anti-vaxxers are a bunch of idiots。 Good times！I won this from a goodreads giveaway。
Devon
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“The Last High” was one of my favourite reads in 2020， so I was very excited to see Daniel Kalla was releasing another novel again so soon。 Kalla is such a talented writer and his obvious （but still readable and understandable-which for some authors is not the case） medical knowledge and descriptions are really what sets his novels apart。 It is undeniable that he brings a unique voice in the thriller/suspense genre。 What I liked most about this novel is that it brings up current medical issues （ “The Last High” was one of my favourite reads in 2020， so I was very excited to see Daniel Kalla was releasing another novel again so soon。 Kalla is such a talented writer and his obvious （but still readable and understandable-which for some authors is not the case） medical knowledge and descriptions are really what sets his novels apart。 It is undeniable that he brings a unique voice in the thriller/suspense genre。 What I liked most about this novel is that it brings up current medical issues （vaccine controversy， outbreak） without actually being about COVID。 It’s SO refreshing to hear references to COVID as being something of the past （not that meningitis sounds great either。。）。 Again， Kalla writes with medical knowledge that reads not as “pushy”。。 but with a knowledgeable and well rounded perspective that is also informative。 I really appreciated his forwardness in his Author’s Note on his opinions on some of the topics described in the book。Lost Immunity was a great and quick read that I would highly recommend， especially if you love fast paced， medical dramas。 Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada， NetGalley and Daniel Kalla for the opportunity to read this ARC！ 。。。more
Enid Wray
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A nice quick read… perfect for those who enjoy a medical thriller… especially if you’ve not yet had your fill of pandemic literature。Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for providing access to an early digital copy。
Jaclyn
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You'd think that the last book I'd want to read while still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic is one about the next big outbreak。 But here's the wonderful appeal of genre fiction， and the reason I've been reading so much romance， mysteries and thrillers in the past year: you know how it's going to end。 You won't know the specifics， and the best stories keep you on tenterhooks throughout， but you know that if you read a romance， the couple will end up together; if you read a mystery， the bad You'd think that the last book I'd want to read while still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic is one about the next big outbreak。 But here's the wonderful appeal of genre fiction， and the reason I've been reading so much romance， mysteries and thrillers in the past year: you know how it's going to end。 You won't know the specifics， and the best stories keep you on tenterhooks throughout， but you know that if you read a romance， the couple will end up together; if you read a mystery， the bad guy will be revealed by the end; and if you read a thriller， the situation will have a resolution。And that's why Lost Immunity， by doctor-author Daniel Kalla， is the perfect comfort read for these times。 Unlike the current real world COVID-19 pandemic， where I can only wait my turn for the vaccine， and watch helplessly as new， more contagious variants appear， Kalla's thriller gives me a chance to live vicariously through Seattle's chief public health officer Lisa Dyer， who is at the forefront of stopping the pandemic in her fictional universe。 Kalla's story takes place post-COVID-19， when a meningitis outbreak at a Bible camp results in the deaths of teenagers， and reveals a deadly， highly contagious strain of the disease。 Dyer responds swiftly， negotiating the rapid approval of a vaccine on the verge of Phase 4 testing in Iceland， where a similar pandemic had recently been recorded and contained， inoculating campers and their families， and setting up mass immunization clinics around Seattle。 She deals with corporate bureaucracy and anti-vaxxers （apparently 'vaccine hesitant' is their preferred term）， led by a naturopath with an autistic son and a nurse girlfriend working at one of Dyer's clinics。 And she also contends with her own anti-vax family， which becomes rather urgent when the contagion spreads to younger children and Dyer's own six-year-old niece is endangered。 Watching Dyer in action， along with Nathan and Fiona from the vaccine development team， is comforting。 They're up against a scary disease， and working hard against time， but early clinical trials have proven the vaccine effective， and despite the urgency of the events， the reader never truly feels the outbreak is out of their control。 Perhaps most comforting is that， unlike the current pandemic， Kalla sets his thriller up with a bad guy， someone intent on tampering with the vaccinations， and whose perspective we see in chapter interludes。 The results of this bad guy's plan becomes clear when some of the vaccinated teens fall ill with a really serious， potentially deadly， condition， and while doctors conclude it's less a side effect than a random， unexpected occurrence （I forgot the technical term they used）， the occurrence is still statistically relevant enough to jeopardize the plan for widespread vaccination。The bad guy's identity and motives are sadder than I expected， but their very existence is， to me， a comfort。 It's much easier to conceive of a bad guy being stopped than it is to control a worldwide pandemic， and while a similar situation playing out in real life would be terrifying and infuriating， Kalla's thriller is comfortingly familiar。I loved this book。 Kalla's writing is crisp， and his pacing brisk。 He creates characters we care about: from Fiona the grieving widow， to Lisa's husband genuinely trying to fix their troubled marriage， to Lisa's mentor Angela who battled COVID-19 and is now battling cancer， and even to Lisa's anti-vax sister， who is forced to reexamine her beliefs when her daughter is in danger。 His story may be a bit too much， too soon for people on the frontlines of battling the COVID-19 pandemic。 But at least for those of us fortunate enough to be able to work from home， and still waiting for a be-all， end-all COVID-19 solution that seems far too slow in coming， Lost Immunity is an entertaining and comforting alternate reality， where outbreaks can be contained， science wins over politics （the government is remarkably absent from this novel， which is unrealistic， but I personally didn't mind）， and where the villain is an individual / group of individuals rather than a virus we can neither see nor control。+Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review。+Read more of my reviews at literarytreats。com。 。。。more
Toronto Bibliophile
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Just finished reading LOST IMMUNITY by Daniel Kalla。 Thank-you to Simon & Schuster Canada for my ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 Official publication date is today April 4th， 2021。I was hooked by the "One vaccine， One hope， What could go wrong？"， on the front cover。 Felt very fitting for what is going on in the world these days。 Just a warning ⚠️ that this may not be for everyone！ Definitely read the synopsis before checking it out。 That being said it was a 5 🌟 for me！Post COVID-19 （W Just finished reading LOST IMMUNITY by Daniel Kalla。 Thank-you to Simon & Schuster Canada for my ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 Official publication date is today April 4th， 2021。I was hooked by the "One vaccine， One hope， What could go wrong？"， on the front cover。 Felt very fitting for what is going on in the world these days。 Just a warning ⚠️ that this may not be for everyone！ Definitely read the synopsis before checking it out。 That being said it was a 5 🌟 for me！Post COVID-19 （When will this be exactly？！） Lisa Dryer the chief public health officer for Seattle has just been tasked with stopping a deadly meningitis outbreak。 A outbreak that is targeting the youth of Seattle。With an increasing death rate， Lisa decides to contact and convince Nathan Hull， a VP of a pharmaceutical company to release his final-phase vaccine early to help end her outbreak。 But it will be a controversial pre-release due to the amount of people this new vaccine will be tested on， protests from anti-vaxxers and concerns from her own team。Once the vaccine clinics start rolling out the vaccine across the city， and it finally looks like the outbreak is at bay as more of the population gets vaccinated。 People start dying from mysterious side effects， and it looks like the vaccine might be to blame。。。or is it something or someone else？Daniel Kalla does it again 👏， with a medical thriller that knocks it out of the park。 I was hooked from the first chapter。 I enjoyed how he showed three different sides of the outbreak from the perspective of the public health department， the pharmaceutical company and the anti-vaxxers。 You won't be able to put this one down， definitely reccomend。 。。。more
Ash
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For the last decade， Daniel Kalla has been one of my very favourite authors so obviously I was thrilled to read an early copy of Lost Immunity！ I was not disappointed。A devastating strain of meningitis has hit Seattle and it's killing children incredibly fast。 Dr。 Lisa Dyer has recently taken over the role of Chief Public Health Officer and she must find a way to stop the spread of this illness and save these kids。 An excellent medical thriller - Lost Immunity hits home for me as I am both a mot For the last decade， Daniel Kalla has been one of my very favourite authors so obviously I was thrilled to read an early copy of Lost Immunity！ I was not disappointed。A devastating strain of meningitis has hit Seattle and it's killing children incredibly fast。 Dr。 Lisa Dyer has recently taken over the role of Chief Public Health Officer and she must find a way to stop the spread of this illness and save these kids。 An excellent medical thriller - Lost Immunity hits home for me as I am both a mother and work in Public Health so can relate to a lot of characters in the book。 In relation to our real world and Covid as a public health emergency this book really hits home。 Great writing， well rounded characters， terrible illness burning through a city = pretty darn perfect book。Thank you to #Netgalley and @SimonSchusterCa for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Lost Immunity。 。。。more
Ann
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Daniel Kalla has done it again。 His ability to author books that educate and entertain is unsurpassed！ Lost Immunity tackles the contentious debate of benefits versus risks of vaccination。 Meningitis has been a scary threat for young people and a looming concern for their parents for decades。 At a time when our lives are so consumed with Covid 19， it is a refreshing break to read a medical story that is focused on an epidemic other than Covid。Be prepared to read it cover to cover in a short per Daniel Kalla has done it again。 His ability to author books that educate and entertain is unsurpassed！ Lost Immunity tackles the contentious debate of benefits versus risks of vaccination。 Meningitis has been a scary threat for young people and a looming concern for their parents for decades。 At a time when our lives are so consumed with Covid 19， it is a refreshing break to read a medical story that is focused on an epidemic other than Covid。Be prepared to read it cover to cover in a short period of time- you won’t want to put this well written， fast paced book down。Many thanks to Daniel Kalla， Simon & Schuster Canada， and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy and review this ARC。 Lost Immunity is a must read！ 。。。more
Toni Osborne
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Daniel Kalla is an emergency doctor in downtown Vancouver B。C and the author of many medically themed novels。 In his latest he writes about modern pandemic。What a thrilling read。“Lost Immunity” brings us to Seattle during an outbreak of meningitis that started nearby a Bible camp。 The most vulnerable victims are children and teenagers。 The chief public office， Dry Dryer and her team quickly take the necessary measure to contain the outbreak。。。。An epidemic is in the making。。。 an experimental vacc Daniel Kalla is an emergency doctor in downtown Vancouver B。C and the author of many medically themed novels。 In his latest he writes about modern pandemic。What a thrilling read。“Lost Immunity” brings us to Seattle during an outbreak of meningitis that started nearby a Bible camp。 The most vulnerable victims are children and teenagers。 The chief public office， Dry Dryer and her team quickly take the necessary measure to contain the outbreak。。。。An epidemic is in the making。。。 an experimental vaccine deployed to battle a lethal outbreak - until patients start dying of unknown causes。 As usual Mr。 Kalla mixes lots of information into a very suspenseful drama。 Along this exciting page-turner we not only have a story that showcases the benefits of inoculation but also the point of views of anti-vaxxers and of the Pharmaceutical Company。 Most of us will recognize the medical terms in this novel so Mr。 Kalla did not expend on their meanings。 The narration and dialogue are said in the everyday language。 Although a hard subject， the style is smooth and easy to read。 The plot and characters are realistic。 Because of the Covid 19 outbreak we have at the present it easy to relate to the characters and feel the pains of those suffering but most of all the devotions given by the frontline workers: excellent characterisation。 On a final thought: for a vaccine to be effective， a great % of the population has to be vaccinated。 Yes， there will be “vaccine injury” as stated in this story but the benefits outweigh the risks。。。。Another strong story told by a master storytellerThank you Simon&Schuster， NetGalley and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Denise Kenny
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First and foremost， I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster， Canada， for the ARC of this medical thriller by Daniel Kalla！Absolutely one of my favorite reads！ A page-turner that I could not put down。 Very relevant to our current situation with the Covid-19 outbreak， and then some。 This book was fabulous and I am looking forward to reading more by the same author。
Trisha
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