Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz

Title:  Life Expectancy
Author:  Dean Koontz
Pages:  476
Genre:  Thriller
Publisher:  Bantam, 2004
Series:  Stand Alone

...each of us is but a thread in the vivid weave, yet each thread essential to the integrity of the cloth.

Synopsis:  Before he died on a storm-wracked night, Jimmy Tock's grandfather predicted there would be five dark days in his grandson's life - five dates whose terrible events Jimmy must prepare himself to face.  The first is to occur in his twentieth year, the last in his thirtieth.  What terrifying events await Jimmy on these five critical days?  What challenges must he survive?  The path he follows will defy every expectation and will take all the love, humor, and courage he possesses.  For who Jimmy Tock is and what he must accomplish on the five days his world turns is a mystery both dangerous and wondrous...

This is your life. Prepare to be enchanted.

Review:  This book may be mostly about five horrible days, but it is also about hope, laughter and love.  It is as uplifting as it is thrilling.

Jimmy Tock and his parents, Rudy and Maddy, and his wife, Lorrie, are great characters.  They live every day to the fullest possible even though they have these dates always hanging over them.

The bad guys are all horrible in their own special, demented ways.  From fires to shootings to bank robberies, the thrills and chills kept me on the edge of my seat.  But, the love, hope and humor kept me wanting to read more, to find out at last what happened to Jimmy Tock.

Rating:  9 / 10