Life Expectancy A Novel [Paperback]

NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER
 
Before he died on a storm-wracked night, Jimmy Tock’s grandfather predicted that 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.“Delightful . . . funny, scary and entertaining.”—The Washington Post Book World
 
“Koontz is a master storyteller and a daring writer, and in his novels he gives readers bright hope in a dark world. [Life Expectancy], an exemplar of his extraordinary work [and] one of his most unusual yet, will leave readers aglow.”—Publishers Weekly(starred review)
 
“Brilliant . . . [Koontz] writes of hope and love in the midst of evil in profoundly inspiring and moving ways.”—Chicago Sun-Times
 
“A roller-coaster ride . . . remarkable . . . Prepare to be enchanted.”—The Sunday OregonianDean Koontz,the author of many #1New York Timesbestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Anna, and the enduring spirit of their golden, Trixie.Chapter One

On the night that I was born, my paternal grand-father, Josef Tock, made ten predictions that shaped my life. Then he died in the very minute that my mother gave birth to me.

Josef had never previously engaged in fortune-telling. He was a pastry chef. He made éclairs and lemon tarts, not predictions.

Some lives, conducted with grace, lì