Life Expectancy

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

With his bestselling blend of nail-biting intensity, daring artistry, and storytelling magic, Dean Koontz returns with an emotional roller coaster of a tale filled with enough twists, turns, shocks, and surprises for ten ordinary novels. Here is the story of five days in the life of an ordinary man born to an extraordinary legacy—a story that will challenge the way you look at good and evil, life and death, and everything in between.

Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. It's a strange vigil made all the stranger when, at the very height of the storm's fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed and speaks coherently for the frist and last time since his stroke.

What he says before he dies is that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson—five dates whose terrible events Jimmy will have to prepare himself to face. The first is to occur in his twentieth year; the second in his twent-third year; the third in his twenty-eighth; the fourth in his twenty-ninth; the fifth in his thirtieth.

Rudy is all too ready to discount his father's last words as a dying man's delusional rambling. But then he discovers that Josef also predicted the time of his grandson's birth to the minute, as well as his exact height and weight, and the fact that Jimmy would be born with syndactyly—the unexplained anomal of fused digits—on his left foot. Suddenly the old man's predictions take on a chilling significance.

What terrifying events await Jimmy on these five dark days? What nightmares will he face? What challenges must he survive? As the novel unfolds, picking up Jimmy's story at each of these crisis points, the path he must follow will defy every expectation. And with each crisis he faces, he will move closer to a fate he could never have imagined. For who Jimmy Tock is and what he must accomplish on the five days when his world turns is a mystery as dangerous as it is wondrous—a struggle against an evil so dark and pervasive, only the most extraordinary of human spirits can shine through.

©2004 Dean Koontz (P)2004 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Emotionally powerful and thought-provoking."—Booklist

"A master storyteller and a daring writer... he gives readers bright hope in a dark world.... Life Expectancy pits good versus evil and carries a persuasive message, about the power of love and family and the miracle of existence... Koontz is a true original and this novel, one of his most unusual yet, will leave readers aglow."—Publishers Weekly, starred review.

"Mr. Koontz is a skillful storyteller....His new Life Expectancy offers a clear illustration of what he does right."—The New York Times

Many twists and turns!!

I must admit, I wasn’t sure about this book as I am not used to a first person thriller. However, I found the book very interesting and did not expect the last part at all!! Another good read from Mr. Koonz!

Very funny!

I don't normally write reviews, just rank the books, however, this book stuck in my mind because it was so funny! I know it is a suspense novel, and that was written well (as well as good narration). The characters in the book have such funny conversations, right along the lines of what I would have if someone gets my sense of humor. Koontz always writes interesting books, and while there are some common threads through all of them, this one was pretty original. I never would have guessed the final plot twist! Brilliant! I look forward to finding similar treasures in other narrated novels by him.

Koontz nailed it again

Great story! you laugh you cry you're caught by surprise you leave enchanted five ⭐

To much killing of innocent people

I thought this might be a good suspense, but it turned out to be more of a horror movie. It's well read and interesting but the ease of the killing of innocent by standers in the story was just a little bit too much for me personally. I got a little over halfway through it, but couldn't finish it. Just not for me.

A few “cheap tricks”, but enjoyable

I don’t typically enjoy when an author purposefully misleads you in order to achieve an “a-ha” surprise moment - and there a a few of them - but overall, I enjoyed this book.

Yes!!

This is one of my favorite Koontz novels thus far, and I have listened to many great Koontz novels. The story is suspenseful, never a dull moment, and very funny, exciting, and many tender moments. The narrator was excellent too. If you want a suspenseful listen, one that will keep you guessing and one that is still light and funny, I highly recommend this audio book!

Dean Koontz NEVER Fails To Amaze. LOVE This Novel!

As always, Dean Koontz made a masterpiece when he penned this novel. I had read this book years ago and just had to hear the audio book for it. It is even better in audio format. The narrator performance is EXCELLENT and the story kept me glued to my streaming device. Every aspect of the novel is of the very best quality. Koontz weaves a tale that you just can't leave until the conclusion. I'm so glad I decided to listen to the audio book for this novel. The suspense, characters, plot, and narrator voice characterizations all combine to make an irresistible listen. I recommend it to anyone. You won't be disappointed.

Funny, engaging, interesting, & solid performance

The story was interesting and funny at times, and the performance was well done. Very easy to listen to.

Great read!

Great story! Narration was wonderful, which makes a huge difference! I've stopped listening to a book because of terrible narration. Listening to this book was a treat.

WHAT WONDERMENT

as always I couldn't stop listening. I love Dean Koontz. nose on top the next ones