Expiration Date

What would you do if you had the ability to know when a person would die just by touching them? Expiration Date is the second novel by Eric Wilson and part of a 5-book series that focuses on each of the five senses. Expiration Date focuses on touch because whenever Clay Ryker touches someone he sees the date they are going to die imprinted on his hands. Ryker is returning to Junction City, the place where he grew up as a basketball star and a place where he and many others have many secrets they want to keep hidden. Ryker meets Henna, a former highschool classmate while returning home on a bus. Henna reads his palm, recites some mysterious words, and somehow gives Clay the ability to know when a person will die just by touching them. The best Christian novels are ones that focus on relationships, and in Exiration Date Ryker is returning home because of the impending failure of his marriage to Jenni. Other relationships include his son Jason, his high school friend Bill Scott and his high school sweetheart, Mylisha. Wilson weaves a complicated tale where most characters are hiding something. Some characters are given little background, like the "Sarge," but all have a place in the story. Wilson introduces the novel stating that he wanted to focus on the struggle between free will and predestination. Ryker embodies this test by knowing the date of death of many friends and family and struggling to keep the deaths from happening. He succeeds and times and he fails as well. I enjoyed this novel a lot. Wilson states on his website he likes Dean Koontz and I can see a lot of Koontz in this book. At times, you'll wander whats real and what isn't but in the end everything gets resolved. I enjoyed the realism of this Christian novel. All the characters have real problems, and there is a lot of implied violence, cursing, drinking, drug use and sex. Just like in real life. One part I objected to is midway through the book at the conclusion of Clay's hike. I don't want to reveal what Clay does but it seems like such a weak thing to do and I don't think he was in the frame of mind where an action like that would be necessary. Still, it had to be done to advance the plot and the story takes off from there. There is also an ongoing subplot revolving around Lenin, Rasputin, and the Russian revolution of 1917. At times, it seems like it really doesn't belong even though the book concludes with it and hints a possible sequel

People are about to die, and Clay Ryker knows when. Clay returns to his hometown after a decade away, running from both a failed marriage and failed business. But Junction City doesn't provide him with the peace he desperately needs. Instead, he's empowered by a gift he doesn't want. Through the simple act of touch, he can read a person's expiration date ... the date they will die. Strange notes alluding to a dark secret in his past begin to arrive and townsfolk start dying. But are the deaths accidents as they first appear, or is there something more sinister behind them? Can Clay overcome the burden of knowing when those closest to him will die, or will he conquer his own struggles and win the race against time to save as many lives around him as possible? Eric Wilson had me hooked from the start with this fast paced suspense novel. Just when I thought I had it all worked out, Wilson threw in another twist. When asked about his reason for writing his current series of books based on the five senses, Wilson says: "Each book follows one of the five senses opened in a supernatural way. We live in a physical world that numbs our senses to the spiritual. I wanted to merge the two worlds in a thought-provoking way." And merge them he does! Thought-provoking? Absolutely! I dare you to come away from reading this book without it impacting you or opening your senses to God's hidden workings. Designed as standalone novels, it is not necessary to read his first, Dark to Mortal Eyes, before reading Expiration Date, although the books are connected through tie-ins and recurring characters. Eric Wilson has proved himself as an author to watch out for, if his first two books are anything to go by. He masterfully blends together unforgettable characters, plots and subplots that won't let you go. Expiration Date is a novel you don't want to miss.

What if you knew when those around you would die? This question is posed and fleshed out in Eric Wilson's fantastic novel of suspense. In his first novel, Dark to Mortal Eyes, Wilson takes us on a supernatural adventure in a deadly game of real-life chess. In Expiration Date, time is of the essence as believable characters and harrowing plot twists keep the reader guessing and gasping for more. Born out of events during the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, sinister figures emerge to wreak havoc on the small town of Junction City. A strangely familiar woman touches Clay Ryker's hands on his bus trip back home. Consequently, Clay sees a brand on his hand showing the "expiration date" of each person with whom he comes in contact. This power and a ghost from his past cause Clay to seriously rethink his life and loyalties. He must choose to deal with his past in order to preserve his future. Taking on topics such as divorce, interracial dating, horoscopes, demons, God's sovereignty, past sins, and the meaning of life, Wilson raises more questions than gives answers, allowing the reader to fill in his own blanks. Fast-paced and mind-boggling, this book is sure to please anyone who prefers a good read over a good night's sleep. Thanks, Eric. It was fantastic.

What if by touching someone you could know when they would die? In EXPIRATION DATE, Clay Ryker suddenly finds himself in just that position, and he's not sure if it's a blessing or a curse. In this second book of Eric Wilson's unofficial Senses series, he deftly spins a tale of intrigue while presenting the story of a man whose life is flipping out of control. Having read Eric's previous "sight" book, DARK TO MORTAL EYES, I wasn't sure if he'd be able to produce a "touch" novel of the same quality. He did. Although starting a bit slower than EYES, I wasn't disappointed. And I love the way Eric intersperses history and lore (this time about Russia and the Romanovs) into his stories, right along with the supernatural element we're starting to expect in a Wilson thriller. Many of the threads introduced in DARK TO MORTAL EYES are woven through EXPIRATION DATE, as are some of my favorite characters (Josee & Sgt. Turney, for example). By the time I was halfway through the book I started having fun "Eureka!" moments as pieces of the puzzle missing from EYES fell into place in this novel. However, Eric leaves much room for the continuation of the saga in future stories. So if you haven't read DARK TO MORTAL EYES, I'd suggest picking it up too as you'll have a richer experience if you read the books in order, but EXPIRATION DATE can also stand alone. Excellent book! I can't wait for the next one.

Clay Ryker left town with a basketball scholarship to the University of Wyoming. Afterward he stayed in state and opened up a successful business and married. In the past year his life collapsed starting with his business and followed by his marriage. Twenty-nine years old Clay crawls home to live with his parents in Junction City, Oregon. As a teen Clay witnessed bad eerie things that he shared with no one. Now he touches people and knows their EXPIRATION DATE, when they will die. He begins receiving ugly notes and soon people begin dying just as he predicted. Clay realizes his past has come back and this time he cannot flee as he must face a malevolence residing in a 1917 Russian Rasputin train on display. The human representative of the malicious Consortium wants him dead as a sacrifice to hell. EXPIRATION DATE is an intriguing horror tale filled with twists that spin the reader from comfort zones into wondering what next. Clay is a fine character struggling with failure and with the return of the evil he first experienced as a teen. Fans will wonder just who are or perhaps what the Consortium is as Eric Wilson slowly provides insight into this group and their current agents of evil Asgoth and Monde. The Good vs. Evil war is cleverly handled as the Good is far from perfect and in some ways bad. Harriet Klausner