New Books Magazine August 2002 (UK)
Expiry Date
By David Michie (Little, Brown)
0-316-85945-1
10.99 pbk
May 2002
This mystery deals with the unusual subject of premature ageing. A primary school child, Matt, whose body is like that of a seventy-five-year-old, dies at the outset in unusual circumstances. He is part of an international network of children with the rare condition Oprogeria, many of whom have been drawn into trials of an anti-ageing drug known as NP3. The action of the story focuses on Dr Lorna Reid who is the Scottish doctor jetting across the Atlantic in her work to trial the drug with Oprogeria sufferers. The action takes a sinister turn as she uncovers secrets about earlier trials of anti-ageing drugs, and learns the hard way about the agenda of insurance companies who have no desire to see people living into ripe old age. Meanwhile Matt's father is discovering the real reason for his son's death.
The pace is good - not frenetic, but fast enough to keep one's interest - and the science is plausible. The changing settings of rural Surrey, Washington DC and New Orleans provide credible and adequately described backdrops to the unfolding drama, and the love interest is kept in proportion. Without revealing the ending, it is perhaps worth noting that it satisfies without being cosy.
The style is very readable, and the dual location should appeal to transatlantic audiences! A book group would probably find the subject matter generates plenty of discussion, but this is not an absolute must for groups.
By Stella Thebridge from Sutton Coldfield
By Rod Moran