
'Expiration Date' by Duane Swierczynski is a fast-paced, twisty time travel mystery novel that follows the protagonist, Mickey Wade, who discovers pills in his grandfather's medicine cabinet that allow him to travel back in time to 1972. As Mickey navigates between the present and the past, he uncovers family mysteries, including the premature death of his father, and gets entangled in a complex web of events that challenge his understanding of fate and consequences. The narrative blends elements of science fiction and noir, with a frenetic pace that keeps readers engaged and eager to uncover the next twist in the plot. Swierczynski's writing style is described as hardboiled crime pulp, featuring fully fleshed characters and a setting in a depressed area of NE Philadelphia, adding depth and authenticity to the story.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of addiction, death, and familial strife which could be triggering for some readers.
Has Romance?
While romance is not the core focus of the story, Mickey's relationship with his girlfriend adds emotional depth and support to his character.
From The Publisher:
In this neighborhood, make a wrong turn…
… and you're history.
Mickey Wade is a recently-unemployed journalist who lucked into a rent-free apartment-his sick grandfather's place.
The only problem: it's in a lousy neighborhood-the one where Mickey grew up, in fact. The one he was so desperate to escape.
But now he's back. Dead broke. And just when he thinks he's reached rock bottom, Mickey wakes up in the past. Literally.
At first he thinks it's a dream.
All of the stores he remembered from his childhood, the cars, the rumble of the elevated train. But as he digs deeper into the past, searching for answers about the grandfather he hardly knows, Mickey meets the twelve-year-old kid who lives in the apartment below.
The kid who will grow up to someday murder Mickey's father, in Duane Swierczynski's Expiration Date.
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