Overview
Duane Franklet delivers a novel of computer assault, corporate counteroffensive, and a multibillion-dollar stakes in Bad Memory. It begins with computers misconfigured, shipments misdirected, a trickle of angry calls to the sales division. But within days the trickle turns into a flood, and the minor glitch into a major crisis. From its suspenseful opening to its shocking climax, this is a novel about a technological nightmare written exactly as it could happen - by someone who's been there.Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
A rousing, cautionary techno-thriller, Bad Memory begins with every computer company's worst nightmare: tens of thousands of misconfigured computer systems have been shipped to Simtec's customers. Accident? Not at all, as the company learns when corrupt officer James Dupree demands a million dollars to quit. Flustered Simtec executives, already thrown off balance by the recent appointment of computer-illiterate CEO Diane Hughes, scramble to thwart Dupree's schemes as disasters mount and his demands escalate. Can Barry Shepherd, Simtec's chief troubleshooter, prevent catastrophe? There's enough technical detail here to satisfy geeks, mixed with intracompany politics and human drama for fans of more traditional suspense. Even the most recent computer converts may find themselves losing sleep over password protection, network access and basic housekeeping. Readers may be tempted to buy an extra copy for their system administrators. (June) FYI: Franklet's manuscript was "discovered" by Sue Grafton, according to the publisher. His home page, including cute photos of his infant son, can be found at http://web.wt.net/~duane/Library Journal
In Franklet's first novel, a large computer company named Simtec Corporation is infiltrated by a malevolent hacker. Minor ordering problems mushroom overnight into a major crisis situation, and easily treated viruses turn into plagues that threaten the future of the company. The situation quickly escalates when Barry Shepard, the company troubleshooter, receives a ransom note. Simtec must deliver $1 million to the mysterious "Hektor" (as in Troy) or the computer network will be destroyed, all will be lost, and Barry's family may be a casualty as well. This novel of technological catastrophe pays a lot of lip service to Michael Crichton, who may be responsible for the shocking number of wannabes that turn out thrillers like this that employ technospeak as an excuse for poor writing. The characters, from Barry to the easily identified villain, are one-dimensional; the real personalities are the computers. Somewhere, HAL from 2001 must be laughing. Not recommended, but buy sparingly if your computer geeks request.Lesley C. Keogh, Bethel P.L., Danbury, Ct.Jim Barlow
"Stunning....If you're interested in an involving good tale about the future of crime, Bad Memory is a must read." -- Houston ChronicleKirkus Reviews
An absorbing all-business first novel about a Houston-based multinational (bearing more than a passing resemblance to COMPAQ and Dell Computer) under siege by a cyberage extortionist whose wry nom de guerre is Hektor.Barry Shepard, the number three man at Simtec (a high-tech enterprise headed by a woman), is mildly disturbed to discover that his company has been delivering wrongly configured PCs to a host of its mail-order customers. When he receives an unsigned letter asking for $1 million to halt the online incursions that are causing the costly problems, Barry immediately informs his superiors. But the mad hacker's timing is impeccable. Less than a year after the installation of marketing whiz Diane Hughes (who barely knows her ASCII from an ellipsis) as CEO, Simtec is still rent by internal strife and unable to mount an effective response to the threat. While the company dithers, Hektor (a.k.a. James Murphy Dupree, a manipulative genius) ups his financial demands to $5 million and intensifies the pressure, misprogramming production- line robots, erasing file servers, destroying backup tapes, and otherwise wreaking in-house havoc. Wall Street and the media catch wind of Simtec's woes, and Barry recruits professional help to join in the increasingly desperate effort to fight and find the blackmailer. The stakes and tension mount as the now mortal enemies stalk one another via the Internet. With a state-of-the-art assist from his independent contractors, Barry eventually succeeds in hunting down Dupree/Hektor and the corporate Judas who gave him an inside track at the embattled company, albeit not before he survives a terrifying crawl through a live-wired cabling duct that has already killed one would-be troubleshooter.
An impressively suspenseful, user-friendly debut with appeal both for the barely computer literate and for their nerdy betters. On a scale of one to five, then, four bytes.