Institutional Memory-Gary Frank

Institutional Memory
Gary Frank
Medallion, Oct 2008, $7.95
ISBN: 9781933836409

In the Howard Phillips building, Osprey Publishing employee Sharon Walters hums a Bacharach song as she heads to the basement to retrieve some boxes to store files inside. She hears soft metallic noises moving in the ceiling above her. Sensing danger she heads for the elevator when metal cables imprison her and begin to hurt her. A coworker Marcy Browne becomes concerned when Sharon fails to return from the short trip so in spite of her fear of the basement she persuades Bernie Thompson to go downstairs with her to see if her friend is all right. They find nothing except creepy maintenance man Leo and a call to the cops say they will do nothing over a disappearance without foul play.

They hear strange metallic noises and cables begin going after the staff. One of the employees mentions alien pure energy possession of the five story Phillips building has occurred. This energy essence feeds on the fears of the people trapped by it. Workers are dying one at a time. However, mousy Marcy, Jon Simpson, and Bettie Winters unite to battle the evil before there is none.

INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY is sort of placing Christie’s And Then There Were None inside a slasher-horror thriller. The assault starts from the opening pages and never slows down as the building’s evil entity keeps the attacks coming and the audience spellbound with reading what happens next. Although character development is minimized except to a degree mousy Marcy, readers will enjoy this spellbinding supernatural tale while wondering if the boss would accept fear of the office building as an excused absence.

Harriet Klausner