Customer Reviews

Bad Memory

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Duane Franklet's "Bad Memory" is an interesting combination of industrial sabotage, high-tech computer terrorism, and murderous suspense. Someone calling himself "Hektor" has decided to attack Simec, a manufacturer of computers. At first, the attack is embarrassing but not devastating to the company. Orders are mixed up so that people receive something other than what they ordered. Then follows the simple demand. Hektor wants $1 million, or he will escalate his attacks. The company officers decide not to pay, and events begin to escalate.

Simtec's CEO is Diane Hughes, an outsider with little knowledge of computers whose tenure has upset many of the officers. Barry Shephard, however, is the protagonist. He is the number three person in the company and the one with whom Hektor initiates contact. The company also hires a high-tech firm that combats corporate terrorists such as Hektor. But it is Barry who does most of the work, trying to run a company when the leadership seems inconveniently absent, trying to protect his family, and trying to determine just who Hektor is.

"Bad Memory" adeptly mixes computer crimes with old-fashioned murder and thus makes somewhat more immediate the notion of computer crime. This is not the story of a teenager who, sitting at home on a Commodore 64 computer, crashes the phones of the entire east coast. Rather, Hektor is a hybrid, someone who uses computers but who also gets his hands dirty. When it is true that simply unplugging the phone line from the computer will prevent a computer criminal from doing any harm, that simple solution is not available to Simtec. Hektor has already been in the system and left his calling cards in the form of viruses that are time bombs. Further, Hektor does not have any particular fear of employing more direct methods such as home invasion or in-person threats. There is a very real feel to this novel that removes it from the fate of similar books in which the hacking (in the pejorative sense) often takes on comic proportions. Here, there is no doubt; Hektor is a menace.

"Bad Memory," by synthesizing these many elements, elevates itself from the narrow-minded focus of many similar novels. Barry Shepard seems real and sympathetic, a man facing an impossible task and finding that he cannot rely on the people who should be able to help him. Up until the last chapter (which is a letdown if not a copout), the novel is engrossing and well worth reading.

I am 13 and I thought this book was great. I love computers and my dad works at a hospital and he is in charge of the computers. So I know what they are talking about. I thought it was so good it should be made into a movie. You also don't expect the person who you thought you did it do it. I would recommend this book to anyone. But you probably have to know a little about computers and networking. If not it is a good book anyway!

Bad Memory is hard to put down, especially if you are into computers and network systems. It moves at 400mhz with 8 gbs of power. The characters are adequately fleshed out. There is a corporate saboteur on the loose in the company's main frame changing programs, trying to bring Simtec and the CEO down unless he gets a huge payoff. This is a good read even for persons with no interest in computers. There is a catch. There are dangling threads at the end, such as what happened to Hector, the mastermind in the plot? We last see him with an arm jerked out of the shoulder socket by a passing vehicle. Where is the car that struck the security company exec hired by Simtec with the intent to kill? Why the big delay in finally acting on the death of maintenance man in an attic when he touched an open power line. Still so far the best of its kind in this genre.

The subtitle ~ "a novel of suspense" ~ says it all; the suspense here was excellent; actually, i had to stop reading a couple of times close to the end to catch my breath, and that doesn't often happen to me. The story of a blackmail attempt at a large computer manufacturing company, this book quickly leads you to wonder just how accurate it is, how likely such blackmailing is to happen ~ where has it happened? ~ and how well protected against such disasters are most companies, computer operations or not. Franklet seems to know computers and operating systems; to my ear nothing rang untrue, which is important for the flow of a complex and specialist plot like this one. Not only did he get his ducks in a row though (has he done this himself?), but he can draw characters in a believable way, suggesting an ability to continue his success here with more works, though perhaps with a different cast and plot. I shall watch for his name again, see if he can repeat.

What can I say? Exciting plot, good characters, and an accurate ambiance both within the offices and around the sprawling environs of the countries fourth largest but still somewhat provincial city. If Trollope were working for the US Post Office today, I imagine something like Franklet's Bad Memory would be the result.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot is well thought out and Duane manages to handle the subject of hackers and computer terminologies in a way that is not daunting even to those among us who aren't too familiar with computers. Duane opens the book with an account of an IS Manager who, stressed to his limits and fired by his company, goes postal. I believe that in this day and age where the pace of work has sped up unbelievably and the workload and expectations are just incredible, this sort of scenario is very possible. Duane handles all the characters in his book very well, Jim Sparkovsky, Barry Shepherd, Diane... we can all say that, hey, my office has someone just like that! Duane gives enough details to make you warm up to the characters but he doesn't go overboard on this so the suspense and pace doesn't let up. This is the first novel I've read that handles the very real modern-day threat posed by hackers and the increasing reliance on networks by huge corporations. It paints an incredibly real and frightening scenario of the devastation that can befall us should cyber terrorists strike. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers. I'm waiting for Duane to come up with his next book! :)

"Hektor" has breached the walls of the world's largest manufacturer of personal computers. He crippled Simtec through a back door and demands millions in ransom or hard drives delete themselves world wide!
Hektor uses Barry Shepard as a go between for him and Simtec. Simtec hires W.S. Dunn's security team. Dunn and his special team go into the company from all sides. Every computer and every part of them are checked manually. Simtec goes off line and onto Dunn's. Every employee is interviewed, even psychologically, and the dirt in all their lives are dug up. Simtec agrees that Dunn's force operates smoother and with more efficiency than S.W.A.T.
Dunn is set up to be killed. The company's reputation is in ruins. The stock market shares are dropping like stones. All must be settled quickly. In three days, computers go blank on a global scale. Forget backups.
***A computer thriller! Hackers would be envious of Dunn and his team. Excellent read! Head of companies will never be able to close their eyes for sleep again after reading this, until they "know...not think, but know" they are safe.***

This is an awesome book. The author knows not only computer technology well, but the nuances of running a high-tech business. The story is plausible and a page-turner. I've been waiting for over a decade for the author to write another book but for some reason, this is the only one. I'm sure many other fans are also eagerly waiting another techno-thriller from the author (whose website is also defunct). I hope it's not tough personal challenges (which all writers seem to have to face...) that are depriving the world of more works from this amazing artist.

Bottom line -- a good read, especially if you're in any way involved in company network security or the high tech industry. If you're looking for a tool to help convince people of the need for better security on the company network, this might do the trick. Franklet isn't a great writer, but his prose is clean & readable. The story moves right along, and the characters are pretty believable -- the good guys are not too good; the bad guys are pretty bad, but there's always something to help explain their frailties, too. The plot is complex enough to hold one's interest, and it's a convincing thriller about corporate espionage and sabotage. A week or so ago, we had a Consultant Yahoo make a presentation to our top management. It was ntended to convince them of the need for good network security measures among employees. While the Yahoo appears to be a skilled network security analyst, he's a godawful presenter and wasn't particularly successful in reaching the seminar goal. I'm now recommending this book, as a relatively painless way to raise manager awareness of the scope to which any company can be vulnerable to these sorts of threats. While some readers say they found the book enjoyable without being particularly computer literate, I think it could also intimidate technophobes. Oh, well.

I'm practically computer-illiterate, and I loved the book! The on-line reviews convinced me to read it despite my hestitation. You don't have to know the nuts and bolts of computer technology to enjoy the interpersonal relationships and suspense.