The Trap

by Francis Mont

A brilliant but young and immature software designer plans his revenge against his manager, but his plans go awry, threatening innocent bystanders.

13 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2016

About the author

Francis Mont has been living in Canada for the past 50 years, after he emigrated from his native Hungary where he studied science and received a degree in Theoretical Physics. Over the years he did research, application and teaching in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. He is interested in profound questions, both in science and in social philosophy. He is a 'big picture' person, focusing on fundamental principles and the defining essence of the topic at hand. He also pursues independence and self-reliance to the best of his abilities, as his solar power system and year-around greenhouse demonstrate. He writes poetry, plays classical violin, dabbles at wood carving and has not yet stopped building the house where he and his wife and (currently) five cats live.

Reviews

[Michael Patrick Small · Rating 2 out of 5]

Without Feeling

This is a very short story about three plastic people in an office and a threatening computer program. There's not much more to say, really. As a story, it's about as uninteresting as the characters in it. The author is technically proficient - hence the two stars

[Please Pass the Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Grey is fed up with his manager, Barry Winter. So much so, that when Jeff is certain he can force a confession regarding a security scandal out of Barry, he implements the perfect software program to make it happen.

Well, not really so perfect. Enter: Susan Blair; a smart, attractive, and (as it turns out) ethically-impaired intern. It's Susan, not Barry who ends up caught in the hot seat—and that's when the real fun begins.

Francis Mont has written a gem of a short story, stuffed with all the right machinations to keep a reader hooked. Delivering a fun narrative from three POV's , I found that I actually liked Jeff, Barry, and Susan equally; all are deliciously diabolical in their own ways.

I highly recommend The Trap to anyone looking for a well crafted story and a brief period of escapism. It's intelligent fiction at its most compact.

[Sacha Valero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars: 3.5

To start off this is not a novel it's a short story and reads like the end of a drama or action movie. It's a very quick read because of this.

The story centers around Jeff, an arrogant and rather brilliant young man, Susan the intern, and Barry the older more experienced boss. The plot centers on Susan breaking into Barry's office to find out if she's going to be hired or not, Barry's past that can get him fired and possibly thrown in jail, and Jeff's childish self-importance.

I've rated this as 3.5 because Susan's response to the ordeal Jeff puts her through is not remotely believable. Other than that it's a quick, fun read.

[Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing short story about a revenge backfiring. The plot moves at an increasing pace, ratcheting up the tension until the final unexpected twist. The writing is good, the characters finely drawn and believable, the dialogues crisp. Very well done, highly recommended to anyone who likes edge-of-the-seat mystery.