Review: Coincidences and false memories
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 26, 2013
David W. Brown is an author new to this reviewer and his short story DEATH IN THE ELEVATOR is but one of several short mystery stories apparently as part of a series of comic book type stories entitled Strange Mysteries. In addition to David Brown's story there are other short stories by  John Martin, David Palmer,  Paul, Oren, Marvin Howard and Michael Arthur. Perhaps this is a collective of artists gathered to publish their works together.The story of note is DEATH IN THE ELEVATOR and in this tale Brown demonstrates a solid talent for suspense and tight story weaving. Andrew Bright is a young student who works at several jobs to support his education. On the day of the story Andrew awakens with a solid frame of mind, leaves his room in the old apartment house in which he lives and returns exhausted after working in a fast food joint, finds a letter under his door, and falls asleep, knowing that he must shower to prepare for classes. He awakens, later, and makes a dash for the elevator - and oddly enough four other people who live on that floor are entering the elevator with him: Dr Vincent Michaels who is just beginning night shifts at his new hospital office, old cranky Leonor de Leon with her rosary and other accoutrements of being profoundly Catholic, a nerdy young man named Allen, and a young girl named Kate. The odd aspect is that none of these people who live on the same floor know each other until the elevator abruptly stops and they are all trapped inside. In this claustrophobic atmosphere, and bonded by a common need to escape, they introduce themselves. Dr. Michael's climbs to the top of the elevator to open the escape hatch and down falls a recently deceased young man. The story that follows is an investigation as to the cause of death (an apparent but questionably achieved suicide) and a gradually discovery that each of the trapped people knew the deceased `Andy'. But nothing quite prepares the reader for the strange ending - a regular Guy de Maupassant conclusion that is a welcome surprise.If this indeed is a first published work by David W. Brown then he shows considerable promise. Not only is his story well sculpted, but he also adds some thoughts on life, death, memory, isolation in big cities and how we can exist in proximity to others and not have a clue who they really are - until tragedy opens our eyes and memoires. There is a need for a good editorial eye in this work - misplaced words, wrong tense, spelling errors etc - but those are easily corrected. The important aspect is the quality of writing - and that is sturdy! Grady Harp, August 13