In a world where pharmaceutical companies are quite sinister in real life with their practices, Kristina Gallo takes this and spins it on its head in her novelette, The Random Patient. Gallo’s book gives us an insider look into a pharmaceutical company that aims to “help” patients forget bad memories, leaving only the good and great rest that comes with it. Yet, like with all things meant for good, someone always turns it into something evil. Malpractice ensues!

The Random Patient opens up to a man named Kevin being forced to swallow a blue pill by a burly, bald man who is threatening him. It gives Kevin a vision of a bloodied woman, which causes a curious arousal in him. It’s only curious because it seems to come from a possible memory, one that goes unexplained. But one thing we are certain of is that something is afoot here.

Next, we get to visit Travis Saunders, a life coach who is connected to the pharmaceutical company Sofycline. He is their spokesperson, more or less, and seems to be a recruiter. The drug that he gets to push? Erasemed. This drug is supposed to erase bad memories, leaving the patient with memories that bring them joy and better rest. Although this drug is in clinical trials, he still pushes it to the public with no shame, holding conferences where he seems to be more of a salesperson than a life coach. Touting that there are “no side effects”, he engages the people in the conference with pure confidence, but of course, there are always side effects.

Rebecca is our next character, along with her friends, Lisa and Kate. They’re taking a vacation due to Rebecca’s sour turn in her relationship with her boyfriend, Brian, who quickly turns into an ex. Lisa isn’t having much better luck in that department; a man named Sean is hounding her relentlessly, bordering on stalking. While the ladies are enjoying their time, Rebecca still checks in on her ex, suspicious that he may have already moved on to someone she probably was told she didn’t need to worry about (doesn’t it always seem to work out that way?). Trying to worry less and party more, they attend a rave in a cave, where Rebecca meets Travis.

Greg is our final piece of this story, newly hired on the spot at Sofycline with no credentials or experience. He has his fiancée’s dad to thank for that, but he doesn’t know that yet. All he knows is that he got the job, and he starts to take it seriously when he notices peculiar happenings. Once he starts getting a little too close, Sabrina (the head lady in charge) deals with him by way of using Travis to make sure he doesn’t remember a thing. Erasemed is the gift that keeps on giving!

Travis lures Rebecca into this scheme after a tragedy befalls her friend Kate, and Rebecca tries to lure Lisa along with her before it backfires on all parties involved, including Greg, who wasn’t the nicest guy either. Erasemed is the undoing of those who abuse its use, a drug that should’ve never been tested without proper protocols set in place. Without abusing those who would become the most perfect “random patient” for the pharmaceutical criminals, Travis and Sabrina.

Although the story is quite campy for a horror read, it does lend to some thrilling moments. The only character that gets a redeeming arc is Lisa, who does use the drug on Sean without warning him, and she quickly realizes how dangerous it becomes without duplicating the matter. The men use language that is meant to echo how some men speak to women when they don’t really respect their autonomy (“sweetie”, “honey”), and also use abusive language just because they can (Greg! Called his assistant a b*tch for no reason; man is unhinged for that). The story does move along rather quickly, Gallo packing in quite a bit because it is a short read. She makes great use of the evil boss trope, Sabrina fitting the mold brilliantly and Travis being her henchman, working alongside one another to carry out their diabolical plan. How easy it was for Travis to get Rebecca to get involved should be studied! Rebecca’s hurt and past trauma led to her own demise, while Lisa got away practically unscathed because she saw where things were heading.

The Random Patient is a solid short read that feels like a giallo, not a lot of blood though. It’s more thriller than horror and easily digestible. So if you love a story that is compact and straight to the point, this is the book for you.

You can pick up The Random Patient on Amazon as an eBook, hardcover, or paperback.