Fantastic/sci-fi thriller - journalist investigating disparitions near a factory

Question

I'm looking for a book that I read some years ago. It was a thriller with fantastic/sci-fi undertones, probably from an American author. I remember details which are not at the core of the story:

The main character is a journalist investigating in a small American town about people going missing near a mysterious factory, where some kind of monster/alien/ entity is hiding. The monster has the power to somehow "call" humans, so that they are drawn to the factory, stripping them of their willpower and twisting them into something "less human". The common denominator between the victims is that they all seek to flee from their responsibilities, because it is inherently human to flee responsibilities (as stated by the story).

Answer 1

Turns out the story was Midnight (1989) by Dean Koontz.

The citizens of Moonlight Cove are changing. Some are losing touch with their deepest emotions. Others are surrendering to their wildest urges. And the few who remain unchanged are absolutely terrified—if not brutally murdered in the dead of night. Enter the shocking world of Moonlight Cove, where four unlikely survivors confront the darkest realms of human nature...