“Steph, Nancy and Angela are going to die today.
I’ve got my daddy’s gun.
Soon, those bitches will be dead.
Then my work is done.

Calm Voice loves me.
I am Calm Voice.”

(From the Diary of Kirstin Matthews)

The Calm Voice by Robert E Kreig is a masterful blend of crime fiction and thriller, a compelling work that features an unusual serial killer. Why do people kill? Can one hate so much as to kill mercilessly? Such are the questions many readers ask when they read about the lives of serial killers, and these are questions that still continue to baffle many. Kirstin Matthews is the kind of girl that would be the least suspected of murder. Even her parents could never have imagined her to be capable of evil, but beneath her calm composure is a monster that will strike upon the least provocation. Starting with her parents and guided by a very “calm voice,” Kirstin Matthews sets out to take revenge on everyone who’s ever hurt her, and she does so ruthlessly. Can anyone stop her? Do they know where she’ll strike next?

Robert E. Kreig is a gifted writer who knows how to hook readers from the very beginning. The story opens with a televised interview of a former member of the forensic team, an opening that immediately introduces the reader to the powerful conflict that will permeate every layer of the plot. The author combines the power of vivid descriptions and plot-driven dialogue with the gift of storytelling to create a world where readers feel anxious but excited to navigate. As I read this intriguing story, I couldn’t help but think of this author together with James Patterson. I loved the way the protagonist is crafted, a complex character with a psychological problem called The Calm Voice, something she identifies with. The Calm Voice will entertain and shock readers and they won’t be able to put it aside.

Oh. My. Word. Those were my exact thoughts as I finished reading the dark and thrilling new tale, The Calm Voice, penned by one of my new favorite horror genre authors, Robert E. Kreig. Following young Kirsten Matthews, this story shows the depths to which one person can fall when they are not truly in control of their own actions. Kirsten lives in a remote small town, Edwards Hill, and is prepared to make anyone who has crossed her path - from her overprotective parents to her teachers to her classmates - pay for the wrongs they have committed against her. Led by the calm voice in her head, no one could have anticipated the havoc and terror she unleashes upon the town. Her path of devastation leaves no one unscathed but primarily focuses on the high school she attends. What, or whom, is leading Kirsten in this direction? And will anyone be able to stop her? You’ll need to read this fantastic book to find out!

Love might be too strong a word for a work of terror and destruction, but just in case it isn’t, I am going to go ahead and say that I loved The Calm Voice. Author Robert E. Kreig has done it again in this work; he has written a book that is simply un-put-down-able. I have been lucky enough to have had the chance to read some of the other fine books by author Kreig, those in his Woodmyst series, but Calm Voice is really little like those. In my opinion, it’s even better. I was downright frightened by some scenes, and that almost never happens to me when reading a book, even by some of the most recognizable names in horror-based fiction. It is easy for me to give this book my highest recommendation, and to say that I simply cannot wait to read more from the extremely talented (and dare I say, perhaps somewhat twisted) author, Robert E. Kreig, as soon as he has something available!