By Patrick Lacey

Patrick's story about an evil pop star starts off strong.  It's an intriguing premise:  songs with insidious and catastrophic effects on the audience.  I usually like books with similar themes to this one, which is why I surprised myself by not enjoying this one.  I think that my main problem with it was the pacing.  After the strong start, the narrative stalls.  I can enjoy "slow burn" horror as much as the next person, but this one runs in place a little too much for my liking.  I really had no other problem with it; good premise, decently drawn characters, and an interesting plot.  However, here is the bottom line:  this book did not pass my "closed book test."  
Let me explain.
Even when reading short stories, I can rarely finish in one sitting.  I do not like this, but this is life yes?  Anyway, when life interrupts my reading, I usually (always) sigh loudly,  then insert a bookmark and put the book down.  This is when the closed book test begins.  How much am I bothered by the closed book?  How much do I NEED to know what happens next?  This is my main consideration when quantifying a story's value.  
I'd recommend Lacey's Where Stars Won't Shine for a better example of what Lacey is capable of.  But if you want to try this one, it is released from Grindhouse Press.

Grade:  D

Amazon link for A Voice So Soft

Review by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter:  @pinheadspawn

I was sent a copy by Grindhouse Press for review consideration