Two Cardinals Press

Paper Lovers

Reviews

Barbara Reiher-Meyers, Aitia:

As a native New Yorker, I enjoy the ahas! as familiar scenes evolve. Dialogue is smooth and intelligent, delving into the minds of diverse characters. Our heroine, Dana Ritz, writes under the whimsical pseudonym "Charlotte Ruth." The story centers upon a gathering of female authors, manipulated into collaborating by a handsome hero/villain, known only as "Roberta." Who is "Roberta" and how far will he go to reach his objective? Dana, an independent and resourceful thinker, matches wits with him and the other four writers.

Put five females around a table in a musty, once-grand hotel, headed by an interesting man, and you have yourself some smooth psychological swordplay. As the tale progresses, hidden character traits are coaxed into the light. Petty jealousies and power struggles emerge. Dana waffles back and forth between attraction and revulsion, yet never loses her grip on reality and the need to obtain freedom from her often-charming jailer.

The novel moves swiftly, bouncing from one intriguing thought to another, and I envision the potential for a screenplay. Knadle handles reality and twisted thinking equally, with the grace of a master juggler. I followed the maze of artful turns, anxious to reach the solution, yet unwilling to spoil the ending by skipping ahead to the last few pages.

Paper Lovers stayed with me long after I finished reading it. There are questions remaining; would I have told a different ending? How many endings could be told? I wonder. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Paper Lovers. No ordinary novel here.

Bettye Hughes, author of The Scribe:

More layers than your typical suspense novel….A psychological roller coaster plummeting toward an unpredictable ending.

Alice Didier:

The ingenious plot of C.B.Knadle's book, Paper Lovers, maintains a rapid-paced tension that kept me on tenderhooks from beginning to end….I hope that Knadle will continue to write books of this fine caliber.

G.Sam Carr, author of Homestake Lode:

A great read with a surprise ending. Off-the-wall characters in an even stranger setting will stop you from putting the book down until you've read the last page.