What could be better than happy readers?

I promise to blush while I shamelessly share all the wonderful comments readers have posted about The Call House: A Washington Novel.

"Call Girls, Cops and Congress
A delightful comedy of manners, set in Washington DC back in 1941 when it really was a sleepy Southern town. Once I started reading The Call House I could not put it down, any more than I'd be able to stop watching one of those great Preston Sturges movies, or stop drinking a mint mojito in the summertime, hence the five stars. There's sly wit and subversion in CP Stiles' evocation of a more innocent era, and she managed to surprise me with a happy ending that was not the least bit sentimental. As for timeliness, it occurs to me that James Comey and more than a few members of Congress could fit quite comfortably into the comic universe of The Call House."

"A Riveting Read
I loved this novel. Superbly told, THE CALL HOUSE is the story of a small group of "escort" women trying to survive in the high-stakes world of Washington D.C. in the early 1940s, a swamp of competing ambitions and moral hypocrisies inflated by a looming war. A fine plot, excellent writing, and sympathetic characters are all here, along with a quality I rarely find in fiction these days: the novel's spare style, distinctive for its wry humor and lack of gratuitous detail, leaves the reader free to draw her own conclusions about what happens and how she feels about it. I appreciated that freedom."

"A Perfect Beach Read
I fell in love with small town Washington DC of the early 1940s. The story I know is based upon true facts in a time far simpler and humane than DC today. The characters portrayed are vibrant avatars of the WWII values we admire and often seek to recapture. And I laughed out loud at the innocent complications of local and federal officials dealing with the oldest profession. The Call House a short book and an easy read with a lot packed into its pages. I'd really like to see the author create an anthology of stories based upon her rich characters, snappy dialog, and DC atmospherics. After feasting on the smarmy "House of Cards" in recent months, The Call House offers the sweet mint that cleanses the palate. I hope there is more to come."

More to come later. 
​Thank you to the readers who were kind enough to share their thoughts.