Charley Quinn teaches creative writing at a free university in Denver. His specialty is plotting. He doesn't care for lyricism or poetry in the prose cranked out by his students, much to their chagrin. Charley has rules about writing and he has rules about his life. But a new female student is about to challenge everything he thinks he knows. Her name is Linda Hathaway. Her eyes glisten when she smiles. Charley is transfixed. When Charley discovers that Linda is only taking the class for fun, and not to learn how to write, the dynamic between teacher and student shifts. However, getting an accurate fix on what Linda really wants is an ongoing challenge. But Charley is no less beguiled. Charley is keenly aware of the unpredictability of bad decisions, but he can't resist Linda's mysterious allure. He may think he knows the rules for writing. He might think he knows what women want. He thinks he understands the "awful truths" about male and female desire. But Charley is playing a whole new game. And it might turn dark. The Paradise that Lurks in Female Smiles is the late Gary Reilly's 16th novel, all published posthumously.