The Conjurer (The Martha Beale Mysteries #1)

By: Cordelia Frances Biddle

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Synopsis: An heiress breaks free of social conventions and attempts to solve the mystery of her father&’s disappearance in 1842 Philadelphia in Cordelia Frances Biddle&’s first Martha Beale mysteryWhen her father fails to appear for lunch at their country estate, Martha Beale knows something is wrong. The family&’s faithful dogs discover Lemuel Beale&’s hunting rifle by the river, but there is no sign of the millionaire financier. Refusing to believe he is dead, his daughter—and sole heir—begins a discreet investigation with the help of the mayor&’s aide, Thomas Kelman.But Philadelphia in 1842 is a dangerous place for a female, especially a twenty-six-year-old single woman. Martha&’s quest for answers takes her from the pinnacle of high society, which is abuzz about a visiting European conjurer who communicates with the dead, to the city&’s tragic slums where a brutal killer is targeting young prostitutes—and through it all Martha will confront the most ruthless aspects of human nature.In a story deeply rooted in time and place and brimming with atmosphere and suspense, Cordelia Frances Biddle conjures a mesmerizing world of intrigue and hidden desires.