Critics raved about The Conjurer, the first in Cordelia Frances Biddleβs superb historical mystery series. Now Philadelphian heiress Martha Beale is back in a second thrilling installment laced with fast-paced intrigue and exquisite period detail.
When the daughter of one of Philadelphiaβs finest families disappears, Martha Beale becomes the unwilling liaison between the girlβs aloof and aristocratic parents and Thomas Kelman, Marthaβs secret beau, who is overseeing the investigation.
What appears to be a kidnapping, however, takes a darker turn, and complex clues implicate rich and poor alike. It is up to Martha and Kelman to unravel the diabolical plot--and the painful disparity of their social classes--as they struggle to unmask the killer.
As in The Conjurer, Cordelia Frances Biddleβs elegant and evocative prose brings to vibrant life mid-nineteenth-century Philadelphia. Deceptionβs Daughter is a stunning sequel from a multitalented crime writer.