The Conjurer

Advance Praise for "The Conjurer"
"A richly detailed and thoroughly gripping novel. Biddle does a masterful job of bringing Victorian Philadelphia to life---its places, its people, and its shocking secrets."
- Kermit Roosevelt, author of "In the Shadow of the Law"
"In a gripping and elegantly nuanced mystery infused with a historian's keen observance, Cordelia Frances Biddle" "gives us the unforgettable character of Martha Beale and the immediacy of a Philadelphia, not of our founding fathers, but of seething tenements and Victorian mansions, reeling from the Great Depression, and sundered by class, racism, and greed. "The Conjurer" is a stunning series debut from a remarkable writer."
- Jax Peters Lowell, author of "Mothers"
"Corruption, clairvoyance, and family connections abound as you are transported back in time to the richly detailed world of Martha Beale. A smart and sumptuous series awaits."
- Mary Alice Gorman, co-owner of Mystery Lovers Bookshop (Oakmont, Pennsylvania)

Intrigue, passion, and murder surround the suspicious disappearance of famed Philadelphia financier Lemuel Beale in the winter of 1842. As his daughter and only child, Martha searches for her father. She begins to develop a romantic attachment to Thomas Kelman, an assistant to the mayor who's been assigned to the case. Kelman has also been investigating the ritual slayings of several young women; a likely suspect appears to be the renowned conjurer and clairvoyant Eusapio Paladino. Could there be a connection between the two cases?