Product Description
by Cordelia Frances Biddle (Author)
SINS OF COMMISSION, the fifth novel in the Martha Beale historical mystery series. Sins of Commission conjures up nineteenth-century Philadelphia in an immersive tale of treachery, loyalty, and passion. A case of arson turns lethal, but who was the perpetrator and what was the motive? While Thomas Kelman, Martha Beale's beau, investigates the blaze, her adoptive daughter, Ella, is abducted. Then another fire destroys the home of industrialist, Darius Rause, killing his adulterous wife, Susannah. Is there a connection between the crimes? Will Martha and Kelman be able to rescue Ella, or will she also perish? The destinies of rich and poor collide in this fast-paced novel where duplicity reigns. Praise for Cordelia Frances Biddle and the Martha Beale Series: "Exceptional attention to period detail helps transport the reader to a past very unlike our own and yet so similar." - Publishers Weekly "Biddle successfully uses 19th-century Philadelphia, mining the landscape for the kinds of jewels that illuminate a good mystery, and shaping characters that ring true to the elements of their creation." - The Philadelphia Inquirer www.CordeliaFrancesBiddle.com
Author Biography
Cordelia Frances Biddle is the author of five historical novels featuring Philadelphia heiress turned amateur sleuth, Martha Beale: Sins of Commission, The Actress, Without Fear, Deception's Daughter, and The Conjurer. The books are set during the Victorian era in Philadelphia and are noted for their period detail. The fiercely independent Martha Beale makes a strong and sympathetic heroine. Biddle's other fiction works are Beneath the Wind, and the Crossword Mystery series penned with her husband under the nom de plume, Nero Blanc. She's also the author of the nonfiction Saint Katharine: The Life of Katharine Drexel that scholar Donald Spoto (Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi) described as "Powerful and profoundly moving. Cordelia Biddle has written an immensely readable book of rich, colorful and lively scholarship and of deeply felt devotion. You will not be able to put it down." Cordelia is currently writing a biography of financier, Nicholas Biddle. Website: www.CordeliaFrancesBiddle.com
