Deception's Daughter

Martha Beale Mystery #2

by Cordelia Frances Biddle

Critics raved about The Conjurer, the first in Cordelia Frances Biddle’s 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 Philadelphia’s finest families disappears, Martha Beale becomes the unwilling liaison between the girl’s aloof and aristocratic parents and Thomas Kelman, Martha’s 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 Biddle’s elegant and evocative prose brings to vibrant life mid-nineteenth-century Philadelphia. Deception’s Daughter is a stunning sequel from a multitalented crime writer.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2008

About the author

Cordelia Frances Biddle is a feminist and historian. Fiction: Listen to Me: The Women of the Bible Speak Out; They Believed They Were Safe; the Martha Beale series set in 1840's Philadelphia, and Beneath the Wind. Nonfiction: Biddle, Jackson and a Nation in Turmoil, and Saint Katharine: the Life of Katharine Drexel.
The River Was Waiting will be published January 2026

With her husband, Steve Zettler, she wrote the Nero Blanc crossword puzzle series.

She would love hearing from you, and would be happy to meet with your book club or reading group.
Please contact her through her website: www.CordeliaFrancesBiddle.net

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't often say this, but I didn't want it to end! Lots of old Philly references, which resonated. A legit and sad mystery. Some really well developed characters. I have read many books unable to say all that for themselves. Not sure if there are more in a series, but if there are, I desire to read them!

[Kel · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I disagree that Ms. Biddle's novels are s good as Victoria Thompsons, as suggested in one review, I did enjoy this book. It is set in what I believe is ante-bellum Philadelphia. The young daughter of a wealthy couple is abducted and the heroine, Martha, is drawn in trying to help Inspector Kelman solve the mystery. Several plot lines converge and divide as the story progresses. I did guess that the missing girl's father was involved--he kills his daughter in a moment of anger and attempts to cover it up with a tale of abduction. Ms. Biddle's literary style is somewhat disjointed, which distracted from the pleasure of reading. However, the novel was good enough that I would try another one by her.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book better than the 3rd in the series, though I thought there were some loose ends and explanations that could have been included. Like Stokes Senior's death came about abruptly - I wasn't clear on his plan for the Beale children. Also, who was the blonde woman in the opening scenes with the baby, and did she actually drown? Kelman's departure in the 3rd book seems kind of sudden now, though it is set up in this book. I thought the history and character developement were good here, though the mystery parts of the book could have been better organized and she left too many things open (also, the search for Ella's mother - is it on?).

Worth reading if you've begun the series, it's not bad for the genre.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a better Mystery than I am giving it credit for, no doubt, but the writing style bothered me, making it hard to get into. The issue was that all verbs happened in the present tense - "she walks to the window, she ties the ribbon," etc, etc. This is a stylistic choice, but it is rarely used in genre fiction, and seems especially odd since it was a historical mystery.

That said, there is decent characterization, a good plot, and it does give some atmosphere of early Philadelphia. This book is worth a read, simply because there are very few historical mysteries set in America that happen pre-Civil War.

[Leslie Zampetti · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second of Biddle's series, it's ok. Historical Philadelphia is enjoyable once more, but the characterization is a bit heavy-handed and the plot can't quite seem to make up its mind. I suspect this series will become one of those where if I happen to see a new entry on the new books shelf, I'll pick it up, but I doubt I'll be reserving it to ensure reading it.

Suggested for fans of Day's Fremont Jones and Thompson's Gaslight mysteries- but with a few reservations.

[Tracy Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The language the author uses can be quite cumbersome in parts. Maybe it's my journalism background that makes me want to edit her words. I want her to be more concise and less flowery in the action. Description and period language is great for setting the mood but when it comes to this story it needs to be toned down a bit. All in all, the plot is nice and moves along at a good pace (despite the language usage) and it is a good entertaining story.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not as much focused on the mystery as the time and place, and the relationship between the two protagonists. Clearly there will be more books in the series, and I, for one, will be looking for them.
Getting the time and place right is, I have come to see, very important to me, and Ms. Biddle does that very well.

[Patricia Callegari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gripping book is filled with historical facts and mystery enough to keep the pages turning. Not only is the story compelling, but the sense of time and place is satisfying and alarming. I really felt like I was there and glad that I was born in a much later time.

[Corina Prince · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a lot of twists and mystery with some romance but there was a lot of confusion on my end; like what did Stoke Senior had to do with it. Jr. wasn't mentioned as much as he should have been. So far I still like the first book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent historical mystery series to which I'm anxiously awaiting the next book!

[Ann Costello · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay New York City mystery set in the 1840s. Interesting because author comes from old, old New England family.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of atmosphere.Not a cozy

[Jamie Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language was strange made it difficult to get into

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start but picks up about 30-40 pages into it. This is a mystery that takes place in the 1840s in Philadelphia. I could take or leave it.

[Mary Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished the second Martha Beale book by Cordelia Biddle. Happy to say this one held my interest better than the first, The CONJURER. Looking forward to reading her third installment!

[Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our book club's first attempt at a mystery. The plot held me, but the writing seemed overdone.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Equal to a poor romance novel

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Loved that it was an inexperienced woman struggling to solve a murder.