Without Fear The third novel in the Martha Beale Series
ISBN: 1-4392-6915-7
ISBN – 13: 9781439269152
SYNOPSIS OF Without Fear
WITHOUT FEAR exposes Martha Beale to the grandiose – albeit sinister - realm of the former Comte de Survilliers, Joseph Bonaparte, at his estate Point Breeze on the Delaware River while also drawing her into the dangerous world of Philadelphia’s textile workers. The time is March, 1843; the city (“the Athens of America”) is a place divided between the heights of culture and sophistication, as epitomized by the Bonaparte family; and the depths of squalor experienced by the mill hands and other common laborers. When a headless corpse is discovered on the Bonaparte estate, Martha is drawn into a world of mistaken identities, vanished wives and thwarted desires. Painstakingly researched, WITHOUT FEAR is a book to get lost in, providing a thrilling mystery, exquisite historical detail, and a strong heroine not bound by the conventions of era or genre.
Deception’s Daughter A Thomas Dunne Book for St. Martin’s Minotaur
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-35247-9
ISBN-10: 0-312-35247-6
SYNOPSIS OF Deception’s Daughter
When the daughter of one of Philadelphia's finest families disappears, Martha Beale—the fiercely independent society lady first introduced in The Conjurer—once more joins forces with her secret beau, Thomas Kelman, to track the heiress. Returning to the streets of 19th century Philadelphia, Deception’s Daughter brings the city to life with vibrant detail: from the outlying Blockley House for the homeless, with its thin walls and hungry inhabitants, to the odor-laden “bawdy house” of Madam Kat, to the elegantly furnished drawing rooms (and bedrooms) of the wealthy. It is into this multi-layered world that the players are thrust, where the economic crisis plaguing the nation forms the backdrop to personal dramas caused by a missing daughter, mismatched marriages and desires that transcend class.
Intrigue, passion and murder surround the suspicious disappearance of famed Philadelphia financier, Lemuel Beale, in the winter of 1842. Joining forces with Thomas Kelman, a man whose business is homicide investigation, Beale’s daughter, Martha, embarks upon a romantic attachment as the pair uncovers sinister connections between the city’s most affluent and its most destitute: an escaped inmate from the infamous Eastern State Penitentiary; the freed African-American prisoner, Ruth; the ritual slayings of young female prostitutes; and Eusapio Paladino, the renowned conjurer who claims to communicate with the dead.
Beneath the Wind, an historical novel exploring the dark secrets of the Gilded Age. (Simon Schuster 1993)
The Crossword Mystery Series, written with her husband, Steve Zettler, under the nom de plume, Nero Blanc. All published by Berkley Prime Crime, Penguin U.S.A.
The Crossword Murder
Two Down
The Crossword Connection
A Crossword to Die For
Corpus de Crossword
A Crossworder’s Holiday
Anatomy of a Crossword
Wrapped up in Crosswords
Another Word for Murder
A Crossworder’s Gift
Death on the Diagonal
A Crossworder’s Delight
Caring For Your Cherished Possessions, a guide to antiques and their maintenance (written with Mary Kerney Levenstein, Crown Publishers, 1989)
“....a feast for those fans who enjoy engaging characters and historical periods… will attract readers who loved Caleb Carr's attention to detail in The Alienist and Jacqueline Winspeare's appealing sleuth, Maisie Dobbs.” Library Journal
“… Biddle, from one of Philadelphia's old Main Line families, knows her manners and her city, and shows both to great advantage…The reader, as in all good historical mysteries, learns as much about a time and place as about the crime, and Biddle's characters, from above and below stairs, are fresh and believable. I hope she continues the series.” Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Leisurely pacing, numerous, well-integrated details of place and time, and appealing central characters make for a satisfying historical mystery.” Booklist
“A first-rate mystery featuring rich period authenticity and beguiling characters, The Conjurer succeeds on all levels –as top-flight historical fiction, and as a classic whodunnit. Biddle’s voice is uniquely suited to pre-Civil-War Philadelphia. This one goes on my keeper shelf!” Julia Spencer-Fleming, author of All Mortal Flesh
“… an intricately orchestrated narrative that implicates the Brahmin class and the corruption that comes with their absolute power. Biddle wonderfully evokes the color and culture of the time.”
Publishers Weekly
“Masterful storytelling. Deception’s Daughter transports readers to 1842 – complete with sights, sounds and a narrative that rings true to period.” Rhys Bowen, author of In Dublin’s Fair City
“...appealing characters... a wealth of intriguing period detail” Kirkus Reviews
“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 Conjurer is a worthy inclusion in the genre, and I hope there are many more Martha Beale mysteries to come.” The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Biddle has done more than devise an engaging story populated by memorable characters. She has managed somehow to visit the past--and to restore to us an earlier Philadelphia, intact and alive.” Jon Clinch, author of Finn
“Readers who value atmosphere and setting will find this book fascinating, and its picture of the status of women in all classes of society is enough to make a feminist of almost anybody. As social history, it's a great success. “ Gumshoe Review
Intrigue, passion and murder surround the suspicious disappearance of famed Philadelphia financier, Lemuel Beale, in the winter of 1842. Joining forces with Thomas Kelman, a man whose business is homicide investigation, Beale’s daughter, Martha, embarks upon a romantic attachment as the pair uncovers sinister connections between the city’s most affluent and its most destitute: an escaped inmate from the infamous Eastern State Penitentiary; the freed African-American prisoner, Ruth; the ritual slayings of young female prostitutes; and Eusapio Paladino, the renowned conjurer who claims to communicate with the dead.