Sins of Commission

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


Genre: Mystery