1.5
DNF @59%

Book source ~ NetGalley

It’s winter in 1842 Philadelphia and Martha Beale’s father has disappeared, presumed dead, while out hunting. No body has been found and yet Martha still hopes he will show up. Since Martha doesn’t believe her father is dead she asks the mayor’s aide, Thomas Kelman, to help her find her him. In the meantime, there are several other storylines running alongside this one and they may or may not all be connected. I have no idea because I gave up at 59%. The writing is awkward and stilted. The separate stories don’t seem to have any connection to the disappearance of Lemuel Beale. And, quite frankly, I think it’s boring as all get out. I skipped to the end to see what happened to Martha’s asshole pops, and I was right in what I suspected. I will not give that away in case others want to give this book a whirl. ( )

This historical mystery is set in Philadelphia in 1842. Martha Beale is the unmarried daughter of Lemuel Beale, a wealthy financier who went out hunting with his dogs and mysteriously disappeared. When mayoral aide, Thomas Kelman, is sent to look into is disappearance, Martha teams up wih him to help discover what happened to her father. Before they can find anything, Kelman asked to investigate a series of murders of young prostitutes. Eusapio Paladino is an Italian who has become the toast of Philadelphia society, by fascinating them with his feats of mesmerism, somnambulism, and conjuring. During a seance, he describes the death of the first child which brings him to the attention of investigators. Soon the two stories start to interweave.

This book did a great job of depicting the differences between the rich and the poor of Victorian Philadelphia. The author also did a great job of giving the reader a look at how Victorian women were treated. Many parts of the book were disturbing, especially those related to the lives and deaths of the child prostitutes. I think the flow of the story was a bit slow but the series has so much potential I will definitely read another one in the future.
( )

"Really, the sense of place, I cannot stress it enough, is just astonishing "
read more: http://likeiamfeasting.blogspot.gr/2016/05/the-conjurer-cordelia-frances-biddle.... ( )

Before you ask, yes this author is from "that" Biddle family in Philadelphia. The family may be known mainly for finances and the Main Line, but Cordelia Biddle is an admirable historian and writer. Even if The Conjurer wasn't such a great story, it would be worth reading for its setting in Philadelphia in 1842.

From the very beginning the reader is in the middle of a mysterious disappearance. Two dogs wait faithfully beside the flooding Schuylkill River as it roars past carrying debris as large as trees. It is cold and the dogs shiver but refuse to leave the point where they last saw their master, Lemuel Beale. At the Beale mansion his 26 year old daughter Martha and his private secretary Owen Simms await his arrival for a meal.

The most interesting part of the book, and the most maddening to modern women, is the restricted life of the upper class woman contrasted with the hopeless life of the poor and/or black woman. You will be shocked at the fact of 11 year old prostitutes, many of whom had been sold by their fathers, and equally shocked at the way wealthy women lived, or rather existed. They had no say whatsoever in any aspect of their lives and had to obey strict rules of conduct and dress.

I was fascinated also by such historical tidbits as the story of Eastern State Penitentiary which is open to tourists now. Absolute silence was the rule. The men had an indoor cell and an outdoor one, but women only had indoor cells because they were thought to need protection from fresh air and weather. The stench in the place was terrible, partly due to sewage back-up during floods.

There is also the story of The Association for the Care of Colored Orphans created by some of the wealthy women of Philadelphia. They took in 60 orphans at a time and gave them clean quarters, basic education, and good food, but no toys.

The one objection I have to the book is that the solution to the several mysteries comes a little too abruptly as does transformation in major characters. This is a minor quibble though in an otherwise excellent novel.

Highly recommended ebook
Source: Open Road Media/Netgalley ( )

This is a great first book in a series. Martha Beale is a youngish woman who lives with her father. When her father goes missing and is presumed dead, Martha doesn't want to believe that she is now totally alone in the world. Life in Philidelphia, PA in 1842 still resembles the many rules and protocols of England with wealthy young women living by very strict societal rules. Mr. Beale's business man takes charge and sets out to try and run Martha's life as her father had but Martha has other ideas. She want to help the poor and sick, not sit in her home alone, doing nothing much.

A policeman named Thomas Kelman is sent in to investigate the disappearance of the elder Beale and "clicks" with Martha. There are a whole host of other people involved in the area, women that are social equals to Martha, their wealthy husbands who were business men involved with Mr. Beale, an Italian "conjurer" who predicts very scary things for Martha, and a male predator who is hunting young girls, most of who are 10-12 years old, and is killing these girls, calling all of them Mary or Marie.

The only problem I had with the book was trying to keep so many people straight in my mind. With so many "Mr. & Mrs." groups running through the story I admit to having to look back a few times to put the right name to the right part of the storyline. Still, it is a very good story and I love the history of the city of Philadelphia and roles it played in industry. ( )