by 
The Matchstick Boy
By Rowena Kinread.
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**Winner of the Coffee Pot Book Club Silver Award for Historical Mysteries **
**Reader’s Choice, 5 Stars Award**
When his young brother, Josef, is killed by a rock avalanche, Jakob believes it is murder. He had seen someone on the mountain ridge, above the scree, before it began to roll. But who would want to kill a child, and why? Jakob suspects Ramun, the privileged son of the owner of a matchstick factory, but nobody takes him seriously and he is powerless to obtain justice.
Thirty years later, Jakob’s profoundly deaf daughter is raped by Ramun and becomes with child. Determined to gain justice for his daughter, Jakob unearths a myriad of well-kept secrets in the tight-lipped community, but is anyone willing to tell the truth?
Just as he thinks he has uncovered all the facts, he realises he has made a vital mistake all along. Nothing is really as it seems.
A Word from the Author
The story unfurls with the tragic death of Jakob’s young brother, Josef, in a rock avalanche. Jakob’s unwavering belief that this was not an accident but a murder sets the stage for a gripping tale of justice and retribution. The suspicions surrounding Ramun, the son of the matchstick factory owner, add layers of complexity to the story. Jakob’s conviction that Ramun is responsible creates a palpable tension, particularly when the community refuses to acknowledge the possibility of foul play. This injustice resonates deeply, as it is a theme that echoes through the decades. The story takes a harrowing turn when Jakob’s deaf daughter falls victim to a heinous crime at the hands of Ramun, and the subsequent pregnancy further intensifies the family’s quest for justice. The unravelling of these long-held truths is both intriguing and unsettling, making the reader question the morality of those who remain silent in the face of injustice. As Jakob meticulously uncovers these hidden truths, the story takes unexpected twists, challenging assumptions and ultimately leading to a poignant revelation.
Based on a true story.
(Rowena Kinread, 2024)
Review
Between the covers of this book lies a beautifully written and captivating story; I really love to read historical stories about old times and this one is based on real events and real people; it takes place in XIX century Switzerland. The life in the mountains is expressively presented by the author, for instance, what kind of lives people lived then; what they ate; how they dressed, their relationship with their family and others in the same community; how they earned their livelihoods; their joys and sorrows of a usually hard simple life. Their lives fragile like the tiny blue alpine flowers of Switzerland which can be blown away in an instant; if a cropped failed that meant that people would inevitably die, especially the frail and younger ones; suddenly an illnesses that today doesn’t seem to be much of a problem could also spell a death sentence and drag a whole family to the brink of starvation. And it was the time when the first matchstick factories started to appear in that area, people were eager to earn money and provide a better live for themselves and their beloved ones but it was quite a dangerous job working with venomous volatile substances; they had to work for so many hours, earn little and suffer the abuse of those who had the power over them. People suffered crimes and injustices and it was extremely hard to get the wrongdoer punished especially if you were from a poor family. With such odds against them it is magical and rewarding to see how human beings can adapt to situations and overcome the hardest of trials in life; yes the story of these people is also enmeshed in mystery and the hard and sometimes almost hopeless pursuit of justice. This was all so interesting and easy to read; lovely characters; beautifully described environment without being heavy and dull to read; a real page turner for me — I wanted to know more and more about the people I was reading about; I laughed and cried with them. (Circle of Books)
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