Via Mala

Via Mala is a novel by Swiss writer John Knittel.

Summary: "The Lauretz family lives in poverty in the Swiss canton of Yeff. The father, Jonas, a drunk, violent, and unfaithful man, ruins the family sawmill. Anna, his daughter, works as a waitress, Niclaus, the son, runs the sawmill with a worker named Jory Wagner. Sylvelie, the youngest, devotedly serves the painter Mathias Lauters. Upon Mathias's death, Sylvelie inherits his chalet, his paintings, and a significant sum of money. Jory, Niclaus, Anna, and her mother decide to kill Jonas and dispose of the body. Sylvelie, returning from Zurich, is informed and keeps silent. The justice system rules it a non-lieu (no case to answer).Sylvelie meets Andréas de Richenau, a young man from a good family, and marries him. This young magistrate, over the years, becomes an investigating judge and is entrusted with the cases of the previous judge. He uncovers numerous irregularities in the Lauretz case, senses the truth, and eventually gets the family to confess. He faces a dilemma. What will he choose between his family ties and his duty?A dramatic and harsh saga in the heart of a mountain family."

LIMITED EDITION of 1000 numbered copies on laid paper. This is one of these numbered copies.