Books

In the Appenzell region of nineteenth-century Switzerland, Felix Hasler grows up in bitter poverty. His family survives through home-based embroidery, but merchants, manufacturers, and inspectors control the wages, the work, and often whether families can survive at all. Felix refuses to accept this fate. His journey takes him from eastern Switzerland to St. Gallen, through Rotterdam and across the Atlantic to America. There, he encounters new opportunities, but also exploitation, dependence, betrayal, and violence. Empire of Thread – Book One is the opening volume of a historical trilogy about labour, social advancement, and the question of how far a person must go to break free from the power of others.

In the American South, Felix Hasler is drawn into a world whose prosperity depends on cotton, forced labour, and ruthless ambition. After Yela and Kwame save his life, he begins to understand both the opportunities of the textile trade and the human suffering on which it is built. Felix convinces plantation owner Fuller to invest in a textile factory and sets out to open new markets. Success appears within reach, but greed, exploitation, and growing resistance threaten everything he has created. At the same time, Elisabeth and Lisbeth continue their struggle against Alfred Gemperle and the system that keeps the home workers in poverty. Empire of Thread – Book Two continues the historical trilogy with a story of industrial expansion, slavery, loyalty, and betrayal. As Felix rises, he must decide whether success can ever justify the price demanded by those who hold power.

Years after leaving Switzerland, Felix Hasler returns from America with his young daughter, Mary Elisabeth. He is no longer the impoverished boy who once fled his homeland, but the past has not released its hold on him. In St. Gallen, old loyalties, hidden truths, and unresolved guilt force him to confront the people and events that shaped his life. As Felix plans a new textile factory, Alfred Gemperle’s power begins to collapse. Evidence of corruption, violence, and betrayal comes to light, while Lisbeth, Elisabeth, and Felicitas must face decisions that will change the family forever. Success, justice, and reconciliation all appear possible, but each comes at a cost. Empire of Thread – Book Three concludes the historical trilogy with a story of return, reckoning, family secrets, and the final struggle against a man who built his power on fear and exploitation.