Stephen P. Matava's Books

Legacy of the Priest

By: Stephen P. Matava

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Our tale begins in a small town in Slovakia, in the shadows of the High Tatra mountains where each day was a matter of survival. The time was 1849 when the power of the Roman Catholic Church was declining. A young, unconventional priest was sent to a broken down abbey to restore the influence of the church. He started the rebuilding process when he found a baby on the door step of the church. The priest decided to raise the boy in the abbey and to prepare him for the priesthood when the boy fell in love with a young woman. The priests battle between the love for the boy and the love for his God began. He fought the church and his superiors for the sake of the young man who, finally left his training for the priesthood and married the young lady; they had five sons and one daughter, raised in the shadow of the church. Living under the yoke of the Austrian-Hungary Empire became more of pure survival. Trying to leave the country prior to the war became their primary goal. The family moved to the United States; one by one. Each one scrimped and saved to bring the next one over. World War I erupted and the youngest boy, Stefan was drafted into the army of the empire before he could take his parents to America. He fought in the war for which he has no sympathy and left his elderly parents in the hands of the hired help. He spent two years on the Russian front where he was wounded. After his recovery, he was sent to the Alps where he was captured and spent two years as an American prisoner of war Stefan returned after he was released from prison and fell in love with the woman who had taken care of his mother and father. His father died and Stefan took his mother, his pregnant wife and came to America to be with his family. Their first born was delivered on a steamer half way across the Atlantic ocean. They finally landed in Boston to begin their life in the textile mills of Cohoes New York. The story tells of the conflicts encountered in a rural area of eastern Europe. The infuence of the church and very strong family values which were brought to this country and are still a part of the lives of people who left the oppressions of Europe. Life was hard, but the family survived and this is what makes up the bulk of the population of our country today. It tells of the power and force that our forefathers had and the determination to come to this country so we could be born free.

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Page Count

398

Publisher

Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1462827683

ISBN 13

9781462827688

The Suicide Clause

By: Stephen P. Matava

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The Suicide Clause

By: Stephen P. Matava

The body of a doctor is found floating in a lake by a claims man and his two young sons. The investigator's company had written a large insurance policy on him a year before which stated that if he committed suicide within two years, the company could deny payment. The case was assigned to the young claims man to clear up the mystery and this took him on a long and complicated journey. He uncovered a witness who lived in a cave that overlooked the river where he went in. With the help of the hermit, he was able to solve the mystery.

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Page Count

166

Publisher

Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1462827837

ISBN 13

9781462827831

Grissom's Inferno

By: Stephen P. Matava

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Grissom's Inferno

By: Stephen P. Matava

Fate brought fifteen people together to witness a disaster. The novel follows the families through their everyday normal lives until they enter the hospital. We follow the events and conditions that led up to the scenes that these people were forced to witness. Some people migrated to this country for a better life. Some were born and raised in the shadow of Grissom Hospital The novel examines the workings of a major hospital, the everyday events and the facts that caused the disaster; it also takes into account the people who gave their lives trying to save others. They were people from other countries, those confined, visitors and those people who worked there. Much is learned there as a result of the fire and the novel and those that are now keeping them safe. The author hopes that he has contributed to the enlightenment of those people that enter the hospitals and those that are charged with keeping them safe. The claim man who handled this loss was driving home from work when he learned that Grissom Hospital was on fire over the radio. He knew that his company insured the hospital so he made a u turn and went there. He found that the sixth floor was in flames so he was there from the very beginning.

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Page Count

264

Publisher

Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1462827845

ISBN 13

9781462827848

The Dark Side of Eden

By: Stephen P. Matava

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The Dark Side of Eden

By: Stephen P. Matava

What begins as a routine one car automobile accident, takes an insurance claims man down a path of mystery in a small New England town. He finds no help from the police or the family of the occupants of the vehicle. The claims man discovers more than he bargained for when his investigation reveals the crash was not an accident, but a well conceived murder. The murderer tries to hide the evil plan and resorts to another murder. The novel takes us through various lives in the small town where the loyalties are not always on the side of justice. The investigator follows his instincts, which are not always correct, but he solves the crime just as an attempt is made on his life. On the surface, the town of Newton Crossing is a sleepy little hamlet of hardworking people living in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains of Northern Connecticut, but under the layer of respectability lives a cross section of the inhabitants who observe their own illegal agenda. The claims man wades through the mire and solves the mystery. The author has lived within the values of the small town. He has also seen the dark side.

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Page Count

387

Publisher

Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1469146932

ISBN 13

9781469146935

The Tatra Conspiracy

By: Stephen P. Matava

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The Tatra Conspiracy

By: Stephen P. Matava

The mystery begins in the winter of 1921 when a beautiful young girl is found strangled in the foothills of the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia. There was a clearing in the first hill of the mountains where the young couples would gather. The young lady was from the village of Rusbashy. The town was divided into two villages with the Poprad River ran between them. She was from the northern part of town where the poorer people lived. The southern part of town was where most of the people lived. It contained the town hall and most of the shops. There was no police force in the northern end of town so the people asked a young man by the name of Andre if he would find out what was going on. Andre owned a small horse farm and he had two men working for him so he agreed and took over the investigation. He had no training, but he took on the task and through trial and error, he hoped to bring the killer to justice. When he ran out of suspects, there was another murder and then a third one. The town's people were frightened because they feared there was a serial killer on the loose and any help they would give Andre would bring the wrath of the murderers down on them. We explore the life in the small town in Slovakia where our hero is torn between the duties on the farm and his investigation into the crime around him. The crime is eventually solved and justice is swift in the foot hills of the High Tatra Mountains.

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Page Count

182

Publisher

Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1462827853

ISBN 13

9781462827855

Family Secrets

By: Stephen P. Matava

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Family Secrets

By: Stephen P. Matava

Chester Heffernan went on trial for first degree murder. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with no parole. He is presently appealing it from the Connecticut State Prison in Northern Connecticut. Elizabeth Heffernan was found guilty of aiding and abetting a criminal act and is in Connecticut State Prison for women in southern Connecticut. Sam Jones went through his by-passes and because of his health; he never worked a fire again. The mayor of Alton appointed him Chief of the North Fire House in Alton. Margaret Belinski recovered from her broken limb and went to work for a company in Hartford. She sold the house that was left to her. The people of Westland never heard from her again. LIFE GOES ON!

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Page Count

379

Publisher

Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1796080144

ISBN 13

9781796080148

Book's by Stephen P. Matava

Legacy of the Priest

Legacy of the Priest

The Suicide Clause

The Suicide Clause

Grissom's Inferno

Grissom's Inferno

The Dark Side of Eden

The Dark Side of Eden

The Tatra Conspiracy

The Tatra Conspiracy

Family Secrets

Family Secrets

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