Ash: An Erik Portland story

by Geoff Spedding

Erik Portland lives in the little town of Ulf in the Hill Country of Victoria, Australia. In the past he has successfully solved the mystery of the disappearance of a young woman from the community by following us the 'cold case' that had baffled the local police for fifteen years. This was described in the previous novel 'Ulf'. In this novel he once more uses his contacts though his work as the minister of a small independent Christian congregation in Ulf, his position as a police chaplain, his contacts in the city of Melbourne and the resources of the local and a metropolitan newspaper to discover the reason why a young fire fighter died during a wild fire which had roared up the little valley in which Ulf was situated. As he seeks the truth through various means, especially intensive research, he learns about the recent history of the town of Ulf. Hippies, drugs, assassination, terrorists, a Mafia hit man and the mysterious Freda Browne all come to the surface as Erik Portland stirs the pot of intrigue in Ulf. His investigations take him to an exclusive school in Melbourne and his interest in the area in which he lives leads him to a disused gold mine which he explores from time to time when his health permits. The terrible cost of bush fires in the Hill Country in property and lives is a part of the background of this story as Erik Portland seeks for the truth with the help of a detective-constable named William Wordsworth, or Shakespeare, to his friends. There is also Dr Who, Father Paddy Smith and Mother Mary who, together with many other characters, help Erik Portland in his search for the cause of the death of a young fireman.

324 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2014

About the author

Geoff Spedding is a New Zealand-born writer who lives in Rome, Italy. His captivation by the great valley of Umbria had led to this novel which is a tribute to this part of Italy. He has lived in New Zealand, canada and Australia as well as Italy. He is the author of "Seeking Residenza", a portrait of the difficulties he encountered with Italian bureaucracy; "Some Special People", a collection of about 600 biographies of people interred in the Cimitero Acattolico (Protestant Cemetery) in Rome; "Ulf", a mystery novel set in the Victorian hillcountry in Australia and is currently occupied in writing "Ash", a sequel to "Ulf". In what he describes as his 'previous life', he has, among other things, been a teacher, broadcaster, journalist, actor, labourer, house builder, truck driver, photographer, timber worker, clergyman, police chaplain and is currently busily employed at being retired.