A local author is releasing his third novel in a series of murder mysteries set on the Bellarine Peninsula.
Rick Wilkinson will launch his third George ‘Jogger’ Jensen yarn, A Bird in the Hand, at a public event on Friday, August 15 at 6pm at Portarlington Recreation Reserve clubrooms.
Mr Wilkinson released the first two books in the series, The Maw of the Beast and Poppy Day, in 2023 and 2024, having written all three stories in an 18-month period.
“They were written all together during COVID; I had bugger all else to do and I got on a roll,” he said.
“So yes, I’m very pleased. I’m told by the women authors I know that (releasing a book) is like having a baby; when it’s there, it’s great, it’s happened.”
A Bird in the Hand tells the story of Jogger Jensen, a Bellarine journalist who pursued a career in the big smoke before returning to Portarlington.
By the time of the third novel, Jensen has settled back into life on the Bellarine, writing a weekly column for fictional rag The Bellarine Courier.
While travelling on the Queenscliff-Sorrento ferry he finds a woman dead in her car, leading to an investigation exploring the connections to international crime on the Bellarine.
Wilkinson said locals had expressed their enjoyment of reading a tale set in the region.
“I try to drop in a little bit of history as well; not deep history, just bits and pieces that are interesting, about what made the Bellarine a bit different,” he said.
“I’ve had a lot of support from people around here. The book’s not on sale yet, but even in the post office in Portarlington they’ve got pre-orders coming in.”
