In Death on Portal Mesa, author Jack F. Kirkeby sets his story near Portal Mesa, one of two mesas that serve as a gateway to a grand Wyoming valley. Riding up the switchbacks and across the vast mesas of Wyoming today, it's easy to imagine ranches in the 1950s when George Red Fox Bentley learns that his father has died in an accident on Portal Mesa. As the only heir, George returns home from college in Vermont and must quickly adapt to running a cattle ranch. And it is not long before George suspects that his father's broken neck was no accident. Could the experienced rider and rancher have fallen from his horse as reported, or do the rope marks George discovers on a tree on Portal Mesa mean that something far more sinister is happening at his Arrow---B Ranch? Though he can't get law enforcement to pay much attention, the half Arapaho, half Scot, relentlessly pursues the truth as he navigates his way through a powerful romance and a rural Wyoming county teeming with mobsters aiming to kill him and get his ranch.
About the Author: From the start Jack F. Kirkeby's interests were of the West. Later in life, then, his writings would be of the West. Jack's motto, "Look behind you, there's no one there," is his way of reminding folks to accept personal responsibility for their successes and failures as adults. His principal characters embody this theme in their actions on the easily turned pages of his books. He has published his first full length novel, and his second book will be published soon. Before he was twelve years old, Jack Kirkeby lived in a plethora of homes and places as the product of fractured family conditions. Very early on this gave the author a desire to succeed and foster something more. Ultimately a sense of personal responsibility and gritty determination oozed from the tall, six foot, four inch young man. In 1933 he entered Hollywood High School, where he joined the ROTC. In 1935, mother and son Jack moved to Lake Geneva Wisconsin where he finished high school, graduating in June of 1936. Then it was on to live with his brother in Chicago where he worked through the depression years while he continued his education attending after-hours college classes. On June 9th of 1941 Jack enlisted in the United States Army Air Force, and served in the Pacific theater for two years as an enlisted man, later returning to America where he entered officer training. In December, 1943, the author worked as a service manager for an appliance and radio firm while he continued his education. He eventually entered the aerospace industry. His job with Northrop Corporation, later Northrop Grumman, included Quality Control, Contract Administration and Configuration Management. His duties included customer and government quality control issues, contract interpretation and technical writing. Jack has attended and earned credits at several colleges, including Oklahoma A&M, Saddleback Junior College, Long Beach State and Fullerton Junior College. He currently lives in Mission Viejo, California, where he remains active in his community and works tirelessly on his next novel. In addition to his novels, Jack also writes situational poetry.