The Stack

In the chaos of Gallipoli, two young English soldiers stumble upon a fortune in gold — and a secret that will echo across generations.

When Cumberland farm boys Will Murphy and Horatio Tallentire enlist in 1915, they expect mud, blood, and glory in the Great War.

Instead, amid exploding shells on the war-ravaged Turkish peninsula, they seize a life-changing opportunity: a Turkish bank vault blown open, its hoard of freshly minted gold coins waiting to be claimed.

Surviving the trenches of France, they retrieve their hidden treasure and sail for a new life in Australia. There, they carve out two vast forest empires — The Stack and Wongon — raise families, and build prosperous legacies.

But war spoils carry a curse. Decades later, the dark secret they buried in that Gallipoli vault resurfaces, threatening everything they hold dear: their land, their loved ones, and the fragile peace they fought so hard to find.

A sweeping historical family saga of adventure, greed, romance, treachery, and redemption — inspired by two true stories.

A professional Director of Photography, Richard has been working in the Film and TV industries for more than 50 years. Writing has always been his great passion and recently he has taken up the challenge of turning some of his own movie scripts into novels. A cinematic sense and the feel of the original screenplays are very much present in all his work.
Richard lives and works between the UK and Italy.