The Cowboy Dog

When Chester Farlowe's father is killed, Chester is forced to leave the vast cattle ranches of New Zealand's central volcanic plateau for the badlands of urban Auckland. Henry Stroud, proprietor of the I Fry takeaway wagon, takes him under his wing and rechristens him "Mr. Dog." Still full of anger six years later, Chester sets out to plot revenge on his father's killer and finds that he must contend with Boss Lennox, the Sultation Kid, and the seductive and inscrutable Miss Peet before he gets to the showdown. This mythical story reconfigures the New Zealand experience with an absorbing coming-of-age tale.

Nigel Cox was the author of several books, including Responsibility and Tarzan Presley, both runners-up in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. He also helped lead the project team that created the Jewish Museum in Berlin.