Chester Farlowe was twelve when the coward Stronson shot his daddy down. Chester left the vast cattle ranches of New Zealand's central Volcanic Plateau for the badlands of urban Auckland. There he was given shelter by Henry Stroud, proprietor of the I Fry burger bar, and re-christened Mr Dog. There, too, he met the girl, Spoons. Now, six years later, he is back in those lands where the pylons march across the sky, and looking for revenge. Stronson is waiting, and there must be a showdown. But first there are others to contend with - Boss Lennox, Cook, the Sultation Kid, the seductive and inscrutable Miss Peet.
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.
