Responsibility

Finalist in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards Fiction Prize 2006

From the acclaimed author of Jungle Rock Blues, a new novel about the things that really matter.

Responsibility is a darkly comic thriller set in contemporary Berlin. Martin Rumsfield, an international museums expert from New Zealand, is feeling hemmed in by the pressures of work and the demands of family. When a shady character from his past turns up with a sure-fire plan to scam the scammers, Martin is seduced by the glamour of a walk on the wild side. Then, in a shattering moment, he realises that he has put what he values most at deadly risk.

Responsibility is written with delicious ironic awareness of the hardboiled detective fiction clichés which lie behind every twist and turn. But a darker undercurrent of moral consequence is never far from the surface, and it is this that finally returns Martin from self-indulgent fantasy to a deep appreciation that in steady embrace of his responsibilities lies the promise of a richer, truer life.

‘One of the more enjoyable New Zealand books of the year.’ —Linda Herrick, NZ Herald

‘Nigel Cox's new novel is the strangest, cleverest thing I've read since – since Nigel Cox's last novel, actually.’ —David Larsen, Listener

‘A smart and engaging novel from one of New Zealand's foremost contemporary writers.’ —Holly Walker, Critic

‘As page-turning storytelling, it is quite simply, a beaut, with a neat plot-switch when you think you've got the hang of it, and a long and convincing suspense climax.’ —Nicholas Reid, Dominion Post

‘Responsibility is a smart balance of humour, pathos and action.’ —Sean Monaghan, The Press

‘Woven into this fine underlay is a follow-the-money plot which, although silly, races along, frequently devolving into farce and serving up a kicker of an ending. In theprocess Responsibility becomes a sort of smartarse morality tale. A remarkable mix.’ —Chris Barton, NZ Herald