Stranger’’s Dance

At the foot of the Continental Divide, rancher Frank Redmond struggles to maintain his land amidst the bleakness of Depression-era Montana. Married but childless, Frank’s wondering if the long-term future of the ranch is worth the effort. For that matter, he’s considering much the same about his wife Abby.
When a stray dog wanders onto the ranch, Frank’s first impulse is to shoot it as vermin. Abby and Clay, Frank’s father, insists on adopting the mutt, naming him Stranger.
For Frank, it’s both the last straw and a convenient excuse. He parlays his skill as a stone carver into a job at Deer Lodge at the Montana State Prison, fifty miles from home. There, he labors over a headstone for the warden’s terminally ill wife.
When he finally returns home, he finds Stranger more a member of the family than himself. Frank needs to regain his family’s trust and prove himself. To do so, he’ll need to emulate the dog he once considered killing.
A pensively introspective but hard-hitting read, Stranger’s Dance delves into the challenges and desperation of Montana ranch life in the 1930s and how animals can prove the catalyst for human healing.

Troy Kechely grew up on a ranch west of Helena, Montana, where he developed a strong connection to the land and the animals he tended. That connection is evident in his narrative writing and formed the foundation for his debut novel, Stranger’s Dance.

A nationally known dog behavior expert, he is the author of Management of Aggressive Canines for Law Enforcement, which teaches law enforcement officers how to avoid the use of deadly force against dogs during routine and high-risk encounters. He has written short stories and poems about the bond humans and dogs share for Dog and Kennel Magazine, numerous newsletters, and canine rescue websites.

Kechely currently resides in Bozeman, Montana, with his two rescue Rottweilers, Bradum and Carly.