Collector of Secrets

by Richard Goodfellow

A riveting debut thriller with the twists and turns of “North by Northwest” and The Firm about an American in Japan who comes upon a mysterious decades-old diary, and ends up caught in a web of global espionage he cannot possibly fathom.

Max Travers is an English teacher in Japan. When his manipulative boss begins swindling the unsuspecting parents of his students, Max must retrieve his passport to return home. Max sneaks into her office only to stumble upon a burglary-in-progress. Max barely escapes, but accidentally takes a strange diary bound in leather and embossed with a strange seal. Little does Max know that this diary has been hidden for over half a century, and its secrets could topple some of Japan’s most powerful people and rewrite the history of the royal family.

Max soon finds himself on the run from everyone from tattooed Yakuza to the Japanese police and a
mysterious American who has ties in the highest places, all willing to kill for the diary’s secrets. With his and girlfriend's lives in the balance, Max must decipher the diary's secrets in a richly detailed and ambitious thriller that covers everything from World War II to Watergate.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction

361 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 2015

About the author

Richard Goodfellow spent two years teaching English in Japan in the early 1990s.

A software consultant and self-described road warrior, he penned the majority of COLLECTOR OF SECRETS on airplanes and in small towns throughout Oregon, Texas, Florida, and everywhere in between.

After completion of the novel's first draft, he returned to Japan for a month of further travel to lay fresh eyes on the novel's locations, almost every one of which is real.

COLLECTOR OF SECRETS is his first novel.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting mystery/thriller that includes a lot of history about Japan-which was quite interesting to me. It was pretty fast paced (could have been edited down a bit) and got a bit movie twist-ish/conspiracy type thing near the end, but it kept things moving. Overall, a good read.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel that transports you

This is what I look for in a good novel. Though the intensity of the action takes place over a short period, the story is rooted in the past and clearly the author has researched his subject matter well. The book is both a great read and an education about modern day Japan and the history that brought it up to present day. The characters are so very well developed and I clearly understood their motivations in the context of this thriller. Looking forward to the next instalment.

[Glenn Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a big thriller reader, but I love Japan and made a rare buy…it was worth it. This book hooks you early, taking you on a fast historic ride around Japan. Great sites and characters with a pace that had me through it quickly. A little bit of gangster, a little romance, and a lot of fun! Can’t wait until the obvious followup. Well done, Mr. Goodfellow!

[Stephanie Foust · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable suspense with an interesting look at Japan and their history of conquest.the tie-in with the assassination of JFK was not believable and the novel would have been better without this allegation.Still a very good effort for first novel.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book to be fantastic. It kept me reading and really enjoyed learning some information about another culture.

Can not wait for the next book.

Will recommend to my friends.

[Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid reader of mystery/adventure books I was amazed and pleased with the depth of this author's first novel. His personal experience, briefly living in Japan, made the story context so vivid, and the story line, intertwined with authentic, makes it 'present day' real. I was always torn between wanting to continue reading from one suspense-filled chapter to the next and, at the same time, not wanting the book to come to an end.

This would make a great action movie!

[Brucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story touches all the bases and completes this episode of the hero's journey but made its secret and fantastic world seem real. Of course the author felt he had to do it once, but writing novels is not his life's only ambition.

[Maggies Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great adventure, was very engrossed with the colorful characters. Will recommend this book :)

[Gdenver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pulled me in right away with good pacing and interesting characters. I found the historical ties entertaining. Hoping there's a sequel coming.

[Scott Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me interested all the way through and left me wanting more. I have recommended this book to many of my friends. I hope to see more from this author.

[Heather Perreault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally addictive, fast paced, fun read! Can't wait for more!

[***** · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good thriller,fast moving and gripping with a little romance and I love Japan. Great hook, pace and looking forward to the next installment. Thoroughly enjoyed it

[Alexander Frank · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumb

Stereotype characters, cartoon hero's and villains, don't waste your time. Even the earrings are one dimensional. And the dialogue is for first-graders

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took this book on vacation. Found it to be absorbing and exciting. Would recommend taking it on a trip!

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 4 out of 5]

The readers have to suspend a whole lot of disbelief, but boy, was this a fun romp through Japan! This book intrigued me because I was born in the Philippines and also lived in Japan for three years. My neighbor's son here in the Washington DC area teaches English in Japan, and yes, he too is blond and blue-eyed, though not tall. I was wondering if he would ever get himself in a similar situation as Max. I liked the book UNTIL the Americans got involved, particularly the ex-CIA mercenary. When the book brought in a US senator and started talking about Nixon and Kennedy, then unfortunately I had to bring my review down one star. I felt the US connection was unnecessary and muddied the waters. It was totally unbelievable. Having the Yakuza chasing Max and his girlfriend and keeping the connections within Japan was enough trouble and believable.

[Jim Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping novel, full of twists and turns. Very well researched and captivating. Difficult to put down once you start reading! Looking forward to future novels by this author.

[Harry Annan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read...would make a great movie/mini-series

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will read any and every book about Japan. At the beginning of this book I wondered how it had gotten published. The writing is mediocre and the characters lack dimension. It could have used a good edit. Yet, it's an interesting story though filled with the requisite Japan markers, i.e. references to Christmas cake, meeting at Almond in Roppongi, etc. It's almost as if the author is trying to prove he knows Japan.

It could have been better, but it is still enjoyable to read anything about Japan and I had no trouble convincing myself to keep reading until the end. Try again, Goodfellow. Stay away from the stereotypes. Get a good editor.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pembina Ponders Book Club review: It reads like a movie - it should be made into a movie! We found it action packed, mysterious, and historically plausible. The story line is engaging, lots of different pieces which connect at the end. You're invested in the well-developed characters. It's hard to put down, a page turner. The only complaint: we were disappointed that Richard chose to make his protagonist an American given the author is Canadian.

We read this for book club and got to Skype with the author! We sure appreciated that Richard took time to talk to us. We are looking forward to the sequel.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so happy I got this book! The characters are genuine, the places/settings are descriptive and the story is believable. It would make a great action-packed movie. I would describe it as a suspenseful thriller with a little romance, history, culture and conspiracy theory on the side for added flavour. A deadly game full of surprises! Impressive first novel Mr. Goodfellow! I look forward to your next endeavour.

[Sailor · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are into Japanese history & culture you may find this book interesting. The plot was so so...then the author had to bring the JFK conspiracy into play. Down hill after that. Does his next book deal with Jimmy Hoffa hiding in Japan.

[Joyce Ziebell · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a made-for-TV thriller script, with the usual cast of good vs bad characters. The thriller did have me on edge much of the time, and I must admit well-written, though it's not my regular type of "love it" book.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good. Two stars because I stayed interested enough to finish it, but honestly I'm not sure why. Ridiculous characters, an inane storyline and almost incomprehensible action sequences. Desperately in need of a copy editor, too.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise....conspiracy theory at its finest, although the big reveal was at the end. Having lived in Japan, I enjoyed the setting. The historical context was intriguing, and involving corruption at every level, and the Yakuza, made it a pretty exciting read.

[Heather Kidgell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for several sleepless nights!!!
A real page turner that is difficult to put down. I love history & suspense & this book has it in spades.
Thank you Richard for the wonderfully descriptive, emotive & thrilling ride your book took me on.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read! Would make a great movie.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!! Grabs you at the start and keeps you moving through to the end - I didn't want to put it down!!

[Shiela]

Disappointing. I got to page 100 or so. Easy enough reading but just not enough there to keep me reading.