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Spirit of the Fox
She’s lost her mother and her memory. And if she fails to escape… she’ll lose herself.
Meiko Wright wants nothing to do with the mother who abandoned her nine years ago. Spending a year in Tokyo, where her mother lives, won’t change that fact. But when she takes a nasty fall in a Shinto temple, she wakes with no memory of her mother… or anything of her past life. Without any idea who she is, she must rely on the kindness of a local priest who offers to help her as best he can. When the amnesiac Meiko wakes with a strange suspicion that something isn't right, she vows to escape from a bond she doesn't truly understand.
After years apart, Meiko’s mother Chieko is determined to make up for lost time. But when her daughter mysteriously disappears, Chieko promises she won't lose her again. Along the trail of clues, the detectives working Meiko’s case discover a pair of suicides linked by a strange seductress and matching fox tattoos. Afraid her daughter may be next, Chieko visits a local shaman who tells her dark spirits could make her attempt for a rescue impossible.
With time running out, Meiko and her family must uncover the mystery of her mental captivity before she loses herself and her only way home forever.
Spirit of the Fox is a cerebral mystery novel. If you like Japanese culture, riveting suspense, and the power of family, then you’ll love Matthew O’Connell’s intersection of science, spirituality, and folklore.
Buy Spirit of the Fox to puzzle out a mind-bending mystery steeped in Japanese folklore today!375 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 23, 2018
14 people are currently reading
465 people want to read
About the author
Matthew O'Connell
3 books32 followers
Born and raised in Eden, New York, Matthew O’Connell is an American Fiction writer specializing in the mystery and suspense genres. He has currently published three novels, The Painter of Time (2015), Spirit of the Fox (2018), and The House on Tyner (2023). The first two quickly became Amazon #1 Best-Sellers. His work has been acclaimed by the Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, Daily Press, and more.
Matt holds a Ph.D. in psychology, and in 1993 co-founded a selection and assessment technology firm called Select International. He is an award winning entrepreneur and the author or co-author of over 200 professional articles. In 2009 he began pursuing fiction, and in 2015 published his first novel, The Painter of Time. In 2018, Matt sold Select International, and published his second novel, Spirit of the Fox.
Amazon #1 Best-Sellers:
* The Painter of Time (2015) - Amazon.com/Painter-Time-Matthew-OConn...
* Spirit of the Fox (2018) - Amazon.com/Spirit-Fox-Matthew-OConnel...
Matt and his wife currently live in Tokyo, sharing their lives with their dogs and cats.
For news and updates, visit Matt’s website: www.matthewoconnellauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 29, 2020
If you are interested in Japan, then this book is your cup of tea!
I listen to this as an audiobook with Merphy Napier as the narrator. I would recommend to listen the story with her as the story teller. In my opinion, her voice and way to tell stories is one of the best.
This book was great and I didn't want it to stop! The author did a great job describing the Japanese environmemt and culture. Mythology regarding the Japanese Kitsune has for years intrested me. The plot twist at the end really made it amazing! When he describe Kyoto and the temples and Shrine I actually could see it so cleae in my mind, like it was only yesterday I saw.
The characters where well made. The entire plot and how the characters played there part was ingradible! Grandma Aiko was my personal favorite. Her part in the story was so well made and I alwayd wanted more of her.
Also, I really could connect with Meiko when she came to Japan. As being an exchange student in Japan a few years ago I really couls understand her feeling quite well
Especially during her first nine months of her journey. It was amazing, like she had taken the words from my mind and just put them into world.
I listen to this as an audiobook with Merphy Napier as the narrator. I would recommend to listen the story with her as the story teller. In my opinion, her voice and way to tell stories is one of the best.
This book was great and I didn't want it to stop! The author did a great job describing the Japanese environmemt and culture. Mythology regarding the Japanese Kitsune has for years intrested me. The plot twist at the end really made it amazing! When he describe Kyoto and the temples and Shrine I actually could see it so cleae in my mind, like it was only yesterday I saw.
The characters where well made. The entire plot and how the characters played there part was ingradible! Grandma Aiko was my personal favorite. Her part in the story was so well made and I alwayd wanted more of her.
Also, I really could connect with Meiko when she came to Japan. As being an exchange student in Japan a few years ago I really couls understand her feeling quite well
Especially during her first nine months of her journey. It was amazing, like she had taken the words from my mind and just put them into world.
October 21, 2019
I hate writing negative reviews, because I know that authors depend on reader reviews to help sell their books. But I do need to be honest that I did not enjoy reading this book. I think the overall concept was really good, and the story started off well with the immersion of the reader into the Japanese culture and the family we follow throughout the novel.
There were two main things I didn't enjoy about the reading experience. The first was that one of the characters goes through a change over the story and starts wearing revealing clothes and more makeup. The other characters often say things about her looking like an escort or a prostitute, and the way she is described just annoyed me in the way it made it seem like all women who wear short dresses and makeup are sluts or sex workers. The other thing that I didn't like was that the solution to the mystery was extremely obvious. I was hoping for more red herrings or just a better way to reveal the ending that would have been more thrilling.
There were two main things I didn't enjoy about the reading experience. The first was that one of the characters goes through a change over the story and starts wearing revealing clothes and more makeup. The other characters often say things about her looking like an escort or a prostitute, and the way she is described just annoyed me in the way it made it seem like all women who wear short dresses and makeup are sluts or sex workers. The other thing that I didn't like was that the solution to the mystery was extremely obvious. I was hoping for more red herrings or just a better way to reveal the ending that would have been more thrilling.
November 24, 2018
I like reading stories that take place in Japan and this story really piqued my interest. The story is about a young Japanese /American young woman Meiko who goes to Japan with her father for a year as he teaches at a University. Meiko's mother moved back to Japan after she left Meiko when she was a child. Meiko decides she will try to reconnect with her estranged mother, but she has a very deep-seated pain and anger towards her mother for leaving her behind. Can she get past that as she tries to rebuild their relationship? One day Meiko takes a trip to a Shinto temple where she takes a nasty fall. She awakes with no memory, she can remember nothing of her past. A local priest offers to help her. Meiko finds that after a while something is not quite about the place she is staying at. She must escape before she will get into something she can get out of. Meiko's mother, Chieko, is not going to let anything stop her she vows she will find her daughter no matter what she has to do. She lost her once and she NOT going to lose her again. As Chieko starts delving into her daughter's disappearance she finds a pair of suicides connected to a strange seductress. Feeling like her daughter is next she must find Meiko before it is too late. Cheiko must uncover Meiko mental captivity more than anything else before she can safely bring her home or lose her forever.
February 3, 2024
Not my type of book dnf
December 15, 2018
In Spirit of the Fox by Matthew O'Connell, a brief Prologue shows a family is being driving out of their remote, rural Japanese village in 1945. The unnamed point-of-view character is a young girl who has a younger brother. She has no idea where they are going, but any place would be better than where she's been.
Jump to present-day Tokyo. Meiko Wright has just finished her undergraduate degree in psychology at UC Santa Barbara, is taking a year off before deciding what she wants to study in graduate school, and has come to Japan with her father David to spend a year teaching English. David is a professor of anthropology with a special interest in folklore, who will be teaching in a Japanese university for a year. Meiko's mother, Chieko, is Japanese and a successful Tokyo psychologist. Chieko divorced David nine years earlier and returned to Japan, abandoning Meiko, at least in Meiko's eyes.
The story really gets going when Meiko goes to Kyoto for a weekend on her own. She visits the Fushimi Inari Shrine, a real place famous for its tunnel of red torii gates. Inari is the god of rice, fertility, sake, tea, and prosperity. The god's messenger or avatar is the fox and every one of the more than three thousand Inari shrines in Japan has one or more statues of a fox. The Fushimi Inari Shrine parent shrine of all Japanese Inari shrines.
Walking alone in the woods near the shrine, Meiko sees a fox, falls, and hits her head. When she wakes up, she has no memory of who or where she is (although she can still speak Japanese and English). She has no purse, no cell phone, no wallet, nothing to identify her. A priest from the shrine assists her, gives her his card, a prepaid cell phone, ¥50,000 so that she can eat and find a place to stay, a good luck charm to wear, and a special tea blend she should drink regularly to calm herself. The priest gives her a name, Hana, and sends her off to a nearby soba restaurant for a meal.
In short order, Hana, who radiates pure sexual desirability and erotic opportunity, has seduced the married restaurant owner and persuaded him to buy her sexy lingerie; expensive, brand-name clothing; and put her up in a hotel.
Back in Tokyo, David grows concerned when Meiko does not return to their apartment and does not answer her cell phone. Because he is not fluent in Japanese, he has to join forces with his ex-wife, who is after all a native. They contact the Kyoto police, who are not particularly concerned about a young foreign woman who may be shacking up with an attractive man and is not answering her phone.
The police however are interested in a soba restaurant owner who kills himself by jumping off a building. A handwritten note in his pocket says, " . . .My life is ruined. If I had never met you, Hana, would my life be better? . . . Now that I can't be with you, what's the point of living? . . ." We readers know that Meiko/Hana has moved on to another target. Could it be that Meiko has been taken over by a fox spirit? Would that explain the fox tattoo on the dead man's ankle? What has happened to Meiko? She herself does not know.
David, the anthropologist, wants to keep an open mind about the possibility of spirit possession. Her mother, the psychologist, has no sympathy for spirits, shamans, or fox possession. Chieko's mother, Aiko, has her own ideas. And the Kyoto detectives are on the trail of a seductive young woman who is leaving a trail of death and destruction and Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Chanel boxes behind her.
Spirit of the Fox is an interesting story that incorporates Japanese folklore and culture in a mystery for which I was willing to suspend my instinctive disbelief. I do have some quibbles. O'Connell devotes an entire chapter to a class David gives at the international division of Waseda University in Tokyo. While the material is interesting for itself, it has little relevance to the main thrust of the book and slows things down.
On the other hand, a Shinto priest says, "People have a need to believe in something beyond themselves. I would say that it is fundamental to our being. I believe this small omamori [good-luck charm, amulet] is more than an attractive piece of silk and wood. I believe that it helps protect me and guide me along a purer path. Can I prove that? Is there scientific evidence to confirm it? No, of course not. But does that make it any less powerful to me? Again, the answer is no." Here the priest's words do help to move the story along.
By putting every chapter into the point of view of the central character—David, Chieko, Aiko, Meiko, Hana, Detective Nomura—the action for the most part does move along briskly. I found Spirit of the Fox a diverting mystery that held my interest.
Jump to present-day Tokyo. Meiko Wright has just finished her undergraduate degree in psychology at UC Santa Barbara, is taking a year off before deciding what she wants to study in graduate school, and has come to Japan with her father David to spend a year teaching English. David is a professor of anthropology with a special interest in folklore, who will be teaching in a Japanese university for a year. Meiko's mother, Chieko, is Japanese and a successful Tokyo psychologist. Chieko divorced David nine years earlier and returned to Japan, abandoning Meiko, at least in Meiko's eyes.
The story really gets going when Meiko goes to Kyoto for a weekend on her own. She visits the Fushimi Inari Shrine, a real place famous for its tunnel of red torii gates. Inari is the god of rice, fertility, sake, tea, and prosperity. The god's messenger or avatar is the fox and every one of the more than three thousand Inari shrines in Japan has one or more statues of a fox. The Fushimi Inari Shrine parent shrine of all Japanese Inari shrines.
Walking alone in the woods near the shrine, Meiko sees a fox, falls, and hits her head. When she wakes up, she has no memory of who or where she is (although she can still speak Japanese and English). She has no purse, no cell phone, no wallet, nothing to identify her. A priest from the shrine assists her, gives her his card, a prepaid cell phone, ¥50,000 so that she can eat and find a place to stay, a good luck charm to wear, and a special tea blend she should drink regularly to calm herself. The priest gives her a name, Hana, and sends her off to a nearby soba restaurant for a meal.
In short order, Hana, who radiates pure sexual desirability and erotic opportunity, has seduced the married restaurant owner and persuaded him to buy her sexy lingerie; expensive, brand-name clothing; and put her up in a hotel.
Back in Tokyo, David grows concerned when Meiko does not return to their apartment and does not answer her cell phone. Because he is not fluent in Japanese, he has to join forces with his ex-wife, who is after all a native. They contact the Kyoto police, who are not particularly concerned about a young foreign woman who may be shacking up with an attractive man and is not answering her phone.
The police however are interested in a soba restaurant owner who kills himself by jumping off a building. A handwritten note in his pocket says, " . . .My life is ruined. If I had never met you, Hana, would my life be better? . . . Now that I can't be with you, what's the point of living? . . ." We readers know that Meiko/Hana has moved on to another target. Could it be that Meiko has been taken over by a fox spirit? Would that explain the fox tattoo on the dead man's ankle? What has happened to Meiko? She herself does not know.
David, the anthropologist, wants to keep an open mind about the possibility of spirit possession. Her mother, the psychologist, has no sympathy for spirits, shamans, or fox possession. Chieko's mother, Aiko, has her own ideas. And the Kyoto detectives are on the trail of a seductive young woman who is leaving a trail of death and destruction and Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Chanel boxes behind her.
Spirit of the Fox is an interesting story that incorporates Japanese folklore and culture in a mystery for which I was willing to suspend my instinctive disbelief. I do have some quibbles. O'Connell devotes an entire chapter to a class David gives at the international division of Waseda University in Tokyo. While the material is interesting for itself, it has little relevance to the main thrust of the book and slows things down.
On the other hand, a Shinto priest says, "People have a need to believe in something beyond themselves. I would say that it is fundamental to our being. I believe this small omamori [good-luck charm, amulet] is more than an attractive piece of silk and wood. I believe that it helps protect me and guide me along a purer path. Can I prove that? Is there scientific evidence to confirm it? No, of course not. But does that make it any less powerful to me? Again, the answer is no." Here the priest's words do help to move the story along.
By putting every chapter into the point of view of the central character—David, Chieko, Aiko, Meiko, Hana, Detective Nomura—the action for the most part does move along briskly. I found Spirit of the Fox a diverting mystery that held my interest.
November 24, 2018
Fantastic Japanese mystery
To say wow seems to be putting it mildly! Here we are introduced to Meiko, a young woman who has recently moved to Japan with her father while he teaches at the university. During this she also has to deal with being in the same country as her mother Chieko, who left Meiko and her father a decade ago. While out traveling one day, Meiko suffers a fall while visiting a temple and wakes up with no memory. The priest that discovers her renames her Hana and wants to help her but she feels that not everything is as it seems. During all of this her family tries to uncover what has happened along with the detectives that are investigating the mystery of her disappearance. This is a fantastic read for any mystery lover or anyone fascinated with the Japanese culture.
To say wow seems to be putting it mildly! Here we are introduced to Meiko, a young woman who has recently moved to Japan with her father while he teaches at the university. During this she also has to deal with being in the same country as her mother Chieko, who left Meiko and her father a decade ago. While out traveling one day, Meiko suffers a fall while visiting a temple and wakes up with no memory. The priest that discovers her renames her Hana and wants to help her but she feels that not everything is as it seems. During all of this her family tries to uncover what has happened along with the detectives that are investigating the mystery of her disappearance. This is a fantastic read for any mystery lover or anyone fascinated with the Japanese culture.
November 20, 2018
I have had zero experience and knowledge with Japanese folklore, so I wasn't sure at first if it would be something I would enjoy. I'm very open minded so I thought it would give it a shot. Meiko's journey made me stop a few times and question the possibilities of what she was dealing with. I couldn't imagine losing your memory but then to be thrown into a twisted and crazy journey? Yikes! Meiko is uncertain of whom she is and what she is supposed to be doing and has to blindly accept help to figure out what to do. What she doesn't know is that the people she's engaging with don't necessarily want good. The adventure is a fine line between mythical lore, psychological confusion, and the fact that is woven together by the author and the incredible cast of characters. I loved the depth of the layers in the story. What's even better is being introduced to a world as a reader that I had never even heard of. Fantastic!
November 21, 2018
Amazing Suspenseful Japanese Folklore
Wow! I've been a fan of folklore my entire life, but this author makes it real! This was an amazing book with twists and turns and a lot of suspense. This was quite the intriguing tale. The author was able to maintain the interest of the reader the entire time. It was incredibly difficult to put this book down. I am one who can usually guess that things are going to happen but this book caught me off guard quite a bit. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book full of suspense or if you have a love of folklore. I would love to see a follow up book on Meiko and how she processes all that has happened. You definitely don't want to miss this read!
Wow! I've been a fan of folklore my entire life, but this author makes it real! This was an amazing book with twists and turns and a lot of suspense. This was quite the intriguing tale. The author was able to maintain the interest of the reader the entire time. It was incredibly difficult to put this book down. I am one who can usually guess that things are going to happen but this book caught me off guard quite a bit. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book full of suspense or if you have a love of folklore. I would love to see a follow up book on Meiko and how she processes all that has happened. You definitely don't want to miss this read!
July 25, 2019
A mystery in full bloom!
California author Matthew O’Connell, an industrial/organizational psychologist, founder of Select International and author of HIRING GREAT PEOPLE and many technical papers and articles, made his fiction debut with the acclaimed THE PAINTER OF TIME. He now delves into the culture, folklore, history and traditions of Japan, adds a superb mystery, and the successful SPIRIT OF THE FOX emerges.
As evidence for the research that contributes to this mesmerizing story, Matthew places a ‘history of fox possession’ at the end of his novel – an excellent essay on the tradition of the ‘fox’ of the title, as well as a probe into the Japanese culture: ‘Shinto is the oldest major religion in Japan and is unique to Japan. It is polytheistic, or druidic, in nature. The word Shinto means ‘way of the gods.’ Its followers believe in multiple gods, spirits, or divine powers typically associated with nature, such as wind, water, mountains, and rice. As mentioned in this story, Inari is believed to be the god of rice, fertility, sake, tea, and even prosperity …Inari shrines in Japan are filled with statues of foxes… Kitsunetsuki, or fox possession, always involves the possession of a young woman…Typically, the possessed woman tries to deceive, manipulate, and control the men around her…’ This information adds considerable fascination to the novel.
The Prologue describes the 1945 harsh shunning of a family forced to leave a village by demonic neighbors, a precarious portal through which the story opens. Advance to modern day Tokyo – “Meiko and her father, David, knelt on the floor of their small, swelteringly hot Tokyo apartment, gradually working their way through the cardboard boxes filled with assorted items they felt essential for their year in Japan David has taken a visiting scholar position at the prestigious Waseda University. Meiko has finished her undergraduate degree in psychology at UC Santa Barbara two months earlier and decided to take a year off before starting graduate school. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to study and hoped this year would give her some inspiration.’
With this degree of creating credible, three-dimensional characters, Matthew spins this beautifully sculpted kaleidoscopic tale. The outline of the story follows: ‘Meiko Wright wants nothing to do with the mother who abandoned her nine years ago. Spending a year in Tokyo, where her mother lives, won’t change that fact. But when she takes a nasty fall in a Shinto temple, she wakes with no memory of her mother… or anything of her past life. Without any idea who she is, she must rely on the kindness of a local priest who offers to help her as best he can. When the amnesiac Meiko wakes with a strange suspicion that something isn't right, she vows to escape from a bond she doesn't truly understand. After years apart, Meiko’s mother Chieko is determined to make up for lost time. But when her daughter mysteriously disappears, Chieko promises she won't lose her again. Along the trail of clues, the detectives working Meiko’s case discover a pair of suicides linked by a strange seductress and matching fox tattoos. Afraid her daughter may be next, Chieko visits a local shaman who tells her dark spirits could make her attempt for a rescue impossible. With time running out, Meiko and her family must uncover the mystery of her mental captivity before she loses herself and her only way home forever.’
Matthew’s masterful blending of the history, culture, traditions and myths of Japan with psychology, science and one terrific mystery results in immensely successful novel. Recommended on many levels.
California author Matthew O’Connell, an industrial/organizational psychologist, founder of Select International and author of HIRING GREAT PEOPLE and many technical papers and articles, made his fiction debut with the acclaimed THE PAINTER OF TIME. He now delves into the culture, folklore, history and traditions of Japan, adds a superb mystery, and the successful SPIRIT OF THE FOX emerges.
As evidence for the research that contributes to this mesmerizing story, Matthew places a ‘history of fox possession’ at the end of his novel – an excellent essay on the tradition of the ‘fox’ of the title, as well as a probe into the Japanese culture: ‘Shinto is the oldest major religion in Japan and is unique to Japan. It is polytheistic, or druidic, in nature. The word Shinto means ‘way of the gods.’ Its followers believe in multiple gods, spirits, or divine powers typically associated with nature, such as wind, water, mountains, and rice. As mentioned in this story, Inari is believed to be the god of rice, fertility, sake, tea, and even prosperity …Inari shrines in Japan are filled with statues of foxes… Kitsunetsuki, or fox possession, always involves the possession of a young woman…Typically, the possessed woman tries to deceive, manipulate, and control the men around her…’ This information adds considerable fascination to the novel.
The Prologue describes the 1945 harsh shunning of a family forced to leave a village by demonic neighbors, a precarious portal through which the story opens. Advance to modern day Tokyo – “Meiko and her father, David, knelt on the floor of their small, swelteringly hot Tokyo apartment, gradually working their way through the cardboard boxes filled with assorted items they felt essential for their year in Japan David has taken a visiting scholar position at the prestigious Waseda University. Meiko has finished her undergraduate degree in psychology at UC Santa Barbara two months earlier and decided to take a year off before starting graduate school. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to study and hoped this year would give her some inspiration.’
With this degree of creating credible, three-dimensional characters, Matthew spins this beautifully sculpted kaleidoscopic tale. The outline of the story follows: ‘Meiko Wright wants nothing to do with the mother who abandoned her nine years ago. Spending a year in Tokyo, where her mother lives, won’t change that fact. But when she takes a nasty fall in a Shinto temple, she wakes with no memory of her mother… or anything of her past life. Without any idea who she is, she must rely on the kindness of a local priest who offers to help her as best he can. When the amnesiac Meiko wakes with a strange suspicion that something isn't right, she vows to escape from a bond she doesn't truly understand. After years apart, Meiko’s mother Chieko is determined to make up for lost time. But when her daughter mysteriously disappears, Chieko promises she won't lose her again. Along the trail of clues, the detectives working Meiko’s case discover a pair of suicides linked by a strange seductress and matching fox tattoos. Afraid her daughter may be next, Chieko visits a local shaman who tells her dark spirits could make her attempt for a rescue impossible. With time running out, Meiko and her family must uncover the mystery of her mental captivity before she loses herself and her only way home forever.’
Matthew’s masterful blending of the history, culture, traditions and myths of Japan with psychology, science and one terrific mystery results in immensely successful novel. Recommended on many levels.
June 8, 2020
This mystery is a stunner. It’s not just that it’s awesome and well-written, it’s because the solving of the mystery involved something so unexpected and astounding, it left me speechless. It left me wide-eyed and very impressed. If a mystery fan likes mind games, then this is a book to add to their TBR list.
I will admit that I thought the first few chapters were slow. That’s impatience talking. What the author did was to introduce to me the main players which gave me insight as to who they were as people, and how their relationship dynamics worked. Stay the course because it’s important. It’s crucial that a reader is made to understand Meiko’s character early on.
Meiko’s parents, Chieko and David, are divorced. It was interesting to see them explore with internal dialogue the things that attracted them to each other initially, how it later tore them apart and in the course of this story, showed that they could be strengths as well. Ultimately, I get the feeling that maybe there might be hope for a future reconciliation between Meiko’s parents, and that would make me happy.
The body of the novel is about what happens to Meiko. Now I don’t want to give away any spoilers while trying to explain the dilemma she finds herself in. The synopsis on the back cover of the book isn’t quite the way things happen in the book. Yes, Chieko, her mom, is important, but the blurb downplays her dad’s role. I want to add in her grandmother, Aiko. The strength of family is vital because it lends power to the impact of the conflict. In fact, it’s more important than a reader can imagine.
What happens to Hana in the novel is quite suggestive. Nothing really gets described in detail. It was only necessary to describe enough for the reader to understand what is about to happen or what has happened and it went no further.
I will share that there is one special moment in the book that made me gasp and shout, ‘No way!!!!” Lots of exclamation points. So close, oh my goodness, so close and then wham! I didn’t expect it. At. All.
You know how they say communication is the key to a good relationship? This tale reinforces that wisdom. It becomes key in bringing about the final showdown.
There is a hero in the story but I’m not going to tell you who it is. Brains, not brawn, wins the day. Maybe other readers wouldn’t label this person the hero, but I have my opinion and I’m happy with it.
All in all, Spirit of the Fox is a mystery worthy of being read. Maybe another reader will solve the case before the police do; I didn’t. I found this novel to be very well written, powerful in its delivery and I was thrilled that the villain was apprehended. I even enjoyed the author’s contribution at the end, explaining his own experience with the ‘spirit of the fox’. Usually I’m not impressed with what authors add about themselves at the end, but in Mr. O’Connell’s case, he’s as interesting a person as the story he penned. Every single page in this novel has value. I heartily recommend this book to everyone, not just mystery fans. It’s that good.
I will admit that I thought the first few chapters were slow. That’s impatience talking. What the author did was to introduce to me the main players which gave me insight as to who they were as people, and how their relationship dynamics worked. Stay the course because it’s important. It’s crucial that a reader is made to understand Meiko’s character early on.
Meiko’s parents, Chieko and David, are divorced. It was interesting to see them explore with internal dialogue the things that attracted them to each other initially, how it later tore them apart and in the course of this story, showed that they could be strengths as well. Ultimately, I get the feeling that maybe there might be hope for a future reconciliation between Meiko’s parents, and that would make me happy.
The body of the novel is about what happens to Meiko. Now I don’t want to give away any spoilers while trying to explain the dilemma she finds herself in. The synopsis on the back cover of the book isn’t quite the way things happen in the book. Yes, Chieko, her mom, is important, but the blurb downplays her dad’s role. I want to add in her grandmother, Aiko. The strength of family is vital because it lends power to the impact of the conflict. In fact, it’s more important than a reader can imagine.
What happens to Hana in the novel is quite suggestive. Nothing really gets described in detail. It was only necessary to describe enough for the reader to understand what is about to happen or what has happened and it went no further.
I will share that there is one special moment in the book that made me gasp and shout, ‘No way!!!!” Lots of exclamation points. So close, oh my goodness, so close and then wham! I didn’t expect it. At. All.
You know how they say communication is the key to a good relationship? This tale reinforces that wisdom. It becomes key in bringing about the final showdown.
There is a hero in the story but I’m not going to tell you who it is. Brains, not brawn, wins the day. Maybe other readers wouldn’t label this person the hero, but I have my opinion and I’m happy with it.
All in all, Spirit of the Fox is a mystery worthy of being read. Maybe another reader will solve the case before the police do; I didn’t. I found this novel to be very well written, powerful in its delivery and I was thrilled that the villain was apprehended. I even enjoyed the author’s contribution at the end, explaining his own experience with the ‘spirit of the fox’. Usually I’m not impressed with what authors add about themselves at the end, but in Mr. O’Connell’s case, he’s as interesting a person as the story he penned. Every single page in this novel has value. I heartily recommend this book to everyone, not just mystery fans. It’s that good.
December 4, 2018
Spirit of the Fox is an amazing, thrilling novel from start to finish - I never knew quite what to expect next in this story.
We have Meiko, one of our main characters in this story, who is the daughter of an anthropology professor who specializes in folklore and a psychologist. Her mother (the psychologist) left her at an early age to return to Japan after she divorced her father. Meiko was raised primarily by her father in America (or perhaps she raised him a bit) and she has turned into a responsible, organized, cultured young woman who wants to continue in her graduate studies but needs some time to reflect and figure out what that would look like. She travels to Japan with her father (who will be teaching there) and plans to use this time to reflect on her future, document her journey on her blog and perhaps re-build her relationship with her mother. This is when everything makes a turn in the novel.
This is when we are introduced to some of the folklore of the Japanese culture which sends Meiko down a destructive path that we hope her family can rescue her from. The fox plays an interesting role in Japanese culture with both a good fox and an evil fox that plays on men and can be manipulative and destructive. The fox will possess a woman (who is very attractive and has a manipulative personality) and she will spell the ruin of any man. Throughout the novel, we are shown how many times this woman, at no fault of her own, will be ostracized from the community and sometimes forced to leave her home. Her history will follow her everywhere and she is doomed to a life of hatred from other women and never belonging.
It is the symbol of the fox (controlled by one man) and Meiko's family history that is the center of the story as we soon find out. Meiko is "captured" by a person using the history of the fox and branded with the fox tattoo. She takes on the persona of a controlling, manipulative woman who is out to financially ruin the men on her list. The death toll starts to rise and Meiko's parents must work together despite their history in order to save their daughter and bring her back to them.
This was an amazing book from start to finish, it was refreshingly different and exciting. I loved how he intertwined the culture and beliefs into the story for some additional learning. Meiko and her captor keep you on your toes, right when you think she may be coming back - he pulls her back into his evil plot. You almost feel lost at the end, that she may never come back but you keep praying that her parents and Grandmother can solve the case. This is a definite must read novel.
December 14, 2018
Supernatural folklore twists make this a very compelling mystery.
It’s been nine years since Meiko Wright’s mother abandoned her and her father in San Diego and fled back to her native country of Japan. Since then she and her father have continued to live in San Diego through her teenage years and she has resented her mother ever since. She blames her for all the missed first times that she should have had with a mother. But now her father, an esteemed professor in folklore, has taken an assignment in Tokyo to allow Meiko to have some time with her mother to try to heal their relationship, even though Meiko wants nothing to do with it. Even so, they begin a process of healing.
Meiko being half Japanese, decides to take in some of the tour scenes while in country. She decides to take a trip to Kyoto to see the temples and while at one of the most popular shrines, she is suddenly overcome and loses consciousness. When she awakes, she has lost her memory and a priest vows to help her. Since disappearing, both of her parents are worried about her. When pictures of her surface with men no one knows who wind up committing suicide, she becomes a person of interest. It becomes a race to see who can find Meiko before something worse becomes of her.
Interestingly, this is the fifth book that I’ve read this year set in Japan. More interestingly, they have all been set around murders. This particular book was definitely intriguing. The story of the fox spirit was interesting and how it has been in the Japanese folklore really brought it to life. Couple this with finding a way to rebuild a damaged family brought the emotion aspect to the story as well. The story is a bit predictable, but don’t let that take anything away. It is very well written and worth reading. There is some language and discussion of sex, but nothing too over the top. I recommend this book to people who are interested in Japanese folklore or just love a good mystery.
I received a compliment copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
It’s been nine years since Meiko Wright’s mother abandoned her and her father in San Diego and fled back to her native country of Japan. Since then she and her father have continued to live in San Diego through her teenage years and she has resented her mother ever since. She blames her for all the missed first times that she should have had with a mother. But now her father, an esteemed professor in folklore, has taken an assignment in Tokyo to allow Meiko to have some time with her mother to try to heal their relationship, even though Meiko wants nothing to do with it. Even so, they begin a process of healing.
Meiko being half Japanese, decides to take in some of the tour scenes while in country. She decides to take a trip to Kyoto to see the temples and while at one of the most popular shrines, she is suddenly overcome and loses consciousness. When she awakes, she has lost her memory and a priest vows to help her. Since disappearing, both of her parents are worried about her. When pictures of her surface with men no one knows who wind up committing suicide, she becomes a person of interest. It becomes a race to see who can find Meiko before something worse becomes of her.
Interestingly, this is the fifth book that I’ve read this year set in Japan. More interestingly, they have all been set around murders. This particular book was definitely intriguing. The story of the fox spirit was interesting and how it has been in the Japanese folklore really brought it to life. Couple this with finding a way to rebuild a damaged family brought the emotion aspect to the story as well. The story is a bit predictable, but don’t let that take anything away. It is very well written and worth reading. There is some language and discussion of sex, but nothing too over the top. I recommend this book to people who are interested in Japanese folklore or just love a good mystery.
I received a compliment copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
October 27, 2020
Another great Matt O'Connell book - a must read.
Spirit of the Fox is the second fiction Novel of Matthew O’Connell, and like his debut novel, “The Painter of Time,” it does not disappoint.
Matt O’Connell has delivered another superb tale with Spirit of the Fox. As with his first novel, the subject matter is not something that is in my usual preferred genre, but I was at a social event which he attended and my curiosity was peaked when I heard others at the event asking him about the book, which drove me to read it out of curiosity.
The allure of Matt’s novels comes from him being a master of two things; character development, and descriptions of scenes and locations that absolutely place the reader into the story, much as Hemingway did. I found myself absorbed into the events as if I were living the experience of the characters - an elusive task for a writer, yet O’Connell masters it.
Similar to The Painter of Time, the subject matter would not typically drive me to read the book, but as I’d said, as a casual observer to a conversation, I was curious. Both novels were very enjoyable from a standpoint of simply the pleasure of reading his writing style. Matt O’Connell does a wonderful job at congealing a myriad of aspects; story, character, emotion, well-written words, and a subtle dose of history and education. One comes away from a Matt O’Connell novel with not only the pleasure of the written word and a good yarn, but he manages to sneak in a bit of factual information without being overbearing or boring to the reader.
The plot is intricate but not so challenging or complex as to be difficult, and as is his writing style, he brings the arc of the story together neatly in the sunset of his work.
Spirit of the Fox is an enjoyable read, as is The Painter of Time, and I anxiously await further works from Matt O’Connell.
Spirit of the Fox is the second fiction Novel of Matthew O’Connell, and like his debut novel, “The Painter of Time,” it does not disappoint.
Matt O’Connell has delivered another superb tale with Spirit of the Fox. As with his first novel, the subject matter is not something that is in my usual preferred genre, but I was at a social event which he attended and my curiosity was peaked when I heard others at the event asking him about the book, which drove me to read it out of curiosity.
The allure of Matt’s novels comes from him being a master of two things; character development, and descriptions of scenes and locations that absolutely place the reader into the story, much as Hemingway did. I found myself absorbed into the events as if I were living the experience of the characters - an elusive task for a writer, yet O’Connell masters it.
Similar to The Painter of Time, the subject matter would not typically drive me to read the book, but as I’d said, as a casual observer to a conversation, I was curious. Both novels were very enjoyable from a standpoint of simply the pleasure of reading his writing style. Matt O’Connell does a wonderful job at congealing a myriad of aspects; story, character, emotion, well-written words, and a subtle dose of history and education. One comes away from a Matt O’Connell novel with not only the pleasure of the written word and a good yarn, but he manages to sneak in a bit of factual information without being overbearing or boring to the reader.
The plot is intricate but not so challenging or complex as to be difficult, and as is his writing style, he brings the arc of the story together neatly in the sunset of his work.
Spirit of the Fox is an enjoyable read, as is The Painter of Time, and I anxiously await further works from Matt O’Connell.
January 3, 2019
An interesting twist of a young woman visiting the place of her mother’s birth, with her father, for a year in Tokyo while he works. Meiko hasn’t seen her mother, Chieko, since her parents split up nearly ten years before. Living in the States with her father and now being in Japan, she still feels that she somehow belongs in neither. She spends part of her visit by sightseeing and one day travels to see a famous Shinto temple. Whilst there, she is spooked by a fox crossing her path and falls, hitting her head and is found by one of the priests. The only problem is she comes to and can’t even remember her name!
Her mother and father become frantic when she doesn’t return as expected and start to try and find her. The police don’t seem too concerned to start with, until a couple of suicides occur, linked by a fox tattoo. A tattoo is not something regular people get in Japan as it is too closely linked to the Yakuza and criminals. The men were both seduced before committing suicide. There seems to be a link to Meiko and now the police get involved, but see her as a part of the crime, not a victim.
The story links in old Japanese legends and myths, a shaman, dark spirits and someone with an evil plan. Great mystery storyline, bringing about wonderful descriptions of different areas of Japan and the cherry blossoms in particular. It is somewhere I have always wanted to go and this made me want to go even more. There is an interesting twist of myth and mystery, mixed in with mixed race experiences of a young woman trying to find her place in the world.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was lucky to receive an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Her mother and father become frantic when she doesn’t return as expected and start to try and find her. The police don’t seem too concerned to start with, until a couple of suicides occur, linked by a fox tattoo. A tattoo is not something regular people get in Japan as it is too closely linked to the Yakuza and criminals. The men were both seduced before committing suicide. There seems to be a link to Meiko and now the police get involved, but see her as a part of the crime, not a victim.
The story links in old Japanese legends and myths, a shaman, dark spirits and someone with an evil plan. Great mystery storyline, bringing about wonderful descriptions of different areas of Japan and the cherry blossoms in particular. It is somewhere I have always wanted to go and this made me want to go even more. There is an interesting twist of myth and mystery, mixed in with mixed race experiences of a young woman trying to find her place in the world.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was lucky to receive an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
September 16, 2022
Summary
Meiko has just moved with her dad from San Diego to Tokyo for a year off from graduate school. Her mom Chieko, a successful Japanese and Tokyo psychologist meets up with her after nine years of being apart. Though Meiko misses her so much, she couldn't hide the pain and anger over the fact that she left them way back. Chieko wants a second chance to patch things up and be a part of her daughter's life. But just when she just started trying, Meiko suddenly doesn't come home from her trip to Kyoto. Worried, her parents team up to find her until they discover the unthinkable.
Review
Spirit of the Fox is an occult suspense by Matthew O'Connell. This story resonates the importance of family and good communication, so it’s a good read that people can relate with. I can very much relate with Meiko’s struggles without a mom as she grew up because my mom and dad separated. I can understand Meiko’s pain and anger in the story so much that it was quite hard to read the confrontation between her and her mom before the unfortunate shrine incident.
To be honest, there are things I like about this book, and there are few that I don’t. For me, the entertainment value is linear. It progresses from one stage to another in a single series of steps, but there were few parts that were dragging and that gave me mixed feelings about it. Overall, I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was dark, unpredictable, unique, and rich with Japanese culture and folklore, making it an informative read that people can appreciate. I recommend it to readers who are into Asian folklore and culture.
Meiko has just moved with her dad from San Diego to Tokyo for a year off from graduate school. Her mom Chieko, a successful Japanese and Tokyo psychologist meets up with her after nine years of being apart. Though Meiko misses her so much, she couldn't hide the pain and anger over the fact that she left them way back. Chieko wants a second chance to patch things up and be a part of her daughter's life. But just when she just started trying, Meiko suddenly doesn't come home from her trip to Kyoto. Worried, her parents team up to find her until they discover the unthinkable.
Review
Spirit of the Fox is an occult suspense by Matthew O'Connell. This story resonates the importance of family and good communication, so it’s a good read that people can relate with. I can very much relate with Meiko’s struggles without a mom as she grew up because my mom and dad separated. I can understand Meiko’s pain and anger in the story so much that it was quite hard to read the confrontation between her and her mom before the unfortunate shrine incident.
To be honest, there are things I like about this book, and there are few that I don’t. For me, the entertainment value is linear. It progresses from one stage to another in a single series of steps, but there were few parts that were dragging and that gave me mixed feelings about it. Overall, I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was dark, unpredictable, unique, and rich with Japanese culture and folklore, making it an informative read that people can appreciate. I recommend it to readers who are into Asian folklore and culture.
February 11, 2019
I received a free kindle copy of this book for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, however there were a few places where I felt like there was more needed. I wanted a bit more character development especially with the priest. I really enjoyed the basis of the story and thought the plot was well developed and thought out. Japan is a place that I have always wanted to visit and the novel did a very nice job of bringing the places the characters were to life and making them very easy to imagine. I really liked the character of Meiko as she was well-developed and her alternate character was also well done. I would have liked to see the ending more drawn-out but I could also see why the pace sped up. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and look forward to more from this author.
November 30, 2018
Goodreads Kindle Copy Win
A Japanese woman who has lost her memories and her mother after a fall in a temple hand wakes up to a feeling that something is quite right. She relies on the kindness of the temple priest who offers to help her.
Meantime her mother seeks to find her with the help of detectives. They soon find pair of mysterious suicides that included matching fox tattoos that point to her being the next victim. Will she be able to find her daughter before it is too late?
A fascinating story especially if you like Japanese folklore.
A Japanese woman who has lost her memories and her mother after a fall in a temple hand wakes up to a feeling that something is quite right. She relies on the kindness of the temple priest who offers to help her.
Meantime her mother seeks to find her with the help of detectives. They soon find pair of mysterious suicides that included matching fox tattoos that point to her being the next victim. Will she be able to find her daughter before it is too late?
A fascinating story especially if you like Japanese folklore.
December 22, 2018
I received a free copy of this book to review. At first I didn’t like this book. In fact I put it away for a couple of days and read other books. As I opened my mind to start reading again I found a very interesting story unfolding before my eyes. The characters were relatable and fascinating. I recommend that you open your mind and absorb this book, which is rich in Japanese culture and folklore.
February 10, 2020
I picked up this book after having heard of it through Merohy Napier’s booktube channel who is also the narrator for the audiobook. I have never read a book quite like this and aside from the beginning, which while enjoyable was a bit slower paced, I was kept on the edge of my seat in suspense. The mystery was engaging and I liked how the timeline was kept very clear. Also the insight into Japanese culture and folklore was fascinating.
December 19, 2018
Rich in folklore, mythology, and culture of Japan, this very imagery-filled novel is also an exploration of family function and dysfunction, including in mother-daughter and father-daughter relationships. I enjoy learning about Japanese mythology, which in some ways seems so different from that of Western Europe. This is a fine novel in which to explore that mythology.
December 23, 2018
This is the first book I have read by Matthew O'Connell and thought this was an interesting book. Meiko is in Tokyo with her father and to rebuild her relationship with her estranged mother. An accident happens and Meiko is on her own. Well written storyline and characters. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
January 21, 2019
Spirit of the Fox is a combination of ancient Japanese folklore and modern day. I knew very little about Japanese myths before I read this book. Once I got into the story I was rooting for Meiko to regain her memory before she was lost forever. The author did a great job bring this story to life. Received a copy from Hidden Gems and this is my voluntary and honest review.
February 22, 2019
Very engaging story!
I read the entire book on two long flights because I did not want to put it down. The author combines a great story with education about Japanese culture and folklore. I highly recommend this book!
I read the entire book on two long flights because I did not want to put it down. The author combines a great story with education about Japanese culture and folklore. I highly recommend this book!
November 24, 2022
5 stars for this book! Readers who love Japanese culture and folklore will enjoy the story just like I did! It was such an informative read and the story is not something common, so I appreciate the unique plot. If there’s something that resonated with me the most, it’s the importance of family and good communication. For me, that aspect of the story was the most relatable. I can feel Meiko’s struggles for growing up without a mom, so the way that the author showed that part of the story where Meiko was in pain and angry about her mom leaving her evoked strong emotions from me. I think that though this book is an occult suspense, the readers will be more drawn to the drama surrounding it.
November 24, 2022
I like the combination of this book’s intriguing plot and Japanese folklore. There may be several messages woven into the story, but the thing that I was mostly able to pick up was the significance of family and communication. Meiko lost her memory and lost herself. The events that followed were quite devastating for me, but I made it through the end because I knew I was up for something heartwarming when Meiko’s divorced parents teamed up to look for her. I’m giving this book 5 stars for its richness in Japanese culture and folklore as well as its ability to inculcate family values. I recommend this book to readers who are into occult suspense.
January 4, 2020
Spirit of the fox is set in Japan follows Meiko a graduate taking a gap year and has recently moved to Japan from San Diego and on her trip to Kyoto goes missing. The plot is rather unique as it follows Japanese folklore. The book starts off smooth and draws you in. The writing style is very descriptive but was overdone in describing Mikeo in certain scenes as it felt she was objectified as all her descriptions were physical and her thoughts and actions of the sexual kind, this point was a big negative for me whilst reading as it spoiled the mood and made the books standards fall. On the other hand I enjoyed the well written scenes of the detective’s investigation and dialogue. The author made sure to add many different characters with their point of views which added depth to the story and made me drawn into the whole plot. I don’t believe in writing negative reviews and tired really hard to love the book but the characters were a disappointment as I couldn’t connect to or even like them. Chieko's rather overly negative thought pattern made me dislike her straight away. I got the impression that the author is greatly educated on Japanese culture and folklore but not so much on females and their way of thinking, not enough to write from a female perspective especially a protagonist, at times I could see he gave in to stereotypes.
Overall it was a tolerable read and I certainly learned a lot about Japan.I am grateful to the author for sending me a copy to review.
Overall it was a tolerable read and I certainly learned a lot about Japan.I am grateful to the author for sending me a copy to review.
January 16, 2021
An interesting story that mixes cultures and blends modern ideas with old world myths. It is thought provoking by asking the reader to consider science and rationality as well as folklore and spirituality. The author’s use of imagery makes it easy for one to imagine the Japanese setting and cuisine. The story is unique and there are some interesting twists to the plot. Overall, I enjoyed the story and learning more about the concept of fox possession and how it played out in Japanese culture.
April 28, 2019
Interesting idea, but fell a bit short for me. I think the author was trying to walk the line of whether or not there was anything supernatural going on or if it could all be explained by drugged tea and hypnosis, but neither quite worked for me.
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