Fox by Joyce Carol Oates is a murder mystery. The victim is a serial pedophile named Mr. Fox. He was a middle school teacher at a prep school. His real name was legally changed after allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor at the previous prep school employer.
The book gets into his backstory including his psyche and manipulative methods for hooking young females and for gaining trust from important adults around him.
The story also follows others from town who have some connection to the murder investigation, including the brothers who discovered the body, a couple students and their dads, the chief investigator and a few others.
The scenes with Mr. Fox are deeply disturbing and continuously repeated through the book. I found myself skimming through by the end to be able to finish.
I would not recommend this book. It was dragged out, often repetitive and full of unlikable characters in addition to the detestable Mr Fox.
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