Hidden Pictures
On sale
6th June 2023
Price: £9.99
Genre
‘I loved it. The surprises really surprise and it has that hard-to-achieve propulsiveness that won’t let you put it down. And the pictures are terrific!’ Stephen King
‘Must be the boldest double twist of the year. Truly fantastic’ The Times
AN AMAZON.COM BEST MYSTERY/THRILLER OF THE YEAR
Mallory is delighted to have a new job looking after gorgeous four-year-old, Teddy. She’s been sober for a year and a half and she’s sure her new nannying role in the affluent suburbs will help keep her on the straight and narrow.
That is until Teddy starts to draw disturbing pictures of his imaginary friend, Anya. It is quite clear to Mallory and to Teddy’s parents, even in his crude childlike style, that the woman Teddy is drawing in his pictures is dead.
Teddy’s crayons are confiscated, and his paper locked away. But the drawings somehow keep coming, telling a frightening story of a woman murdered… and they’re getting more sophisticated. But if Teddy isn’t drawing the pictures anymore, who is? And what are they trying to tell Mallory about her new home?
If you love Hidden Pictures, don’t miss Jason Rekulak’s twisty new suspense The Last One at the Wedding.
‘Genuine jump-scares’ Guardian
‘Gripping, with intriguing characters and genuinely creepy moments’ Daily Mirror
‘Whip-smart, creepy as hell . . . Destined to be a classic of the genre’ Ransom Riggs
‘One of the best and most inventive ghost stories I’ve read in years’ Joe Hill
‘Almost enough to make a person believe in ghosts’ Kirkus
‘So spooky’ Buzzfeed
‘Memorable and twisty’ Esquire
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Reviews
A disturbing household secret has far-reaching consequences in this dark, unusual ghost story . . . Rekulak does a great job with character development: Mallory, who narrates in the first person, has an engaging voice; the Maxwells' slightly overbearing parenting style and passive-aggressive quips feel very familiar; and Teddy is so three-dimensional that he sometimes feels like a real child. It's almost enough to make a person believe in ghosts
Part ghost story, part social-inequality satire [with] genuine paper jump-scares
So spooky
Tightly plotted and well written [...] A gripping page-turner with intriguing characters and genuinely creepy moments
The explosive third act gives this story a nail-biting ending sure to thrill
Memorable and twisty . . . Seems designed to be read at the side of the pool with a drink in your hand and a smile on your face
Must be the boldest double twist of the year. Truly fantastic
I loved it. The surprises really surprise and it has that hard-to-achieve propulsiveness that won't let you put it down. And the pictures are terrific!
Hidden Pictures isn't a ghost story, it's a scalpel that slices into our smug sense of self-satisfaction so deeply it hits bone. A perfect summer thriller complete with vengeful spirits, class warfare, and it even has pictures. What more could you want?
One of the best and most inventive ghost stories I've read in years. The damaged but still fighting Mallory Quinn stole my heart. It's a beautiful dark rush of a novel. I'm already excited to read it again
Whip-smart, creepy as hell, and masterfully plotted, Hidden Pictures is the best new thriller I've read in years. Destined to be a classic of the genre
A gripping supernatural thriller