Strange Pictures - by Uketsu (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A BARNES AND NOBLE BEST BOOK OF 2025

"Uketsu's strange riddles are chilling and addictive - I couldn't put it down." --R. F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface

"Delightfully macabre and fiendishly clever. Seemingly unconnected stories tie themselves into a complicated knot, which Uketsu masterfully unravels."--G. T. Karber, author of the national bestseller Murdle

"Wonderfully complex and carefully crafted . . . Uketsu keeps readers guessing until the very end." --New York Times Book Review

The spine-tingling "triumphant international debut" (Publishers Weekly starred review) that has taken Japan by storm--an eerie and fiendishly clever Japanese puzzle mystery in which a series of seemingly innocent pictures draws you into a disturbing web of unsolved mysteries and shattered psyches.

This psychological thriller is an exploration of the macabre, where the seemingly mundane takes on a terrifying significance. . . .

A pregnant woman's sketches on a seemingly innocuous blog conceal a chilling warning.

A child's picture of his home contains a dark secret message.

A sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments leads an amateur sleuth down a rabbithole that will reveal a horrifying reality.

Structured around these nine childlike drawings, each holding a disturbing clue, Uketsu invites readers to piece together the interconnected mysteries behind each and the over-arching backstory that connects them all. Strange Pictures is the internationally bestselling debut from mystery horror YouTube sensation Uketsu--an enigmatic masked figure who has become one of Japan's most talked about contemporary authors.

• A great read for spooky-season nights
• A perfect addition to any Halloween reading list

Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Review Quotes

"An intricately woven, at times unsettling, but always mesmerizing piece of work." - Ian Moore, Author of Death and Croissants

"Dare you say what you see? Not if it's between the unnerving pages of Strange Pictures by anonymous Japanese enigma Uketsu. . . . This refreshingly original, eerie treat of a puzzle invites the reader to immerse themselves in the darkest of mysteries. So captivating I read it in a day. So disturbing I thought about it all night. Uketsu is a disrupter, the master of quiet horror." - Janice Hallett, internationally bestselling author of The Appeal

"I loved it! It has the twists and fair-play style of a Golden Age whodunit, mixed with a wonderfully innovative use of illustrations. Delightfully macabre and fiendishly clever. Seemingly unconnected stories tie themselves into a complicated knot, which Uketsu masterfully unravels." - G. T. Karber, author of the national bestseller Murdle

"Absolutely loved this clever little banger. An addictive murder mystery that unfolds like pointillism on the page: only when you reach the end, step back and view the bigger picture does each of its parts click into place. Exceptional!'" - Alice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller

"A superlative puzzle made of multiple parts that interconnect in unexpected ways, told inventively through pictures and text. Every twist and turn steepens the sense of foreboding. Original, intricate and deeply unsettling. I've never read anything like it." - Alex Pavesi, Author of The Eighth Detective

"[A] triumphant international debut ... with a surprisingly strong emotional core that will keep readers glued to the page until the unsettling conclusion. This intricate puzzle box is a must for horror fans." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A creepy little delight of a brainteaser . . . Strange Pictures is innovative and a lot of fun." - The Guardian

"[An] ingenious debut suspense thriller . . . [with] a marvelous revelation of twists and red herrings. Horror and mystery fans will be eager to explore this thrilling import." - Booklist

"Uketsu's strange riddles are chilling and addictive - I couldn't put it down." - R. F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface

"Already a sensation in Japan, this unconventional story detail[ing] nine simple drawings and the dark secret that ties them together. . . . is as creative as it is fleet and offers a whirlwind ride." - Variety

"I definitely recommend giving this one a read, especially if you're a mystery fan . . .Once the fragments of this story begin snapping into place, you won't want to put it down." - Chicago Review of Books

"Strange Pictures is an engrossing mystery and suspense novel that comes to a deeply gratifying conclusion. Given Uketsu's overwhelming popularity, it's also a welcome reminder that Japan's best-selling fiction is more than comforting stories about cats and bookshops." - Asian Review of Books

"Part Rubik's Cube, part Russian doll, part kaleidoscope and altogether irresistible. Strange Pictures is heady, giddy, genre-blurring stuff and so fizzy with invention and possibility that I almost pity the next novel I read." - A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story

"Uketsu is a meticulous storyteller who easily manipulates readers into agreeing with what the characters believe, even as he plants devastating, incriminating clues in plain sight... Uketsu's deftly controlled whiplash effect will inspire a single-sitting thrill." - Shelf Awareness

"A labyrinthine and multilayered horror mystery, full of cryptic images . . . wonderfully complex and carefully crafted . . . This is a story where revelations and new questions wait around every corner, and Uketsu keeps readers guessing until the very end." - New York Times Book Review