Uketsu

A Japanese mystery bestseller, revolving around a series of creepy drawings, in which the reader is the detective – from the Youtube sensation Uketsu.

A series of drawings made by a young woman before her death.

A child’s disturbing picture of his home.

A desperate sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments.

Each contains a chilling warning.

Each reveals a terrible secret, hidden in plain sight.

Uketsu’s eerie mysteries have captivated millions of readers. Can you find the clues in these strange pictures and uncover the sinister truth that connects them all?

Strange Pictures

変な絵

i thought this book was really fun and interesting, but was also disappointed in the mystery like other reviewers. i do love when everything just connects and it does in a fun way here! definitely an enjoyable cozy afternoon read

Clara Gauthier

That's the dumbest shit I've ever read. This story has so many holes it's actually impressive.

Ailen 

complexly intertwined !! a fun read that had me gasping at some really clever plot tie ins,, very well thought through & really easy to read

love a lil mystery with jumps in plot that all tie toGether

Nat Wong

complexly intertwined !! a fun read that had me gasping at some really clever plot tie ins,, very well thought through & really easy to read

love a lil mystery with jumps in plot that all tie toGether

So interesting! Really thrilling especially in the middle, I really enjoyed this, read it all in one sitting 

Hannah Bateman

I finished this book in one sitting, which I haven’t done since I was a kid. I was almost a little let down initially thinking that they were all short stories with a spooky open ending, and BOY was I wrong. The story starts weaving together before you realize, and once you notice it’s impossible to put down. 

james cao

Going in blind recommended.

I finished this book in one sitting, which I haven’t done since I was a kid. I was almost a little let down initially thinking that they were all short stories with a spooky open ending, and BOY was I wrong. The story starts weaving together before you realize, and once you notice it’s impossible to put down. 

ayoni

Took me a while to see where this book was going but god damn they weren’t wrong about this being a good book!!!

ophelia ross 

A painfully average book. Easy to read, premise was interesting enough, but I think the plot lacked substance.. everything felt kind of rushed at the end? Also am concluding that I really don’t like reading lit translated from another language, the style of writing is always so weirdly flat.

Nicole

I could not put this book down! It’s beautifully written. If you like books that reveal interconnecting storylines then this one is for you

Rebecca Joy Tan

this book started out so strong. while some parts felt a bit over-explained, i really enjoyed being swept along for the ride. the first two stories genuinely got me hooked me immediately. but the second half went a bit downhill, and i was pretty underwhelmed with how everything tied together in the end. despite that, it definitely held my interest and it was a quick, easy, very light mystery/horror read.

Clever, inventive, a chilling page-turner!

c0up

So good and such a captivating and interesting story! Not my usual go to genre but was recommended this book and it did not disappoint. The story was so well thought out I had to keep reading it. Excited for the 2nd book!

Natasha Mok

I read Strange Pictures for a book club without expecting to enjoy it. The plot unfurled satisfyingly, with readable, easy prose, and I finished it in one sitting. I have chosen not to star rate it, as I am not familiar with anything else in the genre, and am still unsure whether it made me feel anything other than a little horror. But, for fans of this genre, I think it would be an enjoyable read. 

daphne

japanese authors are really good at writing murder mysteries, at least in my own opinion. this book i happened to gaze upon at a waterstones and was intrigued by the pictures and sketches in the book. this book made me finish it in 2 hours, and it’s been awhile since i’ve sat down and just devoured through a book like that. it’s quite a simple line that holds thru the entire story doe, by the 2nd chapter i already knew what was being implied but the way the translator translated it still made it interesting to read. this really pushes my goal to learn japanese, just so i can read in the original language. 

Kira L

Strange Pictures is a horror mystery novel centred around a collection of unsettling drawings. The story opens with a professor with experience as a practicing psychologist presenting a picture created by a young girl who was a victim of her mother's domestic abuse. The subsequent tales in the novel delve into the hidden truths surrounding hand-drawn images. The first stroy tells of five sketches made by a woman shortly before her death during childbirth. The second story centres around a boy and an unusual kindergarten picture he draws as a Mother's Day present. The third recounts the final artwork produced by a high school art teacher prior to his murder. The last story uncovers the reality behind the picture presented by the professor at the start of the novel and offers a new look into the drawing with chilling conclusions. All of these stories are intertwined, in the end leading to one singular character.

While you can say some circumstances are a bit far-fetched, I still enjoyed this novel; it was really fun to read, to play detective, and to have my jaw drop every once in a while.

talk about things coming full circle 

Strange Pictures is a horror mystery novel centred around a collection of unsettling drawings. The story opens with a professor with experience as a practicing psychologist presenting a picture created by a young girl who was a victim of her mother's domestic abuse. The subsequent tales in the novel delve into the hidden truths surrounding hand-drawn images. The first stroy tells of five sketches made by a woman shortly before her death during childbirth. The second story centres around a boy and an unusual kindergarten picture he draws as a Mother's Day present. The third recounts the final artwork produced by a high school art teacher prior to his murder. The last story uncovers the reality behind the picture presented by the professor at the start of the novel and offers a new look into the drawing with chilling conclusions. All of these stories are intertwined, in the end leading to one singular character.

While you can say some circumstances are a bit far-fetched, I still enjoyed this novel; it was really fun to read, to play detective, and to have my jaw drop every once in a while.

How strange you want a picture to be? Yes.

You really can read this book in one sitting, it's that good! The pacing, the storyline, the characters, everything works!

I think this should be on everyone's reading list for 2025!

Seher Mohsin

You really can read this book in one sitting, it's that good! The pacing, the storyline, the characters, everything works!

I think this should be on everyone's reading list for 2025!

Fun and short book. Starts off as a creepypasta-esque story and slowly unfolds into a fairly straightforward multi-murder mystery. 

Strange Pictures

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