Thrillers & Suspense
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Hidden Pictures: A Novel
"I loved it." ―Stephen King
From Jason Rekulak, Edgar-nominated author of The Impossible Fortress, comes a wildly inventive spin on the classic horror story in Hidden Pictures, a supernatural thriller about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets.
Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.
Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman's lifeless body.
Then, Teddy's artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.
Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it's too late.
From Jason Rekulak, Edgar-nominated author of The Impossible Fortress, comes a wildly inventive spin on the classic horror story in Hidden Pictures, a supernatural thriller about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets.
Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.
Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman's lifeless body.
Then, Teddy's artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.
Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it's too late.
Editorial Reviews
"It's almost enough to make a person believe in ghosts..." ―Kirkus Reviews
"The explosive third act gives this story a nail-biting ending sure to thrill. Paranormal perfection." ―Booklist
"Beautiful, terrifying, and surprisingly kind."―CrimeReads
"I read Hidden Pictures and loved it. The language is straightforward, 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
"Whip-smart, creepy as hell, and masterfully plotted, Hidden Pictures is the best new thriller novel I've read in years. Destined to be a classic of the genre." ―Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
"Hidden Pictures is one of those rare gems that's aware of the rules of the genre even as it breaks them and invents new ones. It's a gas to read, full of wonderful new ideas, both literary and visual. This is one of those books you leave out long after finishing, just so your friends might see it and give you the chance to share it! Jason Rekulak is going to be telling us all stories for a good long while." ―Scott Frank, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and Emmy-winning director of The Queen's Gambit
"For a few days, my life was completely hijacked by Jason Rekulak's Hidden Pictures, one of the best and most inventive ghost stories I've read in years. The damaged but still fighting Mallory Quinn stole my heart and her plunge into supernatural wonder gripped my imagination. It's a beautiful dark rush of a novel. I'm already excited to read it again." ―Joe Hill
"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?" ―Grady Hendrix, bestselling author of The Final Girl Support Group
"The explosive third act gives this story a nail-biting ending sure to thrill. Paranormal perfection." ―Booklist
"Beautiful, terrifying, and surprisingly kind."―CrimeReads
"I read Hidden Pictures and loved it. The language is straightforward, 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
"Whip-smart, creepy as hell, and masterfully plotted, Hidden Pictures is the best new thriller novel I've read in years. Destined to be a classic of the genre." ―Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
"Hidden Pictures is one of those rare gems that's aware of the rules of the genre even as it breaks them and invents new ones. It's a gas to read, full of wonderful new ideas, both literary and visual. This is one of those books you leave out long after finishing, just so your friends might see it and give you the chance to share it! Jason Rekulak is going to be telling us all stories for a good long while." ―Scott Frank, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and Emmy-winning director of The Queen's Gambit
"For a few days, my life was completely hijacked by Jason Rekulak's Hidden Pictures, one of the best and most inventive ghost stories I've read in years. The damaged but still fighting Mallory Quinn stole my heart and her plunge into supernatural wonder gripped my imagination. It's a beautiful dark rush of a novel. I'm already excited to read it again." ―Joe Hill
"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?" ―Grady Hendrix, bestselling author of The Final Girl Support Group
Readers Top Reviews
MicheleReader
Mallory Quinn is 21 years old and after a promising start as a star runner in high school, her life came crashing down with injuries that led to drug addition. After staying clean for eighteen months, she is given a chance at employment as a live-in nanny to Teddy, a sweet five year-old. Teddy’s mother Caroline is a doctor who works with addicts and is very understanding of Mallory’s plight. Teddy’s dad Ted has serious concerns about hiring Mallory but gives in. All is going well until Mallory learns of Teddy’s imaginary friend Anya. Teddy's cute drawings start becoming dark and very concerning. The drawings start depicting acts that appear to be scenes from a murder. And they start appearing to be too sophisticated to have been drawn by a child. Mallory learns that there had been an unsolved murder in the guest house cottage she is living in and tries to figure out what the heck is going on. Could Anya be the spirit of the murder victim trying to communicate through Teddy? What I enjoyed about Hidden Pictures was the uncertainty as to what was truly taking place and the effort to uncover the mystery behind the drawings and the strange occurrences. Within the story lies some social, religious and political commentary which may rub some people the wrong way. And there are some decisions made by Mallory that might cause some questioning of her actions. I was able to suspend disbelief and go with the flow. You might be less forgiving. While the story does delve in the paranormal, if you’re looking to be scared out of your wits, you won’t be. But check this one out and decide if it’s for you. I found Jason Rekulak’s book engaging and the twists surprising. And I’d recommend the print version of this intriguing book as it includes the creepy drawings.
