Hidden Pictures: A Novel
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - OPTIONED FOR NETFLIX BY A PRODUCER OF THE BATMAN
GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER "I loved it." --Stephen King From Edgar Award-finalist Jason Rekulak comes a wildly inventive spin on the supernatural thriller, for fans of Stranger Things and Riley Sager, about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets. Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she 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.BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Each twist was more shocking than the next. The only reason this took me more than one sitting to read is because I started it late in the evening. This book was a page turner and had me in a chokehold. Highly recommend.
Positives: Really creative plot. There were beautiful drawings all throughout the novel which is always a bonus! The writing and pacing is easy to understand while also being captivating. I read over half the book in a single day.
Negatives: Pacing kinda fell off at the end. The twists made sense but weren't realistic, with a good bit of plot holes. Depending on the type of person you are, the political and religious undertones could be seen as a negative as well.
Personally, I enjoyed reading this book. It was very entertaining, always wanting to know what was going to happen next. You get what you're advertised with a supernatural, thriller, mystery book. Objectively however, it could've been cleaner. There wasn't much character development for Mallory, the protagonist, or really any of the characters. There were too many sudden twists that had no clear sign of developing. I still very much liked the concept of the story though and the ending was satisfying.
Negatives: Pacing kinda fell off at the end. The twists made sense but weren't realistic, with a good bit of plot holes. Depending on the type of person you are, the political and religious undertones could be seen as a negative as well.
Personally, I enjoyed reading this book. It was very entertaining, always wanting to know what was going to happen next. You get what you're advertised with a supernatural, thriller, mystery book. Objectively however, it could've been cleaner. There wasn't much character development for Mallory, the protagonist, or really any of the characters. There were too many sudden twists that had no clear sign of developing. I still very much liked the concept of the story though and the ending was satisfying.
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