English language
Published June 23, 2022 by Little, Brown Book Group Limited.
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 …
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.
Very good story in my opinion and I really liked the main character. The ending was kinda surprising for me (positively). I hope that author is gonna write some new #horror #novel.
While certainly making use of some of the standard tropes of the genre it does so well, making Hidden Pictures a compelling paranormal thriller/mystery with horror elements that had me enthralled fully to the extent that I read it over 2 sessions. I found the story to be unique and inventful that had me just wanting to continue reading to find out what happens next. There are a few occasions where if you were really questioning the plot you might consider a couple of things pretty convenient and suspension of disbelief to a degree is necessary, but that goes with the genre's territory and doesn't detract from the story. The illustrations within the hard copy of the book enhance the experience significantly and is another unique aspect of the book that it pulls off well. All in all a fantastic page-turner that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to any …
While certainly making use of some of the standard tropes of the genre it does so well, making Hidden Pictures a compelling paranormal thriller/mystery with horror elements that had me enthralled fully to the extent that I read it over 2 sessions. I found the story to be unique and inventful that had me just wanting to continue reading to find out what happens next. There are a few occasions where if you were really questioning the plot you might consider a couple of things pretty convenient and suspension of disbelief to a degree is necessary, but that goes with the genre's territory and doesn't detract from the story. The illustrations within the hard copy of the book enhance the experience significantly and is another unique aspect of the book that it pulls off well. All in all a fantastic page-turner that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to any readers who don't mind supernatural elements to an ultimately well-told thriller/mystery/suspense story, although if you're expecting a heavy focus on horror you may find it lacking.
