Visual horror...sequential art, film, artworks...isn't very effective on me. My idea of horror is Wrongness, and that's deeply individual in its iconography, therefore effective representation. I'm more afraid of people than Supernatural Forces because the Supernatural, by definition, can't be identified until we know all the laws of nature, and know that we know all of them. Until then, everything that happens, including things that break the known laws of physics, are simply unexplainable but still not supernatural.

Reality stinks, mono- or a-theistic religious nuts. Miracles and superheroic gods are improbable but not impossible because nature is not even a billionth of a percent explained yet. Stay agnostic, it's the only defensible stance.

This effort at image-enhanced horror is very interesting, though I'm pretty convinced it's one of that most Japanese of stories, the eerie murder mystery. I've reviewed plenty of those. This is another one. It's...fine, perfectly readable (as a mystery), and in spots enjoyable. It's a complex puzzle, not at all easy or simple to solve. It defeated me. I was sure one particular thing was true, and it explicitly wasn't. That made the read much more interesting to me than it would've been if I'd been correct.

Like so many mysteries from Japan, the characters are more gesturally indicated than developed. Mystery-genre readers in the US are less tolerant of this than they could be; we tend to look for people to invest emotional energy in, not just puzzles that rake place in a brooding ill-defined space. I think the ideal reader for this story, among my Anglophone audience, is likely to be someone who really enjoys Julio Cortázar or Umberto Eco.

I was not particularly enraptured by the read until after I finished it. This was more akin to a storyboard pitch to investors about an idea for a horror story connecting some...suspicious deaths that were or could've been Influenced From Beyond than itself a horror story. Thinking about the read, which I finished last night after taking a week to read (in my habitual scattershot way interspersed with other books), I realized I was very, very successfully manipulated from the off. A child psychologist explaining how a little murderer's artwork provided clues to the reality that child operated within initially felt a bit <i>In Cold Blood</i>y to me. Should I believe the narrative? Should I be interested in *how* or <i>why</i>? Or permaybehaps what....
That's top-quality misdirection for that to work on a reader with sixty years' experience.

Will you love it? I doubt it; I didn't. Will you enjoy reading it? See my comps, if you love them you might get a charge out of this off-kilter, well-crafted read.

This was such an innovative and masterful way of weaving a mystery, and I nod my metaphorical mask in the direction of Uketsu. (Yes, perhaps the greatest mystery surrounding this novel is the author's true identity. Uketsu—literally "rain hole" in Japanese, is a masked Youtuber who, in all public and virtual appearances, dons a black bodysuit and white mask and electronically alters his voice—and he is changing the world of mystery writing in Japan and beyond. I'd never heard of him before this book, but after reading it, I'm hooked... much like the rest of Japan. He's very popular. But I digress. Back to the book review.) Strange Pictures is a psychological mystery with elements of horror, told through a mixture of prose and (quite literally) strange pictures. The story opens with a child's drawing, presented to a class of psych students by a child psychologist, who explains that, though the child murdered her mother, she showed a proclivity toward rehabilitation based on her art. (Yeah, we're immediately off to the races.) Later, we are introduced to more strange pictures on a blog, drawn by the blogger's young, pregnant—and now deceased—wife. Our last strange picture is a hillside sketch done by a murdered artist. Though these drawings, stories, and characters seem unrelated, the intricate and twisty web of mystery that Uketsu weaves slowly unravels as we read. Readers will delight in solving the mystery alongside the sleuths of the book. However, even self-proclaimed amateur detectives (such as yours truly) will likely be in for a pleasant surprise by the story's end.

The story is told in a simple, matter-of-fact way that I've found common in Japanese literature. Personally, I dig it. It's easy to read. The unique storytelling structure, though, is truly the star here. Our "strange pictures" are not the only drawings in the book; the story relies on other diagrams and graphs (such as apartment building layouts and timelines/alibis of murder suspects) to add weight and exposition to the mysteries. I am now a firm believer that nearly every book, and especially mystery and thriller tales, would benefit from the inclusion of such elements. The pictures and diagrams drew me deeply into the story and hooked me to the point where I had to finish this book in one sitting to get to the bottom of it all. Though this isn't so much a horror as it is a thriller, I did find myself reading with bated breaths at certain parts, most notably during the stalking episodes. The mysteries within these pages are top-notch, but the book also touches on more serious topics of motherhood, trauma, obsessions, possessions, and revenge. It was a great read, and I can't wait for it to take off in the States. More books like this on our shelves would make me very happy.

Read this if you love a puzzling, challenging mystery that you likely won't be able to solve yourself. Read this if you love a good detective novel or television show in the fashion of Sherlock or L from Death Note. Read this if you've exhausted all the played-out psychological thrillers by American authors and need something that's truly inventive and a one-of-a-kind read in the genre. Dude, just read this, and if you don't give it above three stars, come back to fight me in the comments.

I didn't originally realize that this was done by one of the creators of "The Strange House", a manga that started to release in English last year and one I am absolutely obsessed with. This book was great, and fits in really well with what I know of their other works. This was a short but compelling read, the mystery woven through out really kept me interested in what was going on. I loved how each story wove into the larger tapestry of the book. Just a really cool concept that was executed very well. I love stuff like this and I cannot wait to get physical copies in at the branch, I think a lot of our patrons will love this unique book.

I don't know what to say about this book honestly. It's a horror book told through innocent sketches drawn before death and interpreted after death. The pictures tell an unusual story by changing the way you look at the drawings and the many ways they can be interpreted. I found it somewhat slow but interesting at the same time. The book definitely held my attention thorough out and I enjoyed reading it.
I received this free ARC copy from Net Galley to read and give honest reviews, receiving this ARC in no way persuaded my review.
Thank you, Net Galley, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book pretty blind, other than knowing it was in the horror genre. This was a quick read, at under 300 pages, separated into short stories. At first, I was a bit confused at the book’s layout with the short stories rather than a typical chapter-by-chapter book, but everything became slightly more clear with each paragraph read. The ending in which made everything click and I was amazed at the author’s craftiness with weaving short stories that all fit together to form a larger picture (no pun intended). Definitely recommend giving this one a read!

A collection of stories with drawings as clues, this translated mystery horror was very unique and captivating. I would consider it more mystery than horror but still very eerie and macabre.

I was so excited to read Strange Pictures - a Japanese horror mystery centered around a collection of unsettling and strange drawings, each holding macabre clues that tie them back to a series of gruesome and seemingly unrelated crimes. And written by a mysterious, masked figure? I can see how it has taken Japan by storm - the premise is fantastic. And it started off strong. Unfortunately, I'd have to say that the last third of the novel, when the mystery is coming together and beginning to be solved, doesn't fully hold up. The motivations behind each murder seem a bit underdeveloped, and in particular, the characterization of the villains of the story (of which there are several) leaves a lot to be desired, veering into two-dimensional caricatures of "evil" that fell a bit flat for me. That being said, I'd still recommend this to certain horror and mystery fans - I think younger readers and teens wouldn't be so put off by the lack of character development, and those who really love puzzles and the challenge of solving the mystery before the protagonists would still definitely enjoy Strange Pictures. Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. Creepy, but also a gripping mystery. Ties together impressively.

Thank you, Uketsu, HarperVia and NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was an intricate and unique little book! I found myself reading long past my bedtime into the wee hours of the morning just to finish!

i received an e-ARC from NetGalley and am giving this review voluntarily

I LOVED this. Seriously, could not get enough. Read until I couldn’t keep my eyes open last night and first thing I did this morning was finish it. This was seriously brilliant, I loved how intricately everything was interwoven. This was the perfect length and an incredible story and mystery. I loved how it started and how the ending really and truly wrapped everything together. This was incredibly written, by someone who truly understands mysteries and storytelling

A unique reading experience of interconnected stories where each has a picture/pictures that act as a puzzle to solve. Ex. A child's drawing is examined by a psychoanalyst, the drawings of a deceased mother contain a secret message, an artist's last drawing contains a hidden message revealing the killer. Each story is contained but are all interconnected in ways that are fun to figure out.

This is billed as horror, but it felt more like a crime mystery to me. (I've noticed that books from Japan are often billed as horror when they involve a murder/death versus in the US where that same book would likely just be billed as a thriller/mystery)

Regardless, though, the format, pictures, and interconnectedness of the stories tickled my brain. I've never read anything quite like this, but I enjoyed the puzzle aspect of the pictures and seeing how the same picture(s) can be reinterpreted and "solved" for that story's mystery.

I'd recommend this for fans of mystery, puzzles / brain teasers, and books translated from Japanese.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Uketsu and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

I know if you follow my reviews, it seems I keep saying that the past few books are unique, but listen, this book blows those all out of the water! I love the use of pictures and the other details that were put into this, but It makes it so much more intriguing, and I couldn't stop reading through this book. I just had to know how it ended, which of course ended up with my phone on my face in the middle of the night. Just as this book is written, you don't expect how things end up until you see the connections coming together. Each section is like a different story, and it makes you very interested in looking at other people's art and wanting to know what their art is really saying.

When you look at drawings, is that what you think? That it's just a drawing. What if there was more to them. What if there were hidden messages or meaning in them, and all you had to do was just pay closer attention. They could be dark or happy meanings but looking much closer at these there is a story for each one and here we will explore what they are telling us and more.

This book definitely hits in my favorites this year. I loved learning about different ways pictures can tell a story and definitely be hiding something that isn't subtle. It definitely earned its stars from me.

I was drawn to this book because it sounded weird and creepy, and it was definitely weird, and a little creepy. I also saw that it is popular in Japan, so that drew my interest. Strange Pictures is made up of different stories revolving around these strange drawings. The stories are all linked and form a bigger picture of what is happening by the end.

I loved the concept of this book. It felt similar to Hidden Pictures. I love when books include drawings and other types of multimedia. It just makes the story more interesting.

This was a very fast read and the story definitely kept me intrigued. Each story involved characters trying to decipher clues in these strange drawings. A lot of what happened seemed way too out there and unbelievable. Some things just made no sense to me.

This was definitely a unique and strange book that I think lovers of weird fiction will enjoy.

3.5⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley for review.

This was such a fun read! I loved putting together the mystery along with the characters. Everything came together really nicely.

This was a fun mystery where each chapter revealed a connection to the previous one. The addition of drawings as clues was also an innovative twist.

I wasn't a fan. I don't know what to so say. I just didn't like it. I read about half and it just wasn't for me I guess. Sorry,

I'd recommend going into this one blind because guessing at and discovering the connections between the stories was one of the most rewarding and engaging bits of this book. The author incorporated the titular "strange pictures" into the stories so they were a facet of the mystery rather than just a gimmick (unlike some others -- looking at you, Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak).

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was an interesting concept! I liked the mixing of photos, drawings and logic puzzles. Some of the puzzle results were a little lack luster in terms of "scare" but all in all it was fun.

This is such a cool concept for a book! I've been a little obsessed and showing/describing how the pictures in the book are laid out and explained.

I think this would be a good one to have a physical copy for and maybe even paper that let you layer the images yourself.

I love how the story was enhanced with the drawings and woven together. I really enjoyed the book and will check out more about this mysterious author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Uketsu, Jim Rion, and HarperVia for the opportunity to read Strange Pictures. I have written this review voluntarily and honestly.

3 stars.

Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion.

This is billed as mystery/horror; each of the three stories revolves around drawings, the first is about the pregnant partner of a blogger, the second a primary school child and the last a murder victim. There is a mystery within each and an overarching backstory that ties the three together.

This sounds way more interesting than it turns out to be, unfortunately. It’s also not mystery/horror, it’s just mystery. It is, however, a wonderful concept and the book definitely has the tenor of Japanese mysteries….if you’ve ever read any, you’ll know what I mean. It’s just a better idea than it is when executed here. According to the copy on the book the author, “Uketsu” is an enigma in Japan and the book is very popular there. Cannot confirm. But I’m huge in Belgium.