Quizlit’s Book of the Month July 2025 is the ingenious Strange Pictures by Uketsu. Japan’s Best-Selling Author’s English debut is a macabre and fiendishly clever mystery horror. Enjoy!
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Book of the Month July 2025
Strange Pictures by Uketsu
An exploration of the macabre, where the seemingly mundane takes on a terrifying significance. . . .
A pregnant woman’s sketches on a seemingly innocuous blog conceal a chilling warning.
A child’s picture of his home contains a dark secret message.
A sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments leads an amateur sleuth down a rabbithole that will reveal a horrifying reality.
Structured around these nine childlike drawings, each holding a disturbing clue, Uketsu invites readers to piece together the mystery behind each and the over-arching backstory that connects them all. Strange Pictures is the internationally bestselling debut from mystery horror YouTube sensation Uketsu—an enigmatic masked figure who has become one of Japan’s most talked about contemporary authors.
“A labyrinthine and multilayered horror mystery, full of cryptic images . . . wonderfully complex and carefully crafted . . . This is a story where revelations and new questions wait around every corner, and Uketsu keeps readers guessing until the very end.” — New York Times Book Review
“[A] triumphant international debut … with a surprisingly strong emotional core that will keep readers glued to the page until the unsettling conclusion. This intricate puzzle box is a must for horror fans.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[An] ingenious debut suspense thriller . . . [with] a marvelous revelation of twists and red herrings. Horror and mystery fans will be eager to explore this thrilling import.” — Booklist
“Part Rubik’s Cube, part Russian doll, part kaleidoscope and altogether irresistible. Strange Pictures is heady, giddy, genre-blurring stuff and so fizzy with invention and possibility that I almost pity the next novel I read.” — A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story
“A creepy little delight of a brainteaser . . . Strange Pictures is innovative and a lot of fun.” — The Guardian
“Already a sensation in Japan, this unconventional story detail[ing] nine simple drawings and the dark secret that ties them together. . . . is as creative as it is fleet and offers a whirlwind ride. — Variety
“Uketsu is a meticulous storyteller who easily manipulates readers into agreeing with what the characters believe, even as he plants devastating, incriminating clues in plain sight… Uketsu’s deftly controlled whiplash effect will inspire a single-sitting thrill.” — Shelf Awareness
“I definitely recommend giving this one a read, especially if you’re a mystery fan . . .Once the fragments of this story begin snapping into place, you won’t want to put it down.” — Chicago Review of Books
Uketsu
Uketsu is an enigmatic Youtuber and author, specializing in horror and mystery. He always appears in videos wearing a white mask and black body stocking, with his voice digitally distorted. His true identity is unknown, despite the fact that he is now Japan’s bestselling author, with millions of copies of his mysteries sold and translations appearing in thirty countries around the world.
Also by Uketsu
When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building’s floor plans reveal a mysterious “dead space” hidden between its walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout.
What is the true purpose behind the house’s disturbing design? And what happened to the former owners who disappeared without a trace? When a body suddenly appears and a young woman reaches out about a second house, it soon becomes clear that the writer and his friend may be in over their heads. Structured around a series of chilling floorplans, with Strange Houses, mystery-horror YouTube sensation Uketsu casts readers in the role of detective, inviting them to help map out the truth hidden within these puzzling floor plans . . . and the terrifying plot behind it all.
If you enjoyed our Book of the Month July 2025, check out 5 Amazing New Books for July 2025