Quizlit\u2019s Book of the Month July 2025 is the ingenious Strange Pictures by Uketsu. Japan\u2019s Best-Selling Author\u2019s English debut is a macabre and fiendishly clever mystery horror. Enjoy!<\/p>\n
This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.<\/em><\/p>\n Buy Now<\/strong>: Amazon<\/a> | AbeBooks<\/a><\/p>\n An exploration of the macabre, where the seemingly mundane takes on a terrifying significance. . . .<\/p>\n A pregnant woman\u2019s sketches on a seemingly innocuous blog conceal a chilling warning.<\/p>\n A child\u2019s picture of his home contains a dark secret message.<\/p>\n A sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments leads an amateur sleuth down a rabbithole that will reveal a horrifying reality.<\/p>\n 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\u2014an enigmatic masked figure who has become one of Japan\u2019s most talked about contemporary authors.<\/p>\n \u201cA 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.\u201d \u2014\u00a0New York Times Book Review<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201c[A] triumphant international debut \u2026 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.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Publishers Weekly<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(starred review)<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201c[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.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Booklist<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPart Rubik\u2019s 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.\u201d \u2014\u00a0A.J. Finn, #1\u00a0<\/strong>New York Times<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0bestselling author of\u00a0<\/strong>The Woman in the Window\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>and\u00a0<\/strong>End of Story<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cA creepy little delight of a brainteaser . . .\u00a0Strange Pictures<\/em>\u00a0is innovative and a lot of fun.\u201d \u2014\u00a0The Guardian<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAlready 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. \u2014\u00a0Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cUketsu 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\u2026 Uketsu\u2019s deftly controlled whiplash effect will inspire a single-sitting thrill.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Shelf Awareness<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI definitely recommend giving this one a read, especially if you\u2019re a mystery fan . . .Once the fragments of this story begin snapping into place, you won\u2019t want to put it down.\u201d \u2014\u00a0Chicago Review of Books<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u2019s bestselling author, with millions of copies of his mysteries sold and translations appearing in thirty countries around the world.<\/p>\n\n Buy Now<\/strong>: Amazon<\/a> | AbeBooks<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019s floor plans reveal a mysterious \u201cdead space\u201d 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.<\/p>\n What is the true purpose behind the house\u2019s 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.<\/p>\nBook of the Month July 2025<\/h2>\n
Strange Pictures by Uketsu<\/h2>\n
Uketsu<\/h2>\n
Also by Uketsu<\/h2>\n