Strange Pictures

This Japanese sensation explores a series of nine mysteries through eerie images -- Jack Edwards * Esquire *
The most idiosyncratically unsettling crime novel of the year... It's heartening to see that the genre remains as versatile and dynamic as ever * Guardian, Best Crime and Thrillers of 2025 *
Offering a reading experience that is as eerie as it is unique, this magnificently macabre and fiendishly clever interactive Japanese mystery revolves around nine bizarre pictures full of clues * Waterstones *
A creepy little delight of a brainteaser... Innovative and a lot of fun * Observer *
A phenomenal bestseller in Japan. It comprises a sequence of loosely connected whodunnits, with macabre illustrations providing the reader with clues; the cumulative effect is an eeriness of unusual intensity * Telegraph, Books of the Year *
Uketsu's strange riddles are chilling and addictive - I couldn't put it down -- Rebecca F. Kuang, author of 'Yellowface'
A macabre, unsettling box of tricks * Guardian *
I loved it! It has the twists and fair-play style of a Golden Age whodunit, mixed with a wonderfully innovative use of illustrations. Delightfully macabre and fiendishly clever. Seemingly unconnected stories tie themselves into a complicated knot, which Uketsu masterfully unravels -- G.T. Karber, author of 'Murdle'
He's the biggest crime writer in Japan - now Uketsu's work is set to become a UK sensation... Strange Pictures is a collection of eerie mystery stories, ingeniously connected to each other in ways that only become apparent towards the end of the book... It is certainly an enjoyably discomfiting read: Uketsu has the ability to evoke a sense of mounting unease * Telegraph *
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 -- AJ Finn
This refreshingly original, eerie treat of a puzzle invites the reader to immerse themselves in the darkest of mysteries. So captivating I read it in a day. So disturbing I thought about it all night. Uketsu is a disrupter, the master of quiet horror -- Janice Hallett, author of 'The Appeal'
Uketsu understands how to build slow dread in a way that keeps you captivated... I can confidently say that I've never read anything like 'Strange Pictures' before. Uketsu has crafted a unique and engaging novel that will appeal to those armchair detectives out there. The brightly packaged book gives way to a deep and twisty mystery that requires you to put your brain into action and pay close attention * Entertainment Focus *
It reveals its structure slowly and teasingly. Cult appeal awaits it * Herald *
A labyrinthine and multilayered horror mystery... The entire mystery is 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 * The New York Times *
A superlative puzzle made of multiple parts that interconnect in unexpected ways, told inventively through pictures and text. Every twist and turn steepens the sense of foreboding. Original, intricate and deeply unsettling. I've never read anything like it -- Alex Pavesi, author of 'Eight Detectives'
Absolutely loved this clever little banger. An addictive murder mystery that unfolds like pointillism on the page: only when you reach the end, step back and view the bigger picture does each of its parts click into place. Exceptional! -- Alice Slater, author of 'Death of a Bookseller'
Not many books come up with different concepts or moods to surprise me these days, but this patchwork of crime and horror from Japan certainly did... Think Manga meets Golden Age meets Murdle and more! Innovative it certainly is! -- Maxim Jakubowski * Crime Time *
Uketsu makes a triumphant international debut with this eerie chiller...A series of delightfully creepy illustrations and diagrams and the interconnected stories of their creators [allow] the reader to play detective alongside the characters...but this book also proves greater than the sum of its visual tricks, 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 *
A chilling and immersive mystery that invites readers to become the detective, uncovering secrets hidden in eerie illustrations... The narrative unfolds with a quiet intensity, gradually tightening its grip as each chilling revelation comes to light * The Voice, five stars *
The highly satisfying kind of puzzle that might send readers scrambling for pen and notebook to jot down the connections between characters and events... An engrossing mystery and suspense novel that comes to a deeply gratifying conclusion * Asian Review of Books *
An eerie reading experience like we've never seen before * Shueisha News *
An intricately woven, at times unsettling, but always mesmerising piece of work -- Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants
A terrifying sketch mystery in which nine bizarre pictures are intertwined and a terrifying truth emerges * Da Vinci Web *
I inhaled this unique mystery from Japan... I couldn't put it down! So original!... The twists are so good. It made me gasp a few times when dots were connected! Loved this!! * Mitsy Bookstagram *
A book like no other I've ever read... very engaging but with unpredictable plot twists... It's definitely a unique one that I think will shake the bookish world * whats.sophie.reading *