Recovering addict Mallory takes a job looking after Caroline and Ted's son, Teddy. Yet once she settles in, she hears of a grisly murder that happened in the cottage she stays in. Then she can feel eyes watching her. Disturbing drawings drawn by Teddy, drawings a child should not be able to draw...

This book is absolutely terrifying, beware reading this late at night. The pictures absolutely added to the atmosphere, I found myself having to peak through my fingers when I looked at the pictures!

I still have chills, and I'm still picturing the pictures in my head, of the drawings. This book is definitely going to stick with me.

I'm going to have to get this book once it's released in physical form, it's too good not to.

Mallory is a ex – drug addict and in having been in successfully recovery her sponsor has got her a job as a nanny to four-year-old Teddy. His parents Caroline and Ted are strict in an over-the-top way. Caroline is a psychiatrist and ted is an entrepreneur. The job is perfect for her as the job is also live in. They have provided her to live in a small cottage at the edge of the woods. A far cry from where she previously lived.
Mallory and Ted easily bond but something is not right, when Mallory finds disturbing pictures that Teddy has drawn, and he starts taking to an imaginary friend called Anya. Caroline thinks that it is all normal and nothing to worry about. But when Ted experiences times when he loses his memory and wakes up with chalk and crayons all over him. Mallory thinks he is being possessed. So, she starts an investigation on her own and wonders if it is linked to the previous occupants of the house.
Thank you Little brown and Sphere for a copy of Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekular. This is fantastic, thrilling read with a great storyline and well-developed characters and I really enjoyed this but, in the description, it is endorsed by Stephen King, so I was expecting a darker, more disturbing book then it was. It turned out to be a light thriller. 4 stars from me.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more, apart from the drawings not displaying in the kindle version it did not hold my attention. At times it was dark and creepy but so predictable. I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I thought this book would be more horrific but it was a gentle thriller. I really enjoyed it though and raced through to the end. It is really gripping and I enjoyed finding out about mallory’s journey.

A former addict-turned-babysitter in an affluent neighbourhood. Not exactly a run-of-the-mill start to a story, but this is only the gentle side of a psychotic sequence of events.
What if the sweet 5-year-old you look after begins to draw disturbing scenes of murder? What if the perfect life of your employers is not as picture-book as it seems? And are there really any ghosts? Or simply the after-effects of drug abuse?
Cleverly strung along with hints of the occult, child psychology and drug rehab, this is a quick and satisfying read.
PS: Shame that the images, crucial to the story, were fragmented and almost undecipherable in the kindle version.

Creepy and full of the unexpected! I liked the fact that the protagonist was likeable and had secrets that kept you reading even in places where the ‘main’ plot mystery edged into the absurd.

It’s a huge shame that the pictures didn’t display in the kindle version I had. I think if they had, the book would have had far more impact. I could get the gist from the descriptions, but it’s not the same as having a visual.

Overall though, a good read if you’re in the mood for something creepy and unsettling!

Absolutely amazing of a horror fest. Couldn't put the book down. The plot and the characters are well written and immersive. Very enjoyable with the right amount of dark, twist and the bizarre. Amazing!

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak is a fast-paced thriller; the story of Mallory, a recovering opioid addict, who is hired as a babysitter for a pre-kindergarten boy, Teddy, the son of Caroline, a psychiatrist and Ted, an IT entrepreneur in Philadelphia. Mallory’s new job is perfect, just what she needs to cement her recovery. Her new situation gives her a safe and comfortable place to live well away from the risks of her old life. It also gives her a purpose. And soon her new job introduces her to Adrian, the handsome son of a landscape gardening company owner.

Mallory finds Caroline and Ted’s parenting ideas a little over the top, but then they are professionals, wealthy and successful and so it seems right that they also have high expectations for their son and for his nanny. Mallory adores young Teddy and they quickly develop a close relationship. Teddy proves to be a creative and imaginative player and a gifted artist, but soon his pictures take on a sinister and disturbing tone. Mallory is concerned when she overhears Teddy talking to Anya, his imaginary friend, but Caroline says it’s normal, and Carline is a psychiatrist so she should know about such things, right? Initially Mallory hides the disturbing pictures from Caroline and Ted but when the secret is revealed, Mallory shares her suspicions – that a demon of some sort is controlling Teddy, trying to communicate through him. Caroline and Ted are angry that Mallory would think such foolishness, but Adrian believes her.

As Mallory’s concerns become more intense, Caroline becomes concerned that Mallory may have relapsed and be using drugs again. One afternoon Mallory falls asleep and wakes to find she has scrawled drawings all over the kitchen walls. Caroline is furious that little Teddy was left unsupervised and she dismisses Mallory.
The pace of Mallory’s investigations increases as her time with Teddy runs out. And because this is a suspense, and because the ending is high-pitched and thrilling, with a delightful twist included, I’ll stop describing the plot.

The writing style is crisp making the book easy to read at the pace a thriller should be read at. The characters are superbly crafted, so that all are viable suspects. This is not a murder-mystery per se, but one always has the feeling that the reader is expected to solve the situation and so predict the ending. The characters’ interactions feel genuine. This plot is so well constructed it could surely be real, which adds a delightful layer of intrigue. The tension rises steeply as the plot unravels. I appreciated the last few pages that wrapped the story up without it feeling contrived or ‘Hallmarky’.

OH MY GOSH this book was good. It was creepy, dark, disturbing and atmospheric. I couldn't put this book down, it was twisty and unpredictable and kept me guessing. I really enjoyed it.

In hidden pictures we meet Mallory who is just about to start a new job looking after four year old Teddy. Mallory cannot wait to start her new job and knows it's exactly the new start that she needs.

Teddy is adorable and such a cutie, that I'd until he starts to draw disturbing pictures of his imaginary friend called Anya. Who appears to be dead.

Teddy is distraught when his crayons and paper are locked away. He doesn't know what he had done wrong. But somehow the drawings keep appears and keep telling the terrifying, scary and frightening story of a woman who has been murdered. But who is drawing the pictures, and what on earth are they trying to tell Mallory.

This is a really well written book, it is completely creepy, atmospheric, skin crawling, and addictive. The twist in the end was something I also didn't see coming. Great work.

"From Jason Rekulak, Edgar-nominated author of The Impossible Fortress, comes a wildly inventive spin on the classic horror story in Hidden Pictures, a creepy and warm-hearted mystery about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets."
Wow, for once I didn't see the ending coming at all! Loved it

Well written, with a plot and characters that haunt you long after you've finished. Immersive, suspenseful and humane, this is a novel to savour. This book transported me to another world… A beautifully written page-turner ... When you've finished reading you'll be desperate to pass it on…..

Slick, Unnerving, Menacing…
Following the horrors of Mallory’s drug fuelled past and her subsequent recovery she now has a position as a nanny in an affluent neighborhood. It appears to be the perfect position but is everything quite as it seems? When four year old Teddy begins to draw disturbing pictures of an imaginary friend things are to take a macabre turn. Slickly written with an unnerving sense of unease and underlying menace throughout and with superbly crafted characters that will stay in the readers memory long after closing the book.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, just wow! After I got past the first chapter, which I struggled with, this book had me gripped right until the end!
We are initially drawn into Mallory’s world, of drug addiction and recovery. The horrors of which are only briefly touched upon which for me worked perfectly, we focus more on her recovery but still get an insight into what she went through.
Mallory finds herself a job for the summer looking after Teddy, the child of Caroline and Ted who seem to have it all; good jobs, nice house in an affluent area, swimming pool and a quaint little guesthouse at the bottom of the garden which they have made home for Mallory. But maybe all isn’t what it seems.
With the help of his invisible friend Anya, Teddy begins to create his drawings, starting with stick figures and moving on to things far more sinister. When Mallory tries to talk to the family, they don’t believe her, after a while Mallory starts to doubt herself too. Is she imagining things, is she having memory lapses like they suggest, or is she being gaslighted? The scene where she is at home and discovers the access panel had me literally gripping the book, the atmosphere had been built up to drastic levels giving an alarming real feeling of dread!
The story moves at a fast pace and I just had to keep reading. There are twists and turns galore. The pictures scattered throughout the book were superbly disturbing! It will keep you on the edge of your seat, if you’re not hiding behind it! A fantastically creepy, spine-chilling page turning thriller. I highly recommend you give it a read.

5 stars

At the age of 19 Mallory Quinn takes part in a strange experiment, she’s not in a good place and tries to recall the incident correctly but can she trust her drug addled memories? She is now in recovery, she’s done the 12 steps and it is a teachers aid and has been clean for 18 months. Her sponsor gets her an interview for a nanny position for the summer at the lovely home of Caroline and Ted Maxwell, looking after five year old Teddy. Teddy likes to draw, some are acutely childish and enchanting but one is odd and out of context. He says it’s his special friend Anya who sleeps under the bed. So let’s sketch out and paint an illustration for the five star rating.

First of all, Teddy. What a lovely, imaginative and curious child who magically takes a place in your heart. I love Mallory too, she’s clawed her way out of her issues, she’s so patient and kind to Teddy and she’s intuitive, sensitive and full of pluck. I love the imaginary games they play, it’s heartwarming and delightful. I enjoy the changing perspectives on Caroline and Ted with Mitzi next door adding an initially bonkers but latterly a very interesting part in the storytelling.

The setting is fantastic, the house, the grounds, the forest especially after dark and the little Guesthouse Mallory sleeps in are used cleverly to heighten the tension and I’m on high alert! Add in urban legends of boogeymen or women and then a devil house and we have us a mystery.

The super creepiness builds, in fact it’s sort of sidles up on you and the hidden pictures element almost raises the hair off my scalp. It’s extremely powerful and disturbing with the author using all the senses to try to convey meaning and it almost freaks me out! There are parts that are breathtaking and I am agog unable to put the put down and it’s a one session read. The suspense! The jigsaw puzzle pictorial mystery! The tension! All by the truckload.

The reveal when it comes is one I do not see coming and all the surreal aspects start clicking firmly into place. It’s dramatic because you have no idea how it will play out. The actual ending feels right I’m very authentic and truthful.

Overall, this has a very refreshing and welcome originality to it and I have no hesitation in awarding five stars.

Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group /Sphere for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

The first chapter is quite strange but it drew me in. After that Mallory has been off drugs for 18 months at the start of the main part of the book. With the help of her sponsor she is going for a job looking after a 4 year old called Teddy. She will have her own accommodation in a small chalet in the gardens. This degree of isolation from her previous life should allow her the space to stay clean and get her life back on track.

She was a runner before her addiction and so hopes to get back to a level of fitness once again. The job would seem to be ideal for her. Ted and Caroline, Teddy's parents, seem happy to have her even if there are some reservations about the possibility of her falling back into drug use. The other minor issue is with Teddy's imaginary friend Anya. Teddy draws pictures on Anya's instructions and they are somewhat disturbing. Strangely the pictures don't stop even when Teddy's drawing materials are removed...

I liked the start of this a lot. Mallory has a straightforward approach and seems to be ideal in her role looking after Teddy. I found her quite understated much of the time which worked for me. While her life has been difficult she manages to seem ordinary in the nicest sense of the word. The story does revolve around Teddy, Anya and the pictures. There are twists and turns in this. In the main they worked for me and I was generally entertained.

I found the writing in this good. Mallory as a character really did work very well for me. I enjoyed getting to know her. Her descent into addiction and then beginning recovery seemed valid. Other characters were generally good too I felt. The paranormal aspects of this I thought were OK though it's not something that I would usually read maybe. Other than the paranormal I think that the life Mallory had a carer for Teddy might have been a little too "perfect". My main issue is probably with the ending though. To me this was simply over the top in the context of the whole book. Allowing for that I still found this an enjoyable read.

Well where to even start! To say iw as hooked would be an understatement. I absolutely loved the seamless blend of domestic noir with that little supernatural twist. It was so eerie and creepy throughout that, whilst I would happily have stayed up all night to keep readin, I did admit that I'd also scare myself silly reading this past midnight so had to wait for daylight before I had the guts to start again! It's not over the top supernatural, it's just enough to really set you kn edge and begin to wonder just what is going on. The characters were amazingly well smitten and all so unique and individual. The plot just kept on racing forwards and you absolutely do not expect that twist! You may think you know where it's going but I guarantee you're jaw will drop when it all comes together. I loved every second of it, it was atmospheric and engaging and just such a roller coaster of a read. You really don't know who's side to be on until the very last second when it all spills out. Highly recommended

Thanks to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and Jason Rekulak for the preview of this book

This is the first book I've read of this author's and I would certainly be interested in reading his next one. It was creepy, dark, intense and thrilling and I would never have guessed the ending!

Mallory is a recovering drug addict who bags a job as a nanny in an affluent town looking after four year old Teddy. While getting to know Teddy, she discovers he talks to an imaginary friend, "Anya" while having his down time and thereafter draws pictures of her. As time goes on, Teddy's pictures take a sinister turn when he draws Anya being murdered and buried.
Mallory does some investigating and discovers an old tale about the lady who lived in the cottage before her who mysteriously went missing. Is she the lady depicted in Teddy's drawings? If so, is she buried nearby?
Mallory wonders why is Teddy drawing the pictures when he is far too young to have any knowledge about the lady from the old tale, and why do the drawings keep appearing in Mallory's cottage? Especially when the drawings now appear far too intricate and detailed to have been drawn by the young boy. Who is drawing the pictures, if not Teddy? Can Mallory get to the bottom of these strange occurrences? As she gets closure to the truth, time starts to run out for Mallory. Can she discover who the murdered lady is? And if she does, what links them to Teddy? You will have to read this book to find out.........
What a fantastic, thrilling, creepy, supernatural book. I loved every second of it, and read it in 2 sittings. It was so intense I found myself biting my nails in anticipation. This is a brilliant tense thriller. I urge you to read it!






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