It is officially fall and if you are a mood reader like me, you are ready to dig into a spooky mystery. Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak is a mysterious page-turning novel that contains both a ghostly story and one of redemption.
Mallory Quinn is a 21 year-old recovering addict who is making great strides to get her life on track. With the help of her sponsor, Mallory gets a babysitting job watching Teddy Maxwell, a sweet 5 year-old boy who loves to draw. Over time, Teddy’s drawings become more and more disturbing. Mallory tries to solve the mystery behind Teddy’s increasingly sinister and murder-depicting artwork. Is it Teddy making these drawings or is a ghost from beyond the grave using Teddy to communicate? Are the drawings related to an unsolved murder? How could Teddy know about it? Smartly, the drawings are included in the book and the creep-factor is off the charts.
As a reader, you are rooting for Mallory. Her backstory is heartbreaking and she is earnestly attempting to get her life together. Landing a live-in nanny position in an affluent neighborhood is the step Mallory needs to get her life going in the right direction. She is ready for the responsibility. She is ready for her fresh start. Unfortunately for Mallory, a ghost might have other plans for her.
Author Jason Rekulak does a good job of weaving plausible explanations into a creepy ghost story, all while moving the narrative along swiftly and keeping the reader guessing. Hidden Pictures is a mysterious thriller that contains a multitude of twists right up until the very end.
Spoiler Alert:
Stop reading here if you haven’t finished the novel or don’t wish to have any warnings about the ending.
I was troubled by a few aspects regarding the ending of the novel. While the story itself is inventive, I found the usage of Mallory’s addiction against her to be a disappointing choice. Also, the reveal about Teddy’s identity reeked of transphobia. Using gender as the trope of the story’s twist filled this otherwise entertaining ghost story with political innuendo.
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