Strange Pictures / Strange Houses

by Uketsu, Jim Rion (Translator)

Strange Pictures

A series of drawings made by a young woman before her death.

A child's disturbing picture of his home.

A desperate sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments.

Each contains a chilling warning.

Each reveals a terrible secret, hidden in plain sight.

Uketsu's eerie mysteries have captivated millions of readers. Can you find the clues in these strange pictures and uncover the sinister truth that connects them all?

Strange Houses

A mysterious windowless room on a house's floorplan hints at a hideous secret. A young girl suspects that her cousin's seemingly accidental death was the result of a sinister family tradition.

Can you uncover the dark secret of these strange houses? When you do, an unforgettable truth will be revealed.

448 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2025

About the author

Associated Names:
* Uketsu
* 雨穴
* อุเก็ตสึ (Thai Profile)

Reviews

[Biju James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange Pictures
Labelled as a chilling horror sensation, I would rather label it a frantically paced thriller with two genuine chilling moments.
There are three stories that start off distinctly but as we progress the threads that connect them become evident. And one story to link them all.
The first is of a young couple. The husband has a blog where he posts stuff on his life. His wife unfortunately dies during childbirth. But it's not as straightforward as we imagine. She has left a series of drawings behind and it is upto us to decipher them.
The second is of a mother and child. The child draws a picture in the school and there are secrets hidden in the picture that unravel.
The third is of an art teacher who is murdered on a hike. Whodunnit? And why has the teacher drawn a picture in his final moments?
The fourth and final story connects everything.
The best part of the book are the clues. I quite enjoy clues that are scattered as a mystery progresses. We get to figure things out on our own and the whole process becomes incredibly immersive. Here the stories have pictures. The clues in the pictures are explained via maps and flow charts. Great fun. And we can enjoy the whole experience.
Overall, it moves fast. It is less than 250 pages and with the pictures and flow charts, not much text to labour through. It definitely is a different kind of experience.

[Zoy Ngaira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was an okay read. Easy enough storyline to follow. I personally didn’t like the addition of the pictures because they are just extremely obscure until you get to the end of the book where all the pictures make sense but honestly they don’t add much to the storyline. Don’t bother guessing what you can deduce from the pictures because it’s likely you will be way off. The twist was good. I think the last 50 pages or so were a lot more interesting than the entire book and they felt like a quicker pace. I’d say there’s no real lead character in the book or maybe it only becomes apparent at the end of the book when everything comes together. I wouldn’t run to recommend this book. I’m early in my thriller literature and haven’t read many thriller books so can only compare to a small handful.

[Chantal Suikerbuik · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked the books very much!

Strange pictures was a book with so many question after each chapter and so mysterious. i loved every sentence of it i would 1000% recomend this one if you like to figure out what is going on in peoples mind.

strange houses, it was very different, writing syle and story. if you like difficult books i would recomend this one.

both books had such great plottwists and want to read them again.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It honestly kept me hooked.

It has this quiet, eerie vibe that slowly pulls you in. Not super scary, but more on the unsettling, “something feels off” kind of feeling. I liked how unpredictable it was just when I thought I got it, may twist ulit.

Medyo confusing at times, but that’s part of what made it interesting.

[Wiebke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessante Idee aber eigentlich funktioniert das Buch auch ohne die "Strange Pictures"/Bilder, weil sie immer sehr detailiert beschrieben werden - Am Ende für mich also einfach ein komplex durchdachter Krimi für Japan-Fans.

[Mai Linh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally liked Strange Houses more than Strange Pictures. I had no clue who the culprit is until the very end of the book. Mysterious, dark and good weird. Finished each book in one sitting which is very rare for me haha

[Nicol · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG?? This book definitely reached my expectations. It was a really fast read and really interesting from the start. On lot of the parts I was really confused but at the end every question that I had was answered. I would definitely recommend this to everyone who likes crime.

[Che Parts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read if you are into strange things or love reading mystery books.

[Barbara Nadolny]

Strange Pictures is an amazing book.

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how every story was intertwined, good short stories

[Katelan Schrader · Rating 5 out of 5]

They were so intriguing and it kept me guessing the whole time.

[Carlos Pelea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange Pictures >>>> Strange Houses

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quirky and quick books to read. I was interested in the drawings. Strange Pictures lost me near the end and Strange Houses was not very believable and kind of bizarre to my mind.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

i enjoyed the concept and it was a quick, fun read. The execution of the idea let it down. It felt contrived and the characters were one dimentional.