The addictive million-copy bestseller mystery taking Japan by storm, from the author of The Times Bestseller Strange Pictures

A twisty puzzle in which the reader is the detective, examining a series of creepy floorplans for clues

'Deliciously unsettling and refreshingly unique, Strange Houses will lure you in and keep you captive with every clever twist' - Kristen Perrin, author of How to Solve Your Own Murder

A sinister hidden room.

A dead space between two walls.

A sealed cellar.

A child's face glimpsed at a window.

Every house hides secrets.

But some secrets are far darker than others.

More than a million readers have discovered the terrible truth behind these strange houses.

Now it's your turn.

PRAISE FOR UKETSU

'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' - A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window

'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

'An intricately woven, at times unsettling, but always mesmerising piece of work' - Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants

EditBuild



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's bestselling author, with millions of copies of his mysteries sold and translations appearing in thirty countries around the world. Strange Pictures is also available and Strange Buildings is forthcoming from Pushkin Vertigo.



Readers will uncover the secrets of weird houses and will have puzzles to solve via words and floor plans to find the terrible truths at the heart of them



With creeping tension and unnerving originality, this cements Uketsu as a fresh new voice in Japanese horror



Another masterclass in the macabre... A creepy and complex puzzle mystery that almost defies explanation



A sharp, suspense-packed novel that readers will likely race through in one sitting... A mystery that is as enigmatic as its author



A remarkably original take on the crime thriller, which makes for a compelling read



Original and compelling, the book carves out a space between horror, crime and fantasy



Deliciously unsettling and refreshingly unique, Strange Houses will lure you in and keep you captive with every clever twist



Uketsu's strange riddles are chilling and addictive - I couldn't put it down



I'm hooked on these chilling and twisted mysteries. Give me everything Uketsu writes - I'll read it in a single day, and I will not be accepting interruptions



Perfect for lovers of crime fiction as a devious and clever puzzle. Uketsu has created something bold, intense and original. Elegantly mysterious, this brief novel is an absolute treat



Uketsu is brilliant, disturbing and utterly, wildly entertaining, a great artist, a great storyteller and a great trickster



Such an incredibly fun read... I am once again blown away by how it all unravelled



A short horror novel that unspools like a haunted architectural puzzle... Deeply unsettling



Uketsu expertly builds sprawling layers of bizarre revelations, and remarkably convinces with his controlled, methodical explanations about once-powerful multigenerational families, inheritance, sacrifice, loyalty. The angular, crisp floorplans enhancing the pages throughout underscore a sense of careful, contained planning, enticing and enthralling readers to undoubtedly believe. . . Japan's enigmatic YouTube personality Uketsu returns with another perplexingly horrific mystery, Strange Houses, likely to unnerve yet certain to engross.



A haunting, genre-blurring fusion of mystery and psychological horror that unfolds through a series of interconnected stories spanning two decades, each anchored by eerie illustrations whose meanings the reader must decipher



Uketsu captivates the reader until the very end with eerie suspense. This novel is for those who enjoy strange unraveling of mysteries with several plot twists, the kind of creepy feeling that lasts long after you've finished the book



Praise for Strange Pictures



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



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



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



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



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!



An intricately woven, at times unsettling, but always mesmerising piece of work



An eerie reading experience like we've never seen before



A terrifying sketch mystery in which nine bizarre pictures are intertwined and a terrifying truth emerges



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!!