There is everything in here from creepy drawings and a séance with a Ouija board to strange sounds in the woods and a scary passage involving a baby monitor. This is a tale of ghosts, possession, murder, mystery, and messages from beyond the grave. The second element that makes this a standout novel is the seamless way in which the author weaves together all its elements. Throughout the story, she fails and tries again, she lies and then comes clean, she ruins everything, and, instead of quitting or falling into addiction again, she keeps fighting to make things right. Also, her past troubles are hard to ignore when she starts hearing things and becomes convinced there’s a presence in the house that is possessing Teddy and using his hand to draw the scary images.

She’s trying hard to build a new life, but the guilt of a horrible accident in which her little sister died, the broken relationship with her mother, and the lies she finds herself telling a young man she meets and falls for all haunt her. Mallory is a complex, troubled character. While the illustrations are great, Hidden Pictures is memorable for two other things: Rekulak’s talent for character development and the wonderful way in which he weaves together genre elements from horror, mystery, and thrillers. Breathing new life into old tropes is no easy task, but Rekulak pulled it off brilliantly here. Also, kids drawing creepy things is a horror cliché, but Rekulak manages to position the illustrations at the center of the book in a way that feels new and feeds the mystery Mallory is trying to solve. Brilliantly and creepily brought to live by artists Will Staehle and Doogie Horner, Teddy’s drawings are the central piece of the puzzle at the heart of the novel, and seeing them adds a wonderful layer of creepiness to the reading experience. Teddy’s illustrations are not only mentioned, described, and discussed they show up in the book. However, the most immediate element that grabs readers’ attention is the art that accompanies the book.

There’s a lot to like about Hidden Pictures. When Mallory hears Teddy talking in his room when he’s supposed to be alone and then his drawings get even worse, she becomes convinced there is an entity trying to communicate through the little boy’s drawings, and she decides to get to the bottom of it, putting herself and her job at risk. Mallory worries about Teddy, but his parents won’t hear of it. Then they get darker, and they are way more detailed and sinister than Teddy’s young brain should be able to dream up. Teddy usually draws stick figures and animals, but then his drawings take a turn and he starts drawing beheaded people, a woman being dragged in the forest, and a dead woman. He also loves to draw, and his drawings are the first thing that tells Mallory something isn’t quite right.

Teddy is a sweet, shy boy who loves playing with animals, going on walks through the nearby woods, and playing in the pool. Despite the tension, Mallory immediately falls in love with Teddy and her work, and falls into a comfortable routine of taking care of Teddy, going for runs around the neighborhood, and watching Hallmark movies on her tablet. Teddy’s mom, works with recovering users, so she’s on Mallory’s side from the start. Part of that process is finding a job, so when she lands one babysitting a five-year-old named Teddy for the summer – a gig that includes a room off the family’s patio in a very expensive neighborhood – she’s both extremely happy and worried. Mallory Quinn has just left rehab and is in the process of rebuilding her life from scratch while trying to keep the demons of addiction away. At once a novel about ghosts, murder, and possession and a narrative that deals with overcoming addiction and finding a way to navigate life once you’ve lost everything, this is the kind of story that shows horror fiction can simultaneously be creepy, pulpy, touching, and smart. Jason Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures is one of those rare horror novels that manages to rake a few tired clichés and turn them into something fresh and incredibly engaging.

Hidden pictures