Hidden Pictures

Loved the book. So many twists that I did not see coming! The child's drawings throughout the book made it so much more creepy and intriguing.The main character is a recovering addict, clean for over a year. Her sponsor finds her a great paying job as a nanny for a wealthy family. The family consists of a mom, a dad, and one child; Teddy. Teddy is an excellent child who loves to draw and seems to have a very active imagination. Teddy even has an imaginary friend named Anya, who he draws pictures of. The MC feels like she's hit the jackpot when she lands the nanny position. She gets to move into the guest house (which she has all to herself), the pay is incredible, Teddy and her really bond, she gets along great with Teddy's parents and they make her feel like almost a part of the family, she gets to swim in their pool, and goes for runs around the ritzy neighborhood, and even meets the handsome guy who mows the family's yard and they seem to hit it off great!However, things take a sinister turn when Teddy's drawings get creepier and creepier and each one put together with the next seem to tell a dark and ominous story. Children Teddy's age should not be drawing pictures like these! Then she meets the odd woman who lives next door. The strange neighbor tells her about the ghostly legend of the previous tenant of the guesthouse she's now living in. A beautiful young foreigner, named Anne, who comes to live with her distant family and moves into the very guest house she's now living in. The young woman is beautiful and catches the eye of suitors, but to the disappointment of her family, she's uninterested in following the rules of the social norms, and keeps to herself and her drawings. She enjoyed exploring the wooded area behind the property and drawing beautiful pictures. Until one day it seems she goes missing and is never heard from again.What happened to Anne?Could Anne have any relation to Teddy's drawings and imaginary friend Anya?

There’s nothing new or exciting happening here, but the main character is well-drawn, the plot moves along at a nice clip, and the illustrations add a nice touch. It’s the kind of book you stay up too late to finish. Well done.

Enjoyed this creepy mystery a lot. The illustrations added an unusual richness. Lots of unexpected twists, a perfect vacation read. Interesting characters make the supernatural plot line less unbelievable.

Mallory was a runner in high school, the sixth fastest runner in her age group in her state. Her future looked bright. She had a full ride scholarship to a highly rated university until she suffers a common but painful injury and is given pain pills. She is injured again, and this time the pills aren't enough. She is introduced to much harder drugs, and soon is an addict. After a cab driver revives her when she eventually overdoses, Mallory fights hard to regain her sobriety.Now 21, Mallory is due to leave the sober house where she has lived while transitioning from active addict to an addict who is 20 months sober. But she has nowhere to go: her mother has washed her hands of Mallory due to her addiction; as have all her friends.Seeing her dilemma, her sponsor and new running coach, recommends her for a position as a nanny for a young child before the child starts kindergarten in the fall. She gets the job and her future looks promising.Mallory is the kind of babysitter I would have wanted for my kids, even with her past as a drug addict. Her addiction history is buried deep in the book, and explains why her recovery coach was willing to recommend her for the job. My heart broke for her. It isn't the last time it was broken reading the book.As she starts her new job, where her new employer is fully aware of her addiction and hard won recovery, Mallory falls in love with her new charge. As she and the child bond, Mallory sees her employers have the lifestyle she could have had, and lost due to her past.The child starts giving Mallory pictures he draws during his Quiet Time (the Hidden Pictures in the title). They start as the typical scribbling of a young child, progressing to vivid and detailed works of art. Mallory soon realizes it isn’t her charge who is drawing them.The drawings definitely add to the creepy atmosphere of the book as it pulls you deeper into the mystery of who drew them and why: Mallory's charge or the woman who allegedly haunts the house.Mallory is a young woman I can identify with. The author brings her story to the reader as someone who deserves sympathy, especially as the book continues. She meets people in the neighborhood, including a man who is attractive and seems to admire Mallory. Mallory, ashamed of her past, tells a story to the new people in her life which is widely different than the truth. Her backstory, when shown to be false, slows others from whom she later needs help.The parents are, at first, people who want only the best for their child. However, as the drawings become more detailed, the mother begins to change her attitude and hides the child's drawing material. I come to despise this woman.As the drawings become more detailed, Mallory becomes determined to discover who is drawing them and why. She learns a woman was murdered in the small cottage at the back of her employers' property, and Mallory becomes convinced this is the key to the mysterious drawings.This book has twists and turns that left me gasping as I turned each page, revealing more of the mystery of the drawings, thinking "No, that can't be right." After the first twist (I can't reveal because it would be a spoiler), which changed the mystery into something completely different than what I expected, and I was hooked.The pacing of the story never lags. The author carefully hides the full plot until the last chapter which is one year later. The storyline is complete. The end was my last heartbreak. There is no happily ever after for Mallory. Although her future looks promising, she won't forget the summer she spent babysitting and the love she had developed with her charge.Hidden Pictures was beautifully written. It keeps the reader guessing without the reader knowing they are guessing until he makes a twist or turn.I can hear the book calling to me to reread it as I write. I will, as soon as the echoes die away. Readers of fast paced, non-stop guessing should add this book to their pile of To Be Read. I am sorry it took me so long to read it.

This is a fun, easy-to-read suspense/mystery/horror book for fans of the genre. While the characters are a little shallow and not fully developed, it doesn't take away from the story and suspense. Some authors are better story-tellers than writers, and I think that is the case with Jason Rekulak. The book grabs the reader pretty quickly, introducing the protagonist in the first person, and providing background narrative immediately. Within a few short chapters, the reader is embedded in an interesting story. I think most mystery/suspense fans will enjoy this one.

Solid read that kept me engaged from the start. I really enjoyed the unique touch of the illustrations, they definitely added to the creep factor and made the book stand out. The pacing was good, and I flew through it without ever feeling bored.That said, the ending kind of lost me. I’m still a little confused about how everything wrapped up, and it didn’t hit quite as hard as I was hoping. Overall though, it’s an enjoyable thriller with a creative twist, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different.

This was such a fun read I actually ended up binge reading it in like a day which is very odd for me. It was just so gripping and exciting I couldn’t put it down!!!!!