Mallory Quinn, a young woman recovering from drug addiction, takes a job as a live-in nanny for the wealthy Maxwell family in the quiet suburbs of Philadelphia. Her primary responsibility is five-year-old Teddy, a boy who loves to draw. While his sketches initially depict innocent childhood scenes, they gradually transform into grizzly, sophisticated illustrations of a woman being murdered in the woods. Mallory becomes convinced that Teddy is being influenced by the ghost of a woman named Annie, whose unsolved disappearance occurred on the property decades earlier. As the artwork becomes more realistic and sinister, Mallory investigates the neighborhood’s dark history and the Maxwells' unsettling secrets to save the boy and herself.
This book is for fans of supernatural suspense and visual storytelling who enjoy solving puzzles alongside the protagonist. Readers look for high-stakes tension and a logical explanation for seemingly impossible events. The inclusion of the actual sketches allows the reader to examine the evidence directly as the mystery unfolds. By the end, the audience walks away with a complete understanding of the mechanism behind the haunting and the reality of a complex, dangerous conspiracy hidden beneath domestic perfection.
Practical, growth-minded, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
Insights from Hidden Pictures
“I’m not a babysitter. I’m a nanny.”
Mallory starts out so hopeful about her new job. She really thinks Teddy is just an imaginative kid with some dark drawings.
“They want to be the kind of people who hire someone like me.”
The way the Maxwells treat Mallory's past is so uncomfortable. They act supportive but use her history of addiction to dismiss her whenever she sees something weird.
“Anya is my friend. She lives under the floor.”
Teddy’s drawings get scarier so slowly you almost don't notice. It starts with a forest and ends with a woman being dragged through the dirt.
“You’re making a lot of assumptions based on a child’s imagination.”
Rich people have a way of making you feel crazy just by staying calm. The nicer the Maxwells acted, the more I worried for Mallory.
- Published
- 2022
- Publisher
- Flatiron Books
- ISBN
- 9781250819345
- Language
- EN
