Strange Houses

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

"Deliciously unsettling and refreshingly unique, Strange Houses will lure you in and keep you captive with every clever twist." --Kristen Perrin, New York Times bestselling author of How to Solve Your Own Murder From the bestselling author of the wildly inventive Strange Pictures and a phenomenon in Japan--unnatural layouts, trap doors, windowless rooms-- a sinister conspiracy is concealed within a house's warped and unsettling floor plans When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building's floor plans reveal a mysterious "dead space" hidden between its walls, the start of a compelling Japanese mystery. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout. What is the true purpose behind the house's disturbing design? And what happened to the former owners who disappeared without a trace? When a body suddenly appears and a young woman reaches out about a second house, it soon becomes clear that the writer and his friend may be in over their heads in this truly unsettling psychological thriller. Structured around a series of chilling floorplans, with Strange Houses , mystery-horror YouTube sensation Uketsu casts readers in the role of detective, inviting them to help map out the truth hidden within this puzzling architectural mystery . . . and the terrifying plot behind it all. Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion

"Deliciously unsettling and refreshingly unique, Strange Houses will lure you in and keep you captive with every clever twist." --Kristen Perrin, New York Times bestselling author of How to Solve Your Own Murder From the bestselling author of the wildly inventive Strange Pictures and a phenomenon in Japan--unnatural layouts, trap doors, windowless rooms-- a sinister conspiracy is concealed within a house's warped and unsettling floor plans When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building's floor plans reveal a mysterious "dead space" hidden between its walls, the start of a compelling Japanese mystery. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout. What is the true purpose behind the house's disturbing design? And what happened to the former owners who disappeared without a trace? When a body suddenly appears and a young woman reaches out about a second house, it soon becomes clear that the writer and his friend may be in over their heads in this truly unsettling psychological thriller. Structured around a series of chilling floorplans, with Strange Houses , mystery-horror YouTube sensation Uketsu casts readers in the role of detective, inviting them to help map out the truth hidden within this puzzling architectural mystery . . . and the terrifying plot behind it all. Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion

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

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

From the bestselling author of the wildly inventive Strange Pictures and a phenomenon in Japan--unnatural layouts, trap doors, windowless rooms-- a sinister conspiracy is concealed within a house's warped and unsettling floor plans When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building's floor plans reveal a mysterious "dead space" hidden between its walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout. What is the true purpose behind the house's disturbing design? And what happened to the former owners who disappeared without a trace? When a body suddenly appears and a young woman reaches out about a second house, it soon becomes clear that the writer and his friend may be in over their heads. Structured around a series of chilling floorplans, with Strange Houses , mystery-horror YouTube sensation Uketsu casts readers in the role of detective, inviting them to help map out the truth hidden within these puzzling floor plans . . . and the terrifying plot behind it all. Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion

From the bestselling author of the wildly inventive Strange Pictures and a phenomenon in Japan--unnatural layouts, trap doors, windowless rooms-- a sinister conspiracy is concealed within a house's warped and unsettling floor plans When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building's floor plans reveal a mysterious "dead space" hidden between its walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout. What is the true purpose behind the house's disturbing design? And what happened to the former owners who disappeared without a trace? When a body suddenly appears and a young woman reaches out about a second house, it soon becomes clear that the writer and his friend may be in over their heads. Structured around a series of chilling floorplans, with Strange Houses , mystery-horror YouTube sensation Uketsu casts readers in the role of detective, inviting them to help map out the truth hidden within these puzzling floor plans . . . and the terrifying plot behind it all. Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion