Mallory Quinn, is fresh out rehab when she gets a job being nanny for Ted and Caroline Maxwell’s five-year-old Teddy. Living in the Maxwell’s pool house has been a blessing, and the stability of the job and her living situation is doing wonders for her. Not only that, the bond between her and Teddy is instantaneous. Teddy is a shy boy, but he loves to draw and while most of his drawings are of the usual kid variety, his drawing of a man dragging a women’s lifeless body, has Mallory concerned. With Teddy’s drawings becoming more graphic as the days progress, Mallory begins to suspect something supernatural might be possessing Teddy. As Mallory begins to investigate the Maxwell’s further, she’ll need to come to terms with her past.
I thought this was going to more of a horror read than it turned out to be, so maybe go in thinking suspenseful thriller with a small paranormal twist. If my expectations had been different, I might have enjoyed it even more than I already did. With that said, the less you know about this story, the better!
Mallory was such a complex character and she was the perfect lead for a suspenseful story like this one. I’ve gotten a bit tired of the ‘gas lighting’ of our main female characters, so a change from that was refreshing. I loved getting to know her, and felt that her story was realistic and compelling. Teddy, for a five year old, was such a sweet child. I loved that his drawings were included in the actual story, it really added an extra level creepiness to the story.
This book is completely engaging and is a fairly fast paced read. I wasn’t expecting this one to have a supernatural aspect, but it was a superb addition to the story. I was a bit worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype as it was all over social media, but I definitely think it was worth the read! I cannot wait to see what Rekulak writes up next.
Hidden Pictures is out now. Huge thank you to Flatiron for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.
