Josh Malerman is not sitting idly by as Other Mommy, the film adaptation of his terrific novel, INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE, is set to be released next month. Instead, he is out promoting his latest book, a work of psychological horror that only his fertile mind could produce.

What always makes a Josh Malerman tale ring true are his characters. They are all imperfect and prone to make mistakes that often worsen the diabolical situations in which he places them. This is more than a little apparent in PICTURES OF YOU, in which the creative endeavor of art and painting is taken to a deadly, sinister level.

"With PICTURES OF YOU, Malerman shines a light on the artistic process and the talent behind it, only to turn that concept on its ear."

Emily and Jack were planning to enjoy a special evening out on the town. But when Emily wakes up with her head pounding, she notices that the bed she is lying on alone is not the one in the hotel room they had booked. It will take some time until the fog clears from her mind. Only then will she realize that she is in the clutches of a dangerous and demented woman who has special plans for her.

To Emily, her captor is just “the woman” at first. She is miming painting a portrait of Emily through an empty framed canvas that provides her with a picture of her “still-life subject” on the bed in this strange room. 

Meanwhile, Jack has awakened without Emily and is looking for her. When he comes up empty, he reaches out to the police who are not too helpful. As he goes through the events of the previous evening, he seems to recall seeing a woman on the beach near the walkway to their hotel. The rest is unclear, and the search for his missing girlfriend continues.

PICTURES OF YOU plays out less like an intense supernatural tale, which we have come to expect from Malerman. Instead, the horror comes from the situations that Emily and Jack endure in the psychological torment of a maze that he has created for us. As we fall down the rabbit hole with Emily, certain facts and truths will rise to the surface. She eventually will realize the identity of her captor, and the reason for this horrific experience becomes evident in a backstory that is chilling and disturbing.

When the woman and her lone co-conspirator are able to apprehend Jack as well, the situation seems more than dire as the suspense is ratcheted up for readers, who are clinging to each page hoping for a resolution that seems completely out of reach. One police officer knows the alleged perpetrators from his small town. He just has trouble bringing himself to the realization that they could ever mean anyone harm. This is a lesson that he may learn too late to save them.

With PICTURES OF YOU, Malerman shines a light on the artistic process and the talent behind it, only to turn that concept on its ear. We are dealing with a different kind of evil in this novel. It happens to be set in one of the towns that make up the worldview Malerman has built within most of his books, where the protagonist is forced to pay the price for being discouraged from their artistic talent in the worst ways.