Two murders, one lost child, an enigmatic blog, grieving parents, a seasoned journalist, several curious students, and a child psychologist. At face value they have little in common. But each is circling a set of mysteries where central clues include a series of drawings.

STRANGE PICTURES by Uketsu was a sensation in Japan and has been translated into English by Jim Rion. It is a fun puzzle of a story, and the drawings that are included help both the characters and readers figure out what is happening and how each part fits together.

After a brief case study of the drawing of a traumatized child by Dr. Tomiko Hagio, Uketsu introduces us to two Tokyo college students in the school’s Paranormal Club. Over lunch, Kurihara tells Sasaki about a blog he had been looking into. It is the mundane online diary of a new father calling himself Raku, complete with some drawings that his wife, Yuki, made during her pregnancy. But tragedy strikes Raku, and the blog ends abruptly.

"STRANGE PICTURES is quirky and entertaining with lots of compelling and interesting details to work through on the way to the conclusion."

Sasaki is also fascinated by the blog and agrees with his friend that there is more to Raku’s story than is first apparent. They believe that the fates of Raku and Yuki can be determined if only they can figure out the meaning in the latter’s drawings. Even as they come to understand how the sketches fit together, they are left with many questions. And before those questions can be answered, Uketsu moves us to the next section of the book.

Yuta Konno is almost six years old, and though he has almost no memories of his father, he misses him terribly. The stress of being a single mother weighs heavily on Naomi Konno, and one evening she loses her temper. The next day, Yuta draws a picture in school that worries his teacher and Naomi. And when he goes missing after that, they wonder if clues to his disappearance may be found in the drawing. Readers analyze the picture along with Yuta’s teacher but are also privy to some disturbing thoughts that Naomi is having and her fears of being stalked.

The final section involves the investigation of a cold case murder by a would-be reporter and his near-retired mentor. Art teacher Yoshiharu Miura was respected by some and feared by many. When he was found brutally murdered at his favorite camping spot, the police were unable to solve the case, even after narrowing down the list of suspects. A few years later, one of Miura’s former students, Shunsuke Iwata, takes a job at a newspaper hoping to take a look at the case. Along with Isamu Kamai, who previously had written about the crime, Iwata focuses his efforts on a drawing found on Miura’s body. Will it prove to be the piece of evidence needed to finally nab the murderer? Or will Iwata’s work invite more violence and tragedy?

Section by section, it becomes clear that these three tales are related. And if the images in each help clear up mysteries, altogether they tell a bigger story. STRANGE PICTURES is quirky and entertaining with lots of compelling and interesting details to work through on the way to the conclusion. Marketed as horror, it is much more of a thriller or mystery, and it won’t keep you up at night --- unless you, like the characters, are obsessing over the deceptively simple, but actually strange, pictures. Overall, Uketsu's book is a clever and unique diversion.