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Strange Houses

By Uketsu
Brief Description
“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... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$4900

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

“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.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780063433151

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 June 2025

Country: United States

Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers

Illustration: Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Translated by Jim Rion

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 213.0mm

Weight: 204g

Pages: 208

About the Author

Uketsu is an enigmatic presence on YouTube and an author specializing in horror and mystery. He always appears in videos wearing a white mask and black body stocking, with his voice digitally distorted. His true identity is unknown. Both his novels Strange Pictures and Strange Houses were massive hits in Japan, where he lives. Jim Rion has lived in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan since 2004. He began professionally translating Japanese to English in 2015, primarily in cultural and travel fields. From 2018, he began working with local sake brewers on international expansion, and in 2022 Stone Bridge Press published his book Discovering Yamaguchi Sake, a guide to all the sake breweries in his home prefecture. He has published translations of two horror/Cthlulhu mythos books with (now defunct) publisher Kurodahan Press, and from 2022 began working with Pushkin Vintage on translating Japanese crime and mystery fiction into English. The first work, The Devil's Flute Murders by Yokomizo Seishi, was published in 2023. His translation of Strange Pictures by Japanese horror/crime writer Uketsu, is scheduled for publication in January 2025.

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