A woman becomes the unknowing subject of an artist’s dangerous work in this intense Hitchcockian thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Incidents Around the House.

After a magical night out on the town with her boyfriend Jack, Emily wakes alone in a huge bed in a beautiful, well-lit room. But the pink ceiling, the mauve walls, and the deep, dark corners are nothing like the hotel she and Jack rented.

More worrisome yet: Emily has no memory of this place from the night before.

Where is she?

A woman’s voice directs her to remain in bed.

Just so . . .

And beyond the end of the bed, a picture frame upon an easel—a frame with no canvas, no painting, no art.

Only . . . there is the silhouette of a person Emily does not recognize. A person emanating demand, danger, evil. And the way the woman talks . . . and the things she says . . . She’s acting as if Emily herself is the painting. The still life. The art.

Emily is as scared as she is confused. But it’s immediately clear Jack’s life is on the line with her own. And if she attempts to escape the bed and the wood frame of this nightmare masterwork, neither will survive the experience.

Emily is fierce, independent, brilliant, but to get out of this, she’ll have to think like an artist herself.

The clock is ticking.

For Emily.

For Jack.

For being forever trapped.

Josh Malerman’s unforgettable and terrifying Incidents Around the House became an instant classic of horror—and now Malerman has done it again. Pictures of You is a tale of thrilling terror that will chill you until the last page—and have you thinking of the heroine’s search for love and the meaning of art long after.

I received an advance copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

I read and loved Malerman’s Incidents Around the House when it first came out, so this one was toward the top of my most anticipated list this year. Overall, I thought it was good, even though I didn’t find it overly scary.

Emily wakes up alone in an unfamiliar room after a magical night out with her boyfriend Jack. She has no memory of how she got there or what happened after the night ended. A woman’s voice tells her to stay exactly where she is, and at the foot of the bed sits an empty picture frame on an easel, no canvas, no painting, just the frame itself. The way this woman talks makes it clear she views Emily herself as the artwork, and she’s not about to let her leave. Terrified and completely disoriented, Emily quickly realizes Jack’s safety is tied to her own, and that any attempt to break free of this situation could end badly for both of them. She’s going to have to think creatively if she wants any chance of getting out alive.

The concept behind the paintings is really clever, and the pacing of the book is perfect. The plot itself is a little predictable, though, and I found myself seeing where things were headed well before we got there. That didn’t ruin my enjoyment exactly, but it did keep the story from feeling as fresh as I was hoping, given how much I loved his last book. That said, I appreciated that Malerman didn’t overstay his welcome. He tells the story efficiently, delivers everything the reader actually needs, and wraps things up without any unnecessary padding.

As for the horror element, this one didn’t land as especially scary for me. There are a handful of tense moments scattered throughout, but nothing that had me looking over my shoulder or hesitating before turning off the lights at night. It’s more of a tense thriller than a full-on horror novel, which is worth knowing going in if you’re expecting something closer to his previous work.

Overall, this was a fun, fast read with a clever central concept, even if it didn’t scare me the way I was hoping. If you want a tight, well-paced thriller with an interesting hook, this is worth picking up.