One of my worst recurring nightmares is about bedrooms that can only be accessed by crossing through other bedrooms. Of course I'm all in on a horror novel called Strange Houses that promises creepy blueprints. And they are creepy! I had fun pouring over them as they were presented.

Strange Houses is told by an unnamed author who is contacted by a friend for advice about a home that his young family is interested in buying. He is concerned about a "dead space" in the kitchen for seemingly no purpose and the fact that the home was newly built a year ago and already abandoned by the family who built it. The friend sends along blueprints for review by our author. The author consults with another friend who happens to be an architect. Together they discover that the format of the home is very strange, indeed, and what secret ritual the walls may have hidden, terrifying.

The excitement builds with the gradual introduction of more blueprints, more details, and more characters as our author explores the mystery. While our author does find some answers, he also finds more questions. This is a book that you could re-read and continue to spin theories. I may just do that.

I enjoyed this--I read it straight through without stopping because I found the mystery so compelling. I only wish I could have intuited a few more answers on my own, so I could feel like I was a part of "solving" the thing. A quick, fun, and very creepy read.

*Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my feedback.