{"id":28171,"date":"2026-01-20T01:00:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T05:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/?p=28171"},"modified":"2026-03-04T00:11:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T04:11:04","slug":"book-in-mad-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-in-mad-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"In Mad Hands"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"book-3982\" class=\"bdb-book-info\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/book_inmadhands.png?fit=250%2C373&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"In Mad Hands\" class=\"alignright\"\/><strong>Title:<\/strong> In Mad Hands<br \/><strong>Author:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/author\/jon-athan\/\">Jon Athan<\/a><br \/><strong>First Published:<\/strong> <span content=\"2025-12-18\">December 18, 2025<\/span><br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/publisher\/self-published\/\">Self-Published<\/a><br \/><strong>Pages:<\/strong> 114<br \/><strong>Genre:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/genre\/extreme-horror\/\">Extreme Horror<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/genre\/horror\/\">Horror<\/a><br \/><strong>Format:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/format\/hardcover\/\">Hardcover<\/a><br \/><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/source\/purchased\/\">Purchased<\/a><br \/><strong>Rating:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/book-database\/rating\/4\/\"><span class=\"bdb-font-awesome-star-wrap\"><i class=\"fas fa-star\"><\/i><i class=\"fas fa-star\"><\/i><i class=\"fas fa-star\"><\/i><i class=\"fas fa-star\"><\/i><i class=\"far fa-star\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/239413220-in-mad-hands\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/addtogoodreads.png?ssl=1\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\"\/><\/a><br \/><br \/><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong> <p>Who would you trust with the most important thing in your life?<\/p>\n<p>Heading out for their first date night in two long years, Yoselyn and Joel Cooper entrust their son, two-year-old River, to their frequent babysitter, Kristine Sloan. Kristine has proven to be reliable and caring, looking after River like a little brother. So, it was supposed to be a quiet, peaceful, romantic night for the couple.<\/p>\n<p>But Kristine has different plans up her sleeves\u2014different callings in her mind, different voices to please.<\/p>\n<p>Jon Athan, the author of Are Your Parents Home? and Our Dead Girlfriend, changes the \u2018babysitter from hell\u2019 formula with his first extreme horror novella. Don\u2019t worry, you\u2019re in good hands...<\/p>\n<p>WARNING: This book contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.<\/p>\n<strong>Get the Book:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4spDQZu\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a>\r\n<hr \/><\/div>\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/\",\n\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Review\",\n\t\t\t\t\"datePublished\": \"2026-01-20T05:00:56+00:00\",\n\t\t\t\t\"description\": \"In Mad Hands\",\n\t\t\t\t\"publisher\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Radical Dreamer\"\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\t\"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/pastelgoth.net\\\/blog\\\/book-in-mad-hands\\\/\",\n\t\t\t\t\"itemReviewed\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Book\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"In Mad Hands\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"author\": [\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Jon Athan\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/pastelgoth.net\\\/blog\\\/book-database\\\/author\\\/jon-athan\\\/\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t],\n\t\t\t\t\t\"isbn\": \"9798278041030\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"numberOfPages\": 114,\n\t\t\t\t\t\"publisher\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Self-Published\"\t\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\t\t\"image\": \"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/pastelgoth.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/book_inmadhands.png?fit=250%2C373&ssl=1\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"datePublished\": \"2025-12-18T00:00:00+00:00\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/www.goodreads.com\\\/book\\\/show\\\/239413220-in-mad-hands\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"genre\": \"Extreme Horror\"\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\t\"author\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Jamie\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"sameAs\": \"https:\\\/\\\/pastelgoth.net\\\/blog\\\/\"\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t, \"reviewRating\": {\n\t\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"Rating\",\n\t\t\t\t\t\"ratingValue\": 4,\n\t\t\t\t\t\"bestRating\": 5\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<h2>Review<\/h2>\n<p><strong>In Mad Hands<\/strong> is Jon Athan&#8217;s take on the babysitter from hell trope, subverted in a way that made it fresh. The babysitter, Kristine, is completely off her rocker and I absolutely loved the direction that this story went. I expected Kristine to be vicious in the tired way that antagonists in extreme horror can sometimes be, but the character I got in this book was so much <em>better<\/em>, far exceeding my expectations.<\/p>\n<p>As a parent the story certainly touched on all of my fears about leaving my children in the care of basically anyone but my mother. I was shocked and also relieved that my worst fears occurred off page, the aftermath was horrifying enough without having to read it in extreme detail. I won&#8217;t say anything more because I don&#8217;t want to spoil the story, I&#8217;ll say only that it utilized one of my favorite horror themes splendidly.<\/p>\n<p>Jon Athan never ceases to surprise me, and <strong>In Mad Hands<\/strong> is an impressive first novella. The story maintained Athan&#8217;s signature brutality without becoming repetitive, it was perfectly paced. I really enjoyed this one and I look forward to more of his novellas in the future!<\/p>\n<h2>Quote<\/h2>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Their eyes wandered to the rearview mirrors, as if checking on River. The <em>silence<\/em> back there bothered them, plaguing them with a sense of <strong>foreboding<\/strong>. But they tried not to overthink it.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<h2>Content Warnings<\/h2>\n<span class=\"ubb-spoiler\"><a class=\"ubb-view-spoil\">View Spoiler &raquo;<\/a><span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"ubb-thespoil\">Child Death, Child Murder, Death, Desecration of a Corpse, Dismemberment, Gore, Murder, Self Mutilation, Suicide, Vomit <a class=\"ubb-hide-spoil\" style=\"cursor: hand; cursor: pointer;\">&laquo; Hide Spoiler<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<h2>About the Author<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ubb-about-author\">\n<h3>About Jon Athan<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/author_jonathan.png?fit=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft ubb-about-author-photo\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/author_jonathan.png?w=200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/author_jonathan.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/author_jonathan.png?resize=75%2C75&amp;ssl=1 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Jon Athan is an author from California. Jon was born on September 12, 1992 during a stormy night. As a child, he enjoyed writing and telling scary short stories. Some of these stories got him into some serious trouble with his teachers, but he persevered through the detentions and therapy sessions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ubb-author-links\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.splatterstore.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Website<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jon-athan.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Blog<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jonny_Athan\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Twitter<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AuthorJonAthan\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Facebook<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/9842651.Jon_Athan\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Goodreads<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4eyYGOC\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">Amazon<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@DeepRedMedia\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\">YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Review In Mad Hands is Jon Athan&#8217;s take on the babysitter from hell trope, subverted in a way that made it fresh. The babysitter, Kristine, is completely off her rocker&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[70,5364,5529,284,4787,4074,1068,3285],"book-author":[938],"book-illustrator":[],"book-series":[],"book-publisher":[],"book-genre":[],"book-source":[],"book-format":[],"class_list":["post-28171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","tag-american-literature","tag-babysitter-from-hell","tag-cover-by-grimsloki","tag-cults","tag-diy-surgery","tag-religious-horror","tag-serial-killers","tag-set-in-the-2000s","book-author-jon-athan"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/book_inmadhands-header.png?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28171"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29238,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28171\/revisions\/29238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28171"},{"taxonomy":"book-author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-author?post=28171"},{"taxonomy":"book-illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-illustrator?post=28171"},{"taxonomy":"book-series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-series?post=28171"},{"taxonomy":"book-publisher","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-publisher?post=28171"},{"taxonomy":"book-genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-genre?post=28171"},{"taxonomy":"book-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-source?post=28171"},{"taxonomy":"book-format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastelgoth.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book-format?post=28171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}