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The Asylum Confession Files
Only Jack Knows: Origins to Angels—Behind the Confession Files
They arrive alive. They always leave dead.
But before they go, they tell me everything.
My name’s Jack Steen, night nurse in an asylum for the criminally insane—where mercy is optional, and every secret comes with a pulse that’s fading fast. My job isn’t to save them. It’s to listen.
For years, I’ve recorded their deathbed confessions in the dead of night, one story at a time. What began as whispers caught on tape has now been transcribed—unedited, unfiltered, raw. These aren’t stories meant to be read so much as listened to, in the quiet hours when even your own heartbeat sounds too loud.
With that in mind, they read as they would for a podcast episode, complete with notes meant for the narrator. Since this was fully intended as an audio book only, please note, the text itself has not been seen by a professional editor.
Inside these pages are four of the confessions that still haunt
Origins and Death – how it all began, and the inmate whose final words changed everything.
The Dying Kind – a man who proved love can kill faster than hate.
A Killer Recipe – a baker who folded murder into his pastries and devotion into his lies.
The Angel Maker – a nurse who claimed she only offered mercy… until her own sins came calling.
This is the world I live in—one where the walls listen, the dying speak, and silence is never what it seems.
Only Jack Origins to Angels — Notes from the Night Nurse.
Originally told in whispers. Now preserved in print. Listen with your eyes.
But before they go, they tell me everything.
My name’s Jack Steen, night nurse in an asylum for the criminally insane—where mercy is optional, and every secret comes with a pulse that’s fading fast. My job isn’t to save them. It’s to listen.
For years, I’ve recorded their deathbed confessions in the dead of night, one story at a time. What began as whispers caught on tape has now been transcribed—unedited, unfiltered, raw. These aren’t stories meant to be read so much as listened to, in the quiet hours when even your own heartbeat sounds too loud.
With that in mind, they read as they would for a podcast episode, complete with notes meant for the narrator. Since this was fully intended as an audio book only, please note, the text itself has not been seen by a professional editor.
Inside these pages are four of the confessions that still haunt
Origins and Death – how it all began, and the inmate whose final words changed everything.
The Dying Kind – a man who proved love can kill faster than hate.
A Killer Recipe – a baker who folded murder into his pastries and devotion into his lies.
The Angel Maker – a nurse who claimed she only offered mercy… until her own sins came calling.
This is the world I live in—one where the walls listen, the dying speak, and silence is never what it seems.
Only Jack Origins to Angels — Notes from the Night Nurse.
Originally told in whispers. Now preserved in print. Listen with your eyes.
132 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 22, 2026
I just can't get enough of Jack!
January 14, 2026
This was such a good idea for the series, finding out about how Jack first started collecting these stories was so interesting. These stories are a lot shorter which is why they’re not in the other books.
Newman:
I hated this man the second I found out why he was in the asylum, and I hated him even more when he tried to justify it and said he was “collecting” fear. He didn’t deserve a painless death but, since that’s the deal it’s what he got. Newman was a vile man and it’s no shock as to why the warden restricted his meds and abused his power.
Jack:
The man himself nearly got killed because someone hired a hit man to get rid of him and the reason why was very anti-climactic so that was disappointing.
Madison:
A man with anger issues basically, no control over his emotions and snaps to rage pretty much immediately. The reason he ended up in the asylum? I get it, it doesn’t justify his actions or justify that he murdered someone, but I guess he followed that eye for an eye saying, I understand why he snapped, he just dealt with it in the wrong way.
Clyde:
A killer baker, he didn’t seem all that remorseful, in fact there wasn’t much emotion during the baking and poisoning at all, almost like it was clockwork. Some of his targets I kind of get, again it’s not justified, but I see why he was told to poison them.
The angel maker:
A nurse that spends 50 years helping people pass away, people that are on deaths door, or people that are in so much pain that death would be better but it’s not her job or choice to make, she doesn’t see it as killing, she sees it as helping.
Newman:
I hated this man the second I found out why he was in the asylum, and I hated him even more when he tried to justify it and said he was “collecting” fear. He didn’t deserve a painless death but, since that’s the deal it’s what he got. Newman was a vile man and it’s no shock as to why the warden restricted his meds and abused his power.
Jack:
The man himself nearly got killed because someone hired a hit man to get rid of him and the reason why was very anti-climactic so that was disappointing.
Madison:
A man with anger issues basically, no control over his emotions and snaps to rage pretty much immediately. The reason he ended up in the asylum? I get it, it doesn’t justify his actions or justify that he murdered someone, but I guess he followed that eye for an eye saying, I understand why he snapped, he just dealt with it in the wrong way.
Clyde:
A killer baker, he didn’t seem all that remorseful, in fact there wasn’t much emotion during the baking and poisoning at all, almost like it was clockwork. Some of his targets I kind of get, again it’s not justified, but I see why he was told to poison them.
The angel maker:
A nurse that spends 50 years helping people pass away, people that are on deaths door, or people that are in so much pain that death would be better but it’s not her job or choice to make, she doesn’t see it as killing, she sees it as helping.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2026
⭐️⭐️✨
Sometimes a book is so aggressively average that it’s hard to find anything specific to say about it.
Only Jack Knows was a fast read and kept me entertained enough to finish it in a day, but that’s about where my enthusiasm ends. The plot was fine. The characters were fine. The twists were fine.
Everything about this book was… fine.
I didn’t hate it, but I also don’t think I’ll remember much about it a month from now. It served its purpose as a palate cleanser between heavier reads, but it never rose above “meh” for me.
Overall, this lands at about a 2.5-star read for me: not bad, not particularly good, just firmly in the middle.
Sometimes a book is so aggressively average that it’s hard to find anything specific to say about it.
Only Jack Knows was a fast read and kept me entertained enough to finish it in a day, but that’s about where my enthusiasm ends. The plot was fine. The characters were fine. The twists were fine.
Everything about this book was… fine.
I didn’t hate it, but I also don’t think I’ll remember much about it a month from now. It served its purpose as a palate cleanser between heavier reads, but it never rose above “meh” for me.
Overall, this lands at about a 2.5-star read for me: not bad, not particularly good, just firmly in the middle.
February 3, 2026
A great read
I know this was supposed to be an audio book but it was still so good. I actually wish there was more to this book but I'll wait until another is published. A great book.
I know this was supposed to be an audio book but it was still so good. I actually wish there was more to this book but I'll wait until another is published. A great book.
April 28, 2026
Only Jack knows
Another excellent adventure with the master. Ever picture yourself sitting shotgun to a confession from a murderer? Here's your chance to sit beside a master crafter as he spins a yarn to keep you breathlessly in suspense. If you don't know Jack, you should.
Another excellent adventure with the master. Ever picture yourself sitting shotgun to a confession from a murderer? Here's your chance to sit beside a master crafter as he spins a yarn to keep you breathlessly in suspense. If you don't know Jack, you should.
June 21, 2026
I love these books!!
So far, I have loved every book by Jack Steen has written. Only Jack Knows is right there too. I love the confessions and back history of the patients. I am also glad Jack doesn't take any shit from said patients. You have GOT to read these book!
So far, I have loved every book by Jack Steen has written. Only Jack Knows is right there too. I love the confessions and back history of the patients. I am also glad Jack doesn't take any shit from said patients. You have GOT to read these book!
November 9, 2025
Brilliant, as always! Not as meaty as the confession's series, but that is to be expected of this format.
December 5, 2025
Pretty good for a quick read. Read it in one sitting.
December 18, 2025
Not as great as the other books but still enjoyable. I know it was supposed to be a podcast or whatever but the commentary threw me off to where I just skipped it all together
January 7, 2026
He never disappoints!!!
February 15, 2026
1.5🌟 - yeah sadly this just didn’t give much :(
February 15, 2026
Always love a book by Jack
March 8, 2026
Simple Thriller
Easy quick read that is a thriller of confessions. Worth the read if you want something quick and interesting to ready.
Easy quick read that is a thriller of confessions. Worth the read if you want something quick and interesting to ready.
April 11, 2026
Interesting and engaging stories. The confessions are pretty interesting. True stories are interesting
April 13, 2026
This whole series is easily consumable and I will continue to listen to whatever he puts out. They were made for audiobook consumption.
July 12, 2026
amazing
Loved this book. Very interesting. Keep me engaged. A great author. Can’t wait to read more books from him. H
Loved this book. Very interesting. Keep me engaged. A great author. Can’t wait to read more books from him. H
December 19, 2025
Awesome
This book is so good! The stories kept my attention the whole time. Jack made you feel as if you were right beside him listening to the patients.i have really enjoyed all of the asylum books.
This book is so good! The stories kept my attention the whole time. Jack made you feel as if you were right beside him listening to the patients.i have really enjoyed all of the asylum books.
October 10, 2025
Jack Steen, I absolutely love you and your books — there’s nothing you could write that I wouldn’t read. This one is an easy five stars. I really enjoyed learning your origin story; it ties everything together and adds so much depth to the world you’ve built throughout the series. I highly recommend reading or listening to this one to fully appreciate where Jack Steen’s story begins.
October 20, 2025
Erm yes please another confessions series, related to the original Asylum Confessions books?! Count me in BIG TIME!
This book is full of confessions that didn't make the cut in the original series, so he decided to make it a series on its own. Full of the dark, twisted and the needy. We learn how Jack came to be and we start off with the first ever confession, the one that's started it all, the one that was almost never.
The first chapter had me reeling!
We have a few confessions in this book, such as:
* Confession One: Newman "The Collector"
* Confession Two: That time there was a hit out on my life.
* Confession Three: The Dying Kind
* Confession Four: The Sweetest Revenge
* Confession Five: The Angel Maker
I absolutely love that we get an inside of Jack on this series, we get snippets here and there in the original series but in this one we get more and it's like we are seeing it first hand!
This book is full of confessions that didn't make the cut in the original series, so he decided to make it a series on its own. Full of the dark, twisted and the needy. We learn how Jack came to be and we start off with the first ever confession, the one that's started it all, the one that was almost never.
The first chapter had me reeling!
We have a few confessions in this book, such as:
* Confession One: Newman "The Collector"
* Confession Two: That time there was a hit out on my life.
* Confession Three: The Dying Kind
* Confession Four: The Sweetest Revenge
* Confession Five: The Angel Maker
I absolutely love that we get an inside of Jack on this series, we get snippets here and there in the original series but in this one we get more and it's like we are seeing it first hand!
June 10, 2026
A short but incredibly powerful read! Only Jack Knows offers a fantastic, chilling look into why Jack Steen decided to start transcribing and sharing these raw deathbed confessions from the asylum. It is a quick book, but it provides excellent insight and background that any fan of The Asylum Confession Files series will appreciate. Highly recommended if you want to understand the origins behind the night nurse's work!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews