What do you think?
Rate this book
Madhouse
Don’t talk to strangers.
Faced with his parents’s divorce, eleven-year-old Lucas runs away from his house with the hope that his family will get back together to find him. On his way walking through the empty streets, he is picked up by a mysterious woman who offers to take care of him and provide him with a loving family.
The boy then wakes up in shackles, confined to a bed in a decrepit house in the middle of nowhere and will have to face his deepest fears in order to survive in his new home.
Join Lucas in a desperate attempt to get back to his family in Madhouse, the first published book from horror-thriller author Miguel Estrada.
Faced with his parents’s divorce, eleven-year-old Lucas runs away from his house with the hope that his family will get back together to find him. On his way walking through the empty streets, he is picked up by a mysterious woman who offers to take care of him and provide him with a loving family.
The boy then wakes up in shackles, confined to a bed in a decrepit house in the middle of nowhere and will have to face his deepest fears in order to survive in his new home.
Join Lucas in a desperate attempt to get back to his family in Madhouse, the first published book from horror-thriller author Miguel Estrada.
116 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2017
3323 people are currently reading
4718 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 947 reviews
November 28, 2023
Miguel Estrada's Madhouse is quite the high intensity, rapid-fire read. The story is centered around an 11-year-old boy named Luis. His resilience and resourcefulness is put to the ultimate test when he finds himself trapped in a Madhouse with two homicidal psychopaths. He has two choices: do or die... What he encounters in his quest for survival is nothing short of maddening.
The ending brought the story full circle and I should have seen it coming. Lots of potential for a book #2. Just saying.
Recommend for a fast, suspenseful read - with plenty of gruesomeness mixed in.
The ending brought the story full circle and I should have seen it coming. Lots of potential for a book #2. Just saying.
Recommend for a fast, suspenseful read - with plenty of gruesomeness mixed in.
December 29, 2021
Eleven-year-old Lucas decides to runaway from home when he is told of his parent's divorce. He meets a woman who offers to provide him with a real family. Next thing he knows Lucas awakens shackled in an empty room on a dirty mattress. Lucas as to find a way to free himself and escape before it is too late. Nice short horror read.
😺😺😺
😺😺😺
September 16, 2019
Madhouse wasn't bad at all if one is looking for a nifty little horror novel. (Or I should say Novella). But for me it is just not my particular type of book. I was hoping it would be more psychological in nature, although with a title such as this, maybe I should have known.
Still the writing was good. Lucas is not just a young kidnapped boy. He has his own personality and he is frankly adorable with all the clever ways he finds to evade and hide from his kidnappers.
But for me the graphic violence and i n your face scares were just a bit to much. I do like YA Horror every so often bu t prefer books that are high on the eerie factor and psychological scares and low on the gore. This little book is packed with gore, corpses, creepy people and in your face blood. It also features quite a few chase scenes and that just isn't my style. But I enjoyed it for what it is.
Chances are someone who likes YA Horror and likes..perhaps..R.L Stine will most likely enjoy this. I did enjoy the quirky Lucas but really got a bit tired of all the above mentioned other stuff. Ending was to quick to after all the buildup. And a key question is not answered.
SPOILER:
Do the parents stay together?
Recommended for YA Horror fans. It is indeed scary!
Still the writing was good. Lucas is not just a young kidnapped boy. He has his own personality and he is frankly adorable with all the clever ways he finds to evade and hide from his kidnappers.
But for me the graphic violence and i n your face scares were just a bit to much. I do like YA Horror every so often bu t prefer books that are high on the eerie factor and psychological scares and low on the gore. This little book is packed with gore, corpses, creepy people and in your face blood. It also features quite a few chase scenes and that just isn't my style. But I enjoyed it for what it is.
Chances are someone who likes YA Horror and likes..perhaps..R.L Stine will most likely enjoy this. I did enjoy the quirky Lucas but really got a bit tired of all the above mentioned other stuff. Ending was to quick to after all the buildup. And a key question is not answered.
SPOILER:
Do the parents stay together?
Recommended for YA Horror fans. It is indeed scary!
November 14, 2021
This is a 3.5 star read.
March 27, 2024
Escape horror, quick to get to the action, gore.
An unusual protagonist for a horror story: Lucas is just 11 years old. I felt a bit queasy having him as the main person in strife. Normally for horror stories I like a high death toll. But not if they’re kids. On the other hand, authors are aware of this and tend to make them survive, which is a catch 22 cos you want the blood and gore but only for certain people. Horror movies are renowned for letting the kids survive. Well, then there’s Stephen King’s ‘It’, so there are some exceptions. I think Estrad takes this moral dilemma and makes it work.
So like the blurb says, Lucas is abducted whilst teaching his parents a lesson and wakes up in chains. Brutal. But Lucas is set up as a clever scamp who likes to sneak into places and scare people, and is a bit of a thinker. So the quest is: escape. Pretty quickly into the story, it becomes an escape mission and remains so.
I’d say it was realistic enough. A couple of situations I let go, mostly cos a lot of criminals are stupid so why not. The characterisation of Lucas and the psychopath(s) is done pretty well. For Lucas there was a lot of thinking his way through it. A couple of times it switches into adult thinking mode, eg, “the labels showed such complicated names that he doubted anyone without a Ph.D. could even pronounce them.” I don’t think a kid that age understands much about Ph.D’s. Or at least I didn’t at that age. But overall he was a bright kid stuck fighting through his worst ordeal.
The action scenes were 10/10. I was all in. I especially liked the bit involving the cop and the implications. The blood and gore was good too. It was too sad at some points, it really took some detachment to get through. But it was done tastefully.
I think readers who are impatient to get to the action and can sacrifice some lead up would enjoy this book.
An unusual protagonist for a horror story: Lucas is just 11 years old. I felt a bit queasy having him as the main person in strife. Normally for horror stories I like a high death toll. But not if they’re kids. On the other hand, authors are aware of this and tend to make them survive, which is a catch 22 cos you want the blood and gore but only for certain people. Horror movies are renowned for letting the kids survive. Well, then there’s Stephen King’s ‘It’, so there are some exceptions. I think Estrad takes this moral dilemma and makes it work.
So like the blurb says, Lucas is abducted whilst teaching his parents a lesson and wakes up in chains. Brutal. But Lucas is set up as a clever scamp who likes to sneak into places and scare people, and is a bit of a thinker. So the quest is: escape. Pretty quickly into the story, it becomes an escape mission and remains so.
I’d say it was realistic enough. A couple of situations I let go, mostly cos a lot of criminals are stupid so why not. The characterisation of Lucas and the psychopath(s) is done pretty well. For Lucas there was a lot of thinking his way through it. A couple of times it switches into adult thinking mode, eg, “the labels showed such complicated names that he doubted anyone without a Ph.D. could even pronounce them.” I don’t think a kid that age understands much about Ph.D’s. Or at least I didn’t at that age. But overall he was a bright kid stuck fighting through his worst ordeal.
The action scenes were 10/10. I was all in. I especially liked the bit involving the cop and the implications. The blood and gore was good too. It was too sad at some points, it really took some detachment to get through. But it was done tastefully.
I think readers who are impatient to get to the action and can sacrifice some lead up would enjoy this book.
March 6, 2020
My initial reaction "review" to this was just "Not bad." It's been almost a year since then and I really wish I'd left myself better notes to go off of than that, because I don't remember much of anything about this book... and sadly, I guess that's a review in and of itself. I remember being fairly amused by it, and it's a really quick read (that's free in the kindle store), so check it out for yourself as you have nothing to lose! That said, I just don't think it struck anything in me enough to really recommend it. I'm still leaving my original rating of 3 stars because I don't think it's fair to lower it just because it wasn't memorable.
June 4, 2023
This novella is definitely worth reading!!! This story follows Lucas through finding out his parents are divorcing and he then decides to run away. What happens to him next is unthinkable and the twists in this book will surprise you!!! I hope you love it as much as I did!!
September 18, 2025
3.5 stars. This was ok for me. The writing was on point and the premise was sound. I just...struggled to find much of a point. Lucas was kidnapped and in a house of horrors. I get that and all, but there needed to be much more purpose and context. Again, the story was good and I enjoyed the uncomfortable details and situations that Lucas was placed in, but it just needed some more padding. The ending also felt very abrupt and rushed, too. Too much focus on the occurrences inside the house and not enough on the supporting aspects of the book. Not bad at all but needed to be longer and more developed or retooled to fine-tune what was there.
March 24, 2018
I really wanted to like this book but I found it hard to get through. It just could not hold my interest at all.
December 6, 2020
Madhouse is a nice and quick read and the plot was engaging at kept me turning that page. A story that has dysfunctional families at its core and the vulnerability of children. Lucas is a little boy full of life until he hears his parents exchanging cross words in the family home. What child wants to think about his parents splitting up? What child wants to spend his time in two different households? What child wouldn’t do anything to keep his parents together? Lucas’ methods aren’t entirely sensible but alas they are the actions of a child and it is the actions of grown adults that are completely to blame here.
Madhouse is a great premise for horror fans and it isn’t without its scenes of gore and torture. I enjoy these tropes ordinarily but at points it was hard reading when it was involving a child. It didn’t ruin it for me per say it just made the read slightly more challenging. In a different setting it would have worked to its advantage.
Lucas’ upset made him come up with a plan to disappear for a while. His parent’s anguish would bring them together and they would realise what they were throwing away. But little did Lucas know that running away would be the easy part. The boy has a real fear of the dark of but it’s alright for the time being because of the street lighting. He is approached by a kindly woman in her car, aged in her fifties and offers to give him a ride. One thing is for certain – he should have listened to the advice his mum gave him. He is drugged from the air vents in the car and when he comes to is shackled in a room he does not recognise.
He doesn’t see the woman again for some time. He is introduced to a great hulk of a man, Martin. He agrees to untie the boy so long as he doesn’t pull a fast one, otherwise, he and his butcher’s knife will be having some fun…yeah really nice guy! Lucas knows that he has to find a way to escape. At this point you have to admire the guts this boy has. What happens after this point is nothing other than a game of cat and mouse. Revelations are discovered and meeting a waif of an old woman who seems to be Martin’s mother. The house is full of secrets and The Madhouse holds secrets that Lucas will wish he never discovered.
Madhouse is a great premise for horror fans and it isn’t without its scenes of gore and torture. I enjoy these tropes ordinarily but at points it was hard reading when it was involving a child. It didn’t ruin it for me per say it just made the read slightly more challenging. In a different setting it would have worked to its advantage.
Lucas’ upset made him come up with a plan to disappear for a while. His parent’s anguish would bring them together and they would realise what they were throwing away. But little did Lucas know that running away would be the easy part. The boy has a real fear of the dark of but it’s alright for the time being because of the street lighting. He is approached by a kindly woman in her car, aged in her fifties and offers to give him a ride. One thing is for certain – he should have listened to the advice his mum gave him. He is drugged from the air vents in the car and when he comes to is shackled in a room he does not recognise.
He doesn’t see the woman again for some time. He is introduced to a great hulk of a man, Martin. He agrees to untie the boy so long as he doesn’t pull a fast one, otherwise, he and his butcher’s knife will be having some fun…yeah really nice guy! Lucas knows that he has to find a way to escape. At this point you have to admire the guts this boy has. What happens after this point is nothing other than a game of cat and mouse. Revelations are discovered and meeting a waif of an old woman who seems to be Martin’s mother. The house is full of secrets and The Madhouse holds secrets that Lucas will wish he never discovered.
March 13, 2022
Lucas is a young boy who decides to run away from home after hearing his parents fighting. He leaves in the middle of the night and encounters a beautiful woman who offers to take him to her house. But as he's in her car, he realizes something isn't right. After being drugged, he wakes up in a room that isn't his to angry adults that aren't his parents. Will Lucas be able to escape and live to see his parents again?
The author did a good job at writing Lucas with an interesting personality and making him relatable. I was hoping for a bit more psychological horror, but this was mostly graphic violence with gore and rotting bodies. There were also several chase scenes that I found it difficult to become immersed in. Unfortunately, the ending was also clearly broadcasted from very early on in the work. Also, the author said things like, "She was beautiful, as much as a woman in her fifties could be." Comments like this are antiquated and unnecessary.
There were several errors throughout the work. The author also utilized a repetitive sentence structure that made the work boring, taking away from the suspense it was supposed to have. Overall, the work could use a good editing.
The author did a good job at writing Lucas with an interesting personality and making him relatable. I was hoping for a bit more psychological horror, but this was mostly graphic violence with gore and rotting bodies. There were also several chase scenes that I found it difficult to become immersed in. Unfortunately, the ending was also clearly broadcasted from very early on in the work. Also, the author said things like, "She was beautiful, as much as a woman in her fifties could be." Comments like this are antiquated and unnecessary.
There were several errors throughout the work. The author also utilized a repetitive sentence structure that made the work boring, taking away from the suspense it was supposed to have. Overall, the work could use a good editing.
January 11, 2018
I really enjoyed this short story.
Lucas is a lovely kid who is mixed up because his mum and dad arn't getting on. His plan of running away in the hope of keeping them together seriously backfires when he is picked up by a strange woman who wants him to become part of her family.
From the moment that Lucas wakens in the house, I was screaming in my head for him to get out. When he meets the woman's husband, I think I was as scared of him as poor Lucas.
To say this is a short read, I really didn't feel like it was rushed or missing anything. Lucas's situation played in my head just like a horror film would do. I wasn't expecting some of the surprising twists either.
A great little read for lovers of horror/mystery that want a quick fix in this genre.
Lucas is a lovely kid who is mixed up because his mum and dad arn't getting on. His plan of running away in the hope of keeping them together seriously backfires when he is picked up by a strange woman who wants him to become part of her family.
From the moment that Lucas wakens in the house, I was screaming in my head for him to get out. When he meets the woman's husband, I think I was as scared of him as poor Lucas.
To say this is a short read, I really didn't feel like it was rushed or missing anything. Lucas's situation played in my head just like a horror film would do. I wasn't expecting some of the surprising twists either.
A great little read for lovers of horror/mystery that want a quick fix in this genre.
October 5, 2024
This was an interesting one. It certainly surprised me a lot. It’s about a boy that runs away from home and gets kidnapped, the horrors he faces and how he gets away. But it was more than that, it had a mystery element to it as well as horror themes. The main character is a badass he’s so strong and wicked smart for his age. And I think that’s definitely what saved him in the end. It’s a book that I’ll keep thinking about for a while I think 🤔.
December 14, 2017
Too much unnecessary descriptions, causing you to actually be less able to follow the story. The description of the house had me completely confused. True the story goes fast, but that didn't make it good. For a book that was supposed to be a quick read, it was agony to finish the last 15 minutes.
March 31, 2025
Was a nice read, i knew in the end what was gonna happen but still a enjoyable read
December 29, 2017
Okay this story was amazing. I started reading this late at night with intentions on finishing it another day and couldn't put it down.
The story followes along with a young kid, Lucas, who in the midst of running away from home in an attempt to teach his divorcing parents a lessons gets kidnapped and taken in by a psychotic family.
This story kept me interested throughout and had a fabolous plot twist at the end that I didn't see coming which I suppose I should have. Although unlikely I would love to see a follow up to this story. It would be interesting to see how this event will shape him as a teen and adult.
The story followes along with a young kid, Lucas, who in the midst of running away from home in an attempt to teach his divorcing parents a lessons gets kidnapped and taken in by a psychotic family.
This story kept me interested throughout and had a fabolous plot twist at the end that I didn't see coming which I suppose I should have. Although unlikely I would love to see a follow up to this story. It would be interesting to see how this event will shape him as a teen and adult.
March 23, 2024
My thoughts: Wow! This was an absolutely incredible short read full of terrifying action, psychotic characters and twists and turns.
Poor Lucas feels that his only option to keep his parents together is to run away, however if he knew what horror lay waiting for him in the shadows, he would of remained tucked up in the safety of his bed.
When I tell you that the last few pages had me absolutely gagged!! I honestly did not see the final twist coming. 😱
I really recommend this as a nice quick fire read for my horror loving girlies ☠️
Poor Lucas feels that his only option to keep his parents together is to run away, however if he knew what horror lay waiting for him in the shadows, he would of remained tucked up in the safety of his bed.
When I tell you that the last few pages had me absolutely gagged!! I honestly did not see the final twist coming. 😱
I really recommend this as a nice quick fire read for my horror loving girlies ☠️
October 3, 2019
It was okay. Some of the scenarios were A bit ridiculous but it was an easy read.
February 29, 2020
This was better than I expected! What a chilling ending, and it was quick and engaging overall.
October 5, 2023
I actually really enjoyed this book.
October 7, 2020
A spooky short little horror novella.
Not terrible, and not great.
Probably actually a 3.5 rating, but I rounded up.
Not terrible, and not great.
Probably actually a 3.5 rating, but I rounded up.
November 25, 2024
Not very wauw but luckily it was very short
January 31, 2019
Suspenseful Quick Read
For such a short story, it kept me hooked the entire time. Usually short stories feel rushed and like a lot has been left out to complete it so quickly, but I didn't feel like that with this one. Would I have liked to have read more? Yes! But that's a sign of a good author, writing and story, when you want more, but I felt fulfilled and not dissatisfied. It was suspenseful, I wouldn't say horror filled, but still a really good, gripping read. Even more so for a free Kindle read. The ending I should've seen coming as there were hints, but I didn't. Nice!
If you're looking for a good, suspenseful quick read, then I definitely recommend!
For such a short story, it kept me hooked the entire time. Usually short stories feel rushed and like a lot has been left out to complete it so quickly, but I didn't feel like that with this one. Would I have liked to have read more? Yes! But that's a sign of a good author, writing and story, when you want more, but I felt fulfilled and not dissatisfied. It was suspenseful, I wouldn't say horror filled, but still a really good, gripping read. Even more so for a free Kindle read. The ending I should've seen coming as there were hints, but I didn't. Nice!
If you're looking for a good, suspenseful quick read, then I definitely recommend!
April 19, 2021
This is a great short story that manages a good job of keeping you on the edge of your seat.
"Madhouse" by Miguel Estrada begins with something as simple as a misunderstanding, that soon turns into an all out nightmare and it manages to save the horror for last.
Well written building smoothly and quickly into a frenzy of action. The characters are really well defined and behave accordingly to type.
A fun, fast read that promises to deliver from start to finish and for it's size does not disappoint.
"Madhouse" by Miguel Estrada begins with something as simple as a misunderstanding, that soon turns into an all out nightmare and it manages to save the horror for last.
Well written building smoothly and quickly into a frenzy of action. The characters are really well defined and behave accordingly to type.
A fun, fast read that promises to deliver from start to finish and for it's size does not disappoint.
November 5, 2017
Predictable
You could guess the ending from early on. Wasn't much on horror to the story and something's just didn't make sense like the author kept referring to the giant as being a hundred pounds
You could guess the ending from early on. Wasn't much on horror to the story and something's just didn't make sense like the author kept referring to the giant as being a hundred pounds
December 31, 2017
Another short story as I was still not ready to move onto anything heavy from Shearwater just yet. My first love of books was horror and this little story provided just enough horror and fear to make a good stop gap night time read. With a cheeky little twist at the end too.
June 21, 2019
Featured at The Review Period with Cat Ellington from 2019-06-05 - 2019-06-20, Madhouse by Miguel Estrada has been archived for its place in the Reviews by Cat Ellington Complete anthology book series.
• The Review Period with Cat Ellington: https://catellington.blogspot.com/
• The Review Period with Cat Ellington: https://catellington.blogspot.com/
January 19, 2026
The only reason this is getting 2 stars instead of one is because the twist was good at the end ngl… other than that, this was simply just a quick read so I stay out of a slump. The premise was good! But the execution wasn’t there.
Lucas being 11 years old and terrified of the dark; so much so that it was limiting his abilities to survive irritated me. I get it, he’s 11, but you’d think his survival instincts wouldn’t care about the dark and rather his survival.
This was recommended to me as one of those books that would terrify me; so much so that I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, and it definitely DIDN’T do that. It wasn’t scary, it was just sad and disturbing. The little boy in the basement, the fact that these psychopaths kidnapped and tortured children to death, and Tania’s (Martins mom) death were just sad. And the way they described the death scenes and dead body’s was just horrific. Legit, but horrific.
The one thing I hated most though was the outline of the house. IT WAS SO CONFUSING. I didn’t know where we were half the time, so I just stopped thinking about it because it was ticking me off.
Also, Lucas fell so many times but was able to pick himself back up, and I’m just like… hello?? Physics where?? He has to have a million broken bones, yet leaves the house with a broken leg from jumping off the roof. (Which again confused me because he made it seem like the roof was one of those super slanted ones and that his room was soooo high up when it wasn’t??)
Can we also talk about how the police should’ve arrested the Anderson as soon as that fire killed their baby Eva and when Lucas got taken away from them?? Idk…
Like I said, the twist at the end gave it some redemption in my opinion. Lucas being Martin and Bella’s son??? Jeez.
Overall, this reminded me a lot of both Coraline(because of Bella’s black hair and boney description) & the game Granny (the house specifically).
Lucas being 11 years old and terrified of the dark; so much so that it was limiting his abilities to survive irritated me. I get it, he’s 11, but you’d think his survival instincts wouldn’t care about the dark and rather his survival.
This was recommended to me as one of those books that would terrify me; so much so that I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, and it definitely DIDN’T do that. It wasn’t scary, it was just sad and disturbing. The little boy in the basement, the fact that these psychopaths kidnapped and tortured children to death, and Tania’s (Martins mom) death were just sad. And the way they described the death scenes and dead body’s was just horrific. Legit, but horrific.
The one thing I hated most though was the outline of the house. IT WAS SO CONFUSING. I didn’t know where we were half the time, so I just stopped thinking about it because it was ticking me off.
Also, Lucas fell so many times but was able to pick himself back up, and I’m just like… hello?? Physics where?? He has to have a million broken bones, yet leaves the house with a broken leg from jumping off the roof. (Which again confused me because he made it seem like the roof was one of those super slanted ones and that his room was soooo high up when it wasn’t??)
Can we also talk about how the police should’ve arrested the Anderson as soon as that fire killed their baby Eva and when Lucas got taken away from them?? Idk…
Like I said, the twist at the end gave it some redemption in my opinion. Lucas being Martin and Bella’s son??? Jeez.
Overall, this reminded me a lot of both Coraline(because of Bella’s black hair and boney description) & the game Granny (the house specifically).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2024
This is a horror novella (just over 100 pages) so it’s very quick to get to the violence and gore.
As a short horror novella I thought it was a very good read and I was very intrigued to see how it ended. Usually the horror books I read don’t involve children as the main protagonist and it definitely made the suspense filled moments that much more tense. But the suspense and sweaty palms is usually why we read horror books just like watching horror movies.
I thought the world building was very descriptive and even though this is a short read I didn’t feel like the story was rushed at all. The action scenes were very good and also very descriptive, so keep that in mind if you’re a bit squeamish.
If you’re looking for a quick horror novella that’s easy to read and full of suspense, then definitely check out this book.
As a short horror novella I thought it was a very good read and I was very intrigued to see how it ended. Usually the horror books I read don’t involve children as the main protagonist and it definitely made the suspense filled moments that much more tense. But the suspense and sweaty palms is usually why we read horror books just like watching horror movies.
I thought the world building was very descriptive and even though this is a short read I didn’t feel like the story was rushed at all. The action scenes were very good and also very descriptive, so keep that in mind if you’re a bit squeamish.
If you’re looking for a quick horror novella that’s easy to read and full of suspense, then definitely check out this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 947 reviews