Freida McFadden

Also known as Sara Cohen

Propelled by tight plotting and sharp suspense, psychological thrillers featuring domestic secrets and rapid twists have become a major fixture on bestseller lists worldwide. The breakout success of The Housemaid established Freida McFadden as a prominent voice in modern mystery fiction, earning top positions across major publishing charts.

Writing under her pen name, McFadden—the pseudonym of physician Sara Cohen—has reached #1 on bestseller lists from the New York Times, Amazon Charts, USA Today, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, and Publisher's Weekly. Her works have been translated into more than 45 languages and recognized among Amazon Editors' best books of the year.

Career & Background

Born Sara Cohen on May 1, 1980, in New York City, McFadden studied at Harvard University and Stony Brook University before completing medical training and practicing as a physician. She began her literary career in 2013 by self-publishing medical humor novels alongside dark domestic thrillers, balancing hospital work with fiction writing for nearly a decade.

Her 2022 novel The Housemaid marked a turning point in her publishing career, remaining on global bestseller lists for months and sparking sequels such as The Housemaid Is Watching. Following the adaptation of her work for a Lionsgate feature film starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, she transitioned to writing full-time. Honored with the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback Original and a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Thriller, McFadden resides with her family and cat in a centuries-old three-story oceanfront home with creaking staircases.

Writing Style & Themes

McFadden's thrillers typically center on everyday environments—including suburban homes, high schools, locked hospital wards, and remote properties—where mundane routines conceal hidden motives. Her narratives frequently employ unreliable narrators, short chapters, fast pacing, and late-stage plot twists that recontextualize earlier events.

Drawing directly on her background in medicine, McFadden often incorporates clinical settings and medical procedure details into her psychological suspense. Works like Ward D showcase her use of healthcare environments to generate claustrophobic tension, while standalone thrillers such as The Teacher, Never Lie, and The Boyfriend examine themes of trust, professional ethics, and deception in intimate relationships.

Major Works

The Housemaid — Published in 2022, this international bestseller follows a struggling woman who takes a live-in position for a wealthy family with dangerous secrets. The novel won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback Original and was selected for a film adaptation.
The Housemaid Is Watching — A bestseller continuing the suspenseful narrative of the Housemaid series as secrets surface in a new suburban neighborhood.
The Teacher — A high-stakes psychological thriller revolving around scandals, secrets, and shifting loyalties within a high school faculty and student body.
Never Lie — A locked-room style suspense novel about a newlywed couple stranded at the estate of a missing psychiatrist, where archived audio tapes uncover unsettling revelations.
Ward D — A medical psychological thriller set during an overnight shift in a locked psychiatric ward, leveraging McFadden's background as a physician.
The Boyfriend — A psychological thriller focused on dark secrets and hidden agendas emerging within a new romantic relationship.

Freida McFadden

Also known as Sara Cohen

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The Housemaid — Published in 2022, this international bestseller follows a struggling woman who takes a live-in position for a wealthy family with dangerous secrets. The novel won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback Original and was selected for a film adaptation.
The Housemaid Is Watching — A bestseller continuing the suspenseful narrative of the Housemaid series as secrets surface in a new suburban neighborhood.
The Teacher — A high-stakes psychological thriller revolving around scandals, secrets, and shifting loyalties within a high school faculty and student body.
Never Lie — A locked-room style suspense novel about a newlywed couple stranded at the estate of a missing psychiatrist, where archived audio tapes uncover unsettling revelations.
Ward D — A medical psychological thriller set during an overnight shift in a locked psychiatric ward, leveraging McFadden's background as a physician.
The Boyfriend — A psychological thriller focused on dark secrets and hidden agendas emerging within a new romantic relationship.

Freida McFadden

Also known as Sara Cohen

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The Housemaid — Published in 2022, this international bestseller follows a struggling woman who takes a live-in position for a wealthy family with dangerous secrets. The novel won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback Original and was selected for a film adaptation.
The Housemaid Is Watching — A bestseller continuing the suspenseful narrative of the Housemaid series as secrets surface in a new suburban neighborhood.
The Teacher — A high-stakes psychological thriller revolving around scandals, secrets, and shifting loyalties within a high school faculty and student body.
Never Lie — A locked-room style suspense novel about a newlywed couple stranded at the estate of a missing psychiatrist, where archived audio tapes uncover unsettling revelations.
Ward D — A medical psychological thriller set during an overnight shift in a locked psychiatric ward, leveraging McFadden's background as a physician.
The Boyfriend — A psychological thriller focused on dark secrets and hidden agendas emerging within a new romantic relationship.

Freida McFadden

Also known as Sara Cohen

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The Housemaid — Published in 2022, this international bestseller follows a struggling woman who takes a live-in position for a wealthy family with dangerous secrets. The novel won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback Original and was selected for a film adaptation.
The Housemaid Is Watching — A bestseller continuing the suspenseful narrative of the Housemaid series as secrets surface in a new suburban neighborhood.
The Teacher — A high-stakes psychological thriller revolving around scandals, secrets, and shifting loyalties within a high school faculty and student body.
Never Lie — A locked-room style suspense novel about a newlywed couple stranded at the estate of a missing psychiatrist, where archived audio tapes uncover unsettling revelations.
Ward D — A medical psychological thriller set during an overnight shift in a locked psychiatric ward, leveraging McFadden's background as a physician.
The Boyfriend — A psychological thriller focused on dark secrets and hidden agendas emerging within a new romantic relationship.

Freida McFadden

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The Housemaid

The Boyfriend

The Teacher

The Housemaid Is Watching

The Divorce

Dear Debbie

The Teacher: A Psychological Thriller

Never Lie

Ward D

The Inmate: A gripping psychological thriller

The Intruder

Freida McFadden

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The Housemaid

The Boyfriend

The Teacher

The Housemaid Is Watching

The Divorce

Dear Debbie

The Teacher: A Psychological Thriller

Never Lie

Ward D

The Inmate: A gripping psychological thriller

The Intruder

For authors

Elsewhere

Freida McFadden

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The Housemaid

The Boyfriend

The Teacher

The Housemaid Is Watching

The Divorce

Dear Debbie

The Teacher: A Psychological Thriller

Never Lie

Ward D

The Inmate: A gripping psychological thriller

The Intruder

Freida McFadden

Career & Background

Writing Style & Themes

Major Works

The Housemaid

The Boyfriend

The Teacher

The Housemaid Is Watching

The Divorce

Dear Debbie

The Teacher: A Psychological Thriller

Never Lie

Ward D

The Inmate: A gripping psychological thriller

The Intruder