Freida McFadden

Freida McFadden (born May 1, 1980) is an American thriller author and practicing physician specializing in brain injury. Freida McFadden is a pseudonym.^[1][2]

Early Life and Education

McFadden grew up in midtown Manhattan with one sibling. Her parents, who later divorced, both worked in the medical field. Her father was a psychiatrist and her mother a podiatrist. From an early age, McFadden expressed an interest in becoming a physician. She attended a highly competitive New York City high school, where she has later reflected on the academic rigor as formative to her work ethic^[3].

McFadden went on to study mathematics at Harvard University. She later attended medical school, pursuing a career in medicine while continuing to write fiction and submit manuscripts to publishers and literary agents. During this period, she balanced her academic training with creative writing, developing material that would later inform her early published work.

After completing her medical training, McFadden began self-publishing fiction. Her first novel, The Devil Wears Scrubs (2013), drew heavily on her experiences as a medical intern and was based in part on observations from clinical training. The novel marked the beginning of her writing career and established her interest in blending medical settings with narrative fiction.^[4][5]

Personal Life

McFadden has stated that her background as a physician has influenced her writing, particularly in her ability to depict medical scenarios accurately. She has also explained that maintaining a stable medical career earlier in her writing life gave her financial security and allowed her to invest in marketing her books. As her author career expanded, she reduced her clinical work and now practices medicine only part time, 1-2 days a week. Growing up in New York City, McFadden has noted that the city frequently serves as a setting for her novels. ^[6]

Popular Works

Her 2022 book The Housemaid was an international bestseller.^[7] A film adaptation of the novel is in production for Lionsgate, with Rebecca Sonnenshine writing the screenplay, and Hidden Pictures' Todd Lieberman and Alex Young producing.^[8][2] It is directed by Paul Feig, and the cast includes Sydney Sweeney as Millie, Amanda Seyfried as Nina, Brandon Sklenar as Andrew, Michele Morrone as Enzo. Filming began in January 2025, and it is scheduled to be released on December 25, 2025.^[9][10]

Works

Series

Dr. Jane McGill series

1. The Devil Wears Scrubs (15 December 2013)
2. The Devil You Know (28 May 2017)

Prescription: Murder series

1. Suicide Med (July 4, 2014)
2. Dead Med (Revised version of Suicide Med) (June 27, 2024)
3. Brain Damage (April 30, 2016)

The Housemaid series

1. The Housemaid (April 26, 2022)
2. The Housemaid's Secret (February 20, 2023)^[11]
3. The Housemaid Is Watching (June 11, 2024)
4. The Housemaid's Wedding (short story, November 22, 2024)

Standalone

• Baby City (25 April 2015) - co-written with Kelley Stoddard
• The Surrogate Mother (October 10, 2018)
• The Ex (February 18, 2019)
• The Perfect Son (October 8, 2019)
• The Wife Upstairs (March 23, 2020)
• One By One (July 13, 2020)
• Want to Know a Secret? (January 5, 2021)
• The Locked Door (June 1, 2021)
• Do Not Disturb (September 7, 2021)
• Do You Remember? (January 10, 2022)
• The Inmate (June 13, 2022)
• Never Lie (September 19, 2022)
• Ward D (May 8, 2023)
• The Co-Worker (August 29, 2023)
• The Teacher (February 6, 2024)
• The Boyfriend (October 1, 2024)
• The Crash (January 28, 2025)
• The Tenant (May 6, 2025)
• The Intruder (October 7, 2025)
• Dear Debbie (January 27, 2026)

Novellas

• The Gift (December 4, 2022)
• The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie: A Satire (August 12, 2024)
• Death Row (June 1, 2025)

Edited anthologies

• 11 out of 10 (2015)

In 2024 Suicide Med was re-released as Dead Med. Freida stated on Goodreads "It is the same book revised with a different title. I put a note saying so at the top and bottom of the Amazon blurb."^[12]

Awards

• 2023 International Thriller Writers Awards for The Housemaid in the category Best Paperback Original Novel^[13]
• 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards for The Housemaid's Secret in the category Best Mystery and Thriller^[14]

Personal life

McFadden lives outside Boston in a centuries old home overlooking the water. She resides with her husband, their two children, and cat.^[4][6]