The Best Freida McFadden Books Ranked in Order

1. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor. I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day.

But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband. I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

My Rating: ★★★★★

I read this book in 48 hours. I couldn’t put it down.

If I wasn’t working, I probably would have read the whole thing in one sitting.

I’ve seen this book everywhere and now I know why.

I haven’t read a psychological thriller like this since The Silent Patient. I’m now very obsessed with Freida McFadden books.

2. The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden

It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It’s almost perfect.

But I still haven’t met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything….

My Rating: ★★★★★

After reading The Housemaid, I’ll say that this second instalment wasn’t as good as the first. But I think that’s because I left so much time between reading this and the first one.

I was getting a little confused by the characters, but it still had all the same dramatic twists and turns that you didn’t see coming which made it a 5-star read again.

3. Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan are searching for the house of their dreams. But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate… with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end.

In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.

My Rating: ★★★★★

This was one of the best Freida McFadden books by a mile, full of her signature twists and turns that you feel stupid not noticing.

The final twist at the end was the icing on the cake.

With so little characters in the book, I was kicking myself for not seeing the twist coming. But that’s what makes Freida so good!!

4. The Teacher by Freida McFadden

In The Teacher by Freida McFadden, high school math teacher Eve appears to live a normal life, until the scandal of a student-teacher affair at Caseham High shakes everything.

At the centre is Addie, a troubled student with a dangerous reputation. But beneath the rumours lies a tangled web of secrets, manipulation, and revenge. As Eve digs deeper, she discovers that nothing is as it seems, and trusting the wrong person could be deadly.

My Rating: ★★★★★

I’ve read quite a few of the best Freida McFadden books by now and I always compare each book to The Housemaid, the first book I read from her.

I am SO glad to say that The Teacher is up there with The Housemaid and Never Lie, one of the best Freida McFadden books I’ve read in a while!

The twist at the end completely got me.

5. Want to Know A Secret? by Freida McFadden

Influencer and baking sensation April Masterson knows the secret to the perfect gooey brownies. Or how to make key lime squares that will melt in your mouth. But if you keep watching her offline, you may find out some other secrets about April. Secrets she’d rather you didn’t know.

Like… Where did her son go when he snuck out late at night? What was she doing with the local soccer coach behind fogged windows?

And what’s buried in her backyard? April’s secrets are enough to destroy her.

My Rating: ★★★★★

This was one of my favourite Freida McFadden books in a while, and was a 5/5 read, easily. It was fast-paced with characters you don’t know whether to love or hate, and with those frustrating scenes that make you want to scream at the character for being so oblivious.

The twist at the end took me by complete surprise, it was perfect.

6. The Tenant by Freida McFadden

The Tenant by Freida McFadden is a chilling psychological thriller about Blake Porter, who, after losing his job, rents out a room in his brownstone to the seemingly perfect Whitney. But as unsettling things begin happening. Strange smells, eerie noises, and paranoid neighbours.

Blake starts to suspect his new tenant knows more than she should. And danger might be closer than he ever imagined.

My Rating: ★★★★

Freida McFadden is so back with her newest release, The Tenant. The storyline was definitely reminiscent of The Housemaid, which made it even more of a page-turner for me.

It was also full of Freida’s usual twists and turns and I was eating up every page. One of the best Freida McFadden books!

7. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction. Or at least, she did.

These days, Debbie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie’s done being the bigger person. It’s time to take her own advice.

My Rating: ★★★★

Freida McFadden’s newest release and you know I can’t resist miss Freida McFadden. This is the 15th book of hers that I’ve read now and I highly enjoyed it. It was comical in parts and almost part satire, but I loved crazy Debbie and how she quietly destroyed everyone that underestimated her.

I loved the twists that Freida McFadden is famous for and that I fall for every single time. One of the best Freida McFadden books that I’ve read recently.

8. The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden

A family’s dream home quickly turns into a nightmare in the latest instalment in The Housemaid series. When the protagonist moves into a picturesque suburban neighbourhood, she’s determined to leave her troubled past behind. But unsettling encounters like an eerie maid, a cryptic warning from a neighbour, and her husband’s mysterious late-night outings, make her question whether their new home is truly safe.

As strange events escalate, she realizes that the quiet street may be hiding sinister secrets, and her past might not be as far behind as she thought.

My Rating: ★★★★

I finally got my hands on the 3rd instalment in the Housemaid series by Freida McFadden!

While this book wasn’t as good as the first in the series (will anything ever be?!) It was nice to follow along with the Housemaid years later. Even if it did take me a while to remember the characters and who was who.

9. The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden

Erika Cass has a perfect family and a perfect life. Until, one quiet evening, two detectives show up at her front door. “Mrs. Cass, we were hoping your son could answer a few questions about the girl who disappeared last night…”

Erika has always sensed something… different in her seemingly perfect oldest child. He’s charming, smart, and popular, but mothers have the best instincts, and Erika knows there’s more to her son than meets the eye.

My Rating: ★★★★

This was another constant page turner for me and I read 75% of the book in one sitting, unable to put it down. Of course, I’ve read so much of Freida McFadden’s work that I know that the obvious culprit is always the decoy and that it’s probably the person you least expect with a great twist.

I will say the twist in The Perfect Son was great, but that we didn’t really get that much explanation as to why it was this person in the end.

10. The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

The Locked Door by Freida McFadden is a gripping psychological thriller about surgeon Nora Davis, whose father was a notorious serial killer.

When a young patient is murdered in the same shocking way, Nora becomes a target in a deadly game of suspicion and secrets.

Full of twists, tension, and suspense, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat.

My Rating: ★★★★

The Locked Door is fast-paced, twisty, and had me turning the pages way past bedtime. The premise about the daughter of a serial killer who’s now a surgeon, is creepy and compelling.

And while some of the twists were a bit over the top, it was just so addictive to read. If you love a psychological thriller that keeps you guessing, this is a fun one.

11. The Coworker by Freida McFadden

Two women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can’t be taken back.

Dawn Schiff is strange. At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.

So when Dawn doesn’t show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell (beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running) is surprised.

Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything…

My Rating: ★★★★

I picked The Coworker up in a mystery bookstore while I was in New York and believe this is her most recent release.

While the book was full of the usual Freida McFadden twists, turns and suspense, it just wasn’t as good as The Housemaid, so had to give it four stars.

Still enjoyable, but it’s going to take a lot for something to come as close to The Housemaid series.

12. The Divorce by Freida McFadden

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family.

Then, he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something.

It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life.

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession, and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

My Rating: ★★★★

I don’t know how Freida McFadden does it, but she’s somehow able to churn out thriller after thriller about three times per year and each one has me on the edge of my seat, every single time.

The Divorce was another page-turner, and up there with one of my favourite Freida McFadden books as I had no idea where the book was headed. I love that right up until the very final chapter, you’ll still be guessing as to how the book is going to end. I was hooked!

13. The Intruder by Freida McFadden

Casey’s cabin in the wilderness is not built for a hurricane. Her roof shakes, the lights flicker, and the tree outside her front door sways ominously in the wind. But she’s a lot more worried about the girl she discovers lurking outside her kitchen window.

She’s young. She’s alone.

And she’s covered in blood.

My Rating: ★★★★

Classic Freida chaos. Fast-paced, twist-heavy, utterly unhinged in the best way.

I flew through this in one sitting, suspicious of absolutely everyone.

The ending borders on outrageous, but honestly, that’s part of the fun. Perfect palate cleanser when you want pure entertainment.

14. Ward D by Freida McFadden

Medical student Amy Brenner reluctantly spends a night on the psychiatric Ward D, harbouring secret reasons for her dread.

As patients and staff mysteriously disappear, Amy realizes that something sinister is happening, putting everyone, including herself, in grave danger.

My Rating: ★★★★

Ward D was just as gripping as a lot of the other best Freida McFadden books on this list with so many twists and turns that I didn’t expect.

But there were a few that I guessed along the way as the book progressed, which made some of the twists a little unexpected.

Plus there was the classic moment when the main character could have escaped, but chose not to. Why?!

15. The Surrogate Mother by Freida McFadden

Abby wants a baby more than anything. But after years of failed infertility treatments and adoptions that have fallen through, it seems like motherhood is not in her future. That is, until her personal assistant Monica makes a generous offer to serve as a surrogate.

But soon, strange things start happening. And it turns out Monica isn’t who she says she is. The woman now carrying Abby’s child has an unspeakable secret. And she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

My Rating: ★★★★

I believe this is my 19th Freida McFadden book, so I’m very close to completing her entire catalogue now. As expected, The Surrogate Mother was very fast-paced and kept me hooked throughout to see what happened next. It was one of those books that was almost annoying me because I felt like screaming at the characters in the book to wake up or do something that they clearly should have been doing.

The twists were excellent but I do feel because now I’ve read so many of Freida’s books that I’m always looking at the obscure characters as the culprits and I’m slowing ruining the enjoyment of her books for myself.

16. The Inmate by Freida McFadden

There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men’s maximum-security:
1. Treat all prisoners with respect. 2. Never reveal any personal information. 3. Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.

But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary’s most notorious and dangerous inmates.

My Rating: ★★★★

This was another gripping thriller that didn’t disappoint. The ‘whodunnit’ element was a little too obvious in this book, since there only seemed to be two possibilities.

It did twist a little at the end, but it was missing the shocking twists that I’m used to. However, the last chapter did a little bit of chill, so I was happy with how it ended.

17. The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it all: men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can’t shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.

Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He’s charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital.

Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.

Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems.

My Rating: ★★★

This is one of the more popular Freida McFadden books, but after reading 18 of her books, this didn’t rank near the top for me.

Maybe because I’ve now read so many of her books, I know what to look for and can kind of predict the twists and turns and the prime suspects so it takes most of the fun out of the novel.

In saying that, I love how I can read Freida McFadden books so quickly because the chapters are so short, as well as the sentences which makes you not want to put the book down. As always, an enjoyable read from Freida but just not one of my favourites.

18. The Crash by Freida McFadden

The Crash is a chilling psychological thriller about Tegan, a pregnant woman fleeing her troubled life who ends up stranded in a snowstorm. Rescued by a seemingly kind couple in rural Maine, she soon realizes their cabin isn’t the safe haven she thought.

As her situation grows more sinister, Tegan must fight to survive and protect her unborn child in a place far more dangerous than she could have imagined.

My Rating: ★★★

Not one of the best Freida McFadden books, I hate to say. Sometimes I read Freida’s books and I think it could have been written by someone in high school. The sentences are so short and simple, but that’s also what makes it so easy to read and quick to get through.

It’s hard not to compare every book to The Housemaid, but this was nowhere near the bar she’s set from that.

19. Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden

Quinn Alexander has committed an unthinkable crime. To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel.

Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She’ll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom.

But first, she must survive the night.

My Rating: ★★★

Pure Freida McFadden: fast, twisty, slightly unhinged.

However, this one feels more pulpy than her best work, but still highly readable.

I didn’t love the ending, but the pace makes it perfect for when you want a quick, popcorn thriller without overthinking things. Not the the first of the best Freida McFadden books I’d recommend.

20. The Witch by Freida McFadden

When Julia Barlow loses her job and her apartment, she has nowhere left to go but Pemberton, her family’s sprawling seventeenth-century estate in rural Massachusetts. Officially, she’s there to check in on her aging grandmother. Unofficially, she’s hoping the old house will give her a place to disappear.

Instead, Pemberton begins to unravel her. Every night, the grandfather clock stops at exactly 3:41 a.m. The lights flicker without warning. And a disembodied voice cries for help outside Julia’s bedroom door.

As Julia digs into the house’s dark history, she uncovers the story of a woman executed for witchcraft in 1692―and realizes the past may not be finished with Pemberton yet.

My Rating: ★★★

This is Freida McFadden’s fourth book of 2026. Fourth. Not only is that quite absurd, but I found The Witch to be very different from any of the books of Freida’s that I’ve read previously.

Set between two time periods, one being present day and the other back in the 1600s, it was almost like reading a YA Halloween novel, since it dipped into the Salem witch trials era.

I didn’t devour the book like I have other Freida books in the past, and the twists didn’t make my jaw drop. I’m not complaining about having four new Freida books per year, but I’m not sure that’s sustainable.

21. One by One by Freida McFadden

Claire Matchett’s vacation to repair her marriage and relax with friends turns into a nightmare when her group gets lost in the woods after their van breaks down. As they struggle to find their way, members of the group begin to mysteriously die one by one.

With no cell service and danger lurking, the survivors must uncover whether they’re being hunted by a wild animal, or if the real threat is one of their own. Only one will make it out alive.

My Rating: ★★★

Definitely not one of the best Freida McFadden books. I’ve read quite a few of her books now and her more recent books are a lot better.

This murder-mystery didn’t have me gripped and I didn’t connect with the characters at all. A good twist at the end, but not the best.

22. The Housemaid’s Wedding (2.5) by Freida McFadden

Today is supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I’m engaged to the man of my dreams, and in a few short hours, I’m going to stand before a judge, who will declare us husband and wife, till death does us part. Despite some bumps in the road, this day is everything I dreamed it would be.

There’s only one problem: Someone out there doesn’t want me to live long enough to say my vows. And if I’m not careful, they may very well get their wish.

My Rating: ★★★

I’ve now completed The Housemaid series now that I’ve read this short novella. I believe if you were to start from scratch, you should read this between the 2nd and 3rd book (after The Housemaid’s Secret), but I don’t think it matters too much.

The Housemaid’s Wedding was more like a bonus scene than a brand new book/part to the story. If you’re a fan of the series and need some a little Freida McFadden fix, then I’d recommend picking it up.