Freida McFadden Books in Order: Complete Reading List

Freida McFadden is a practicing doctor and one of the most popular thriller writers today, known for short chapters, unreliable narrators and twists you won't see coming. Most of her books are standalones, so you can start almost anywhere. The one exception is the Housemaid series, which should be read in order. Here is the complete reading order, based on the author's official book list.

Titles with a link are currently on our shelves as new or condition-graded pre-loved copies.

The Housemaid series (read in this order)

1. The Housemaid (2022). Millie takes a live-in job with the wealthy Winchester family, and it's clear something in that house is very wrong. Start here.
2. The Housemaid's Secret (2023). A new job, a new family, and a wife who never leaves the guest room.
3. The Housemaid Is Watching (2024)

There's also a short novella, The Housemaid's Wedding (2024), for fans who want more of Millie.

Standalone thrillers, in publication order

• The Surrogate Mother (2018)
• The Ex (2019)
• The Perfect Son (2019)
• The Wife Upstairs (2020)
• One by One (2020)
• Want to Know a Secret? (2021)
• The Locked Door (2021)
• Do Not Disturb (2021)
• Do You Remember? (2022)
• The Inmate (2022). A nurse practitioner takes a job at a maximum-security prison and hides her connection to one of its inmates.
• Never Lie (2022). Snowed in at the home of a missing psychiatrist, newlyweds find her hidden recordings of patient sessions.
• Ward D (2023)
• The Coworker (2023). When a colleague who is never late doesn't show up, Natalie gets a very disturbing phone call.
• The Teacher (2024). A high-school teacher grows wary of a student at the center of a past scandal.
• The Boyfriend (2024)
• The Crash (2025)
• The Tenant (2025). Out of work, Blake rents out a room. His perfect tenant turns out to be anything but.
• The Intruder (2025). Alone in her cabin during a hurricane, Casey finds a blood-covered girl outside carrying a knife.
• Dear Debbie (2026). An advice columnist who has spent years helping women with bad relationships decides to stop giving advice and start taking revenge.
• The Divorce (2026)
• The Witch (scheduled for October 2026)

Earlier medical fiction

Before her big thriller hits, McFadden wrote fiction drawn from her life as a doctor: the humorous The Devil Wears Scrubs (2013) and the medical thrillers Dead Med and Brain Damage.

Which Freida McFadden book should you read first?

• New to McFadden: The Housemaid. It's her best-known book for a reason.
• Want a creepy, atmospheric setting: Never Lie or The Intruder.
• Want something newer: Dear Debbie.

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