Looking for a gripping thriller? Look no further! Freida McFadden books are full of suspense and mystery and will have you on the edge of your seat from the moment you start reading!
I stumbled across one of her books recommended on Instagram and my book club was holding our year end nominations for the following years' books. I added it to the group and I was so excited that it was selected! However, we wouldn't be reading it for several months. I didn't think I would be able to wait that long, so I decided to just start by getting to know the author by reading some of her other works and I'm so glad I did. Freida McFadden is an automatic purchase in my eyes at this point because I've enjoyed every book that I've read so far.
On average, her books are consistently scoring roughly 4.20 on Goodreads. You really can't go wrong with any of these Freida McFadden books! Added bonus is that they are relatively short (can be easily read in a single sitting or weekend) and the audio versions are typically 8 hours in length.
Freida McFadden Books
The Housemaid I waited 10 months to read this book after nominating it because I wanted to read it with my club. Finally read it this past week and absolutely loved it!
Millie is looking for an opportunity to reinvent herself. She's currently living out of her car because she got sacked at her last job and then lost her lease. So when Nina hires her as the Winchester's live in maid, she's ecstatic!
Her "room" is hardly a room - it's quite creepy and I think the average person would have left. But not Millie. She's out of options, so her only plan is to please the family and collect the paychecks.
Nina has other ideas, though. Nina's crazy nature starts showing practically on the first day and she's nothing like the refined lady that she presented as during the interview. Her husband, Andrew, is super handsome and really down to earth, helping Millie get adjusted. After a short time, Millie wonders what Andrew sees in Nina as she's an absolute mess.
The Locked Door I always feel a bit weird when I like these sick, twisted thriller books sometimes - lol! I enjoyed the fact that I was wrong about who the killer was in the book and that always pleases me when I'm thrown off. Definitely didn't see the end coming in this one.
Aaron Neirling was a pleasant man - a phlebotomist with a wife and daughter. He also harbored a sick, twisted desire to kill. He was a serial killer known as The Handyman because he cut off his victims hands. And now he's in prison for those crimes.
Nora is Aaron's daughter. She vowed to be nothing like him when she realized the monster her father was, instead studying to become a professional and well respected surgeon.
The only problem is that more than 2 decades later and women are dying again, and it's a copycat killer deliberately pointing fingers at Nora. She's got to find the killer and stop them.
Triggers - not for the faint of heart. Death/ murder / descriptive scenes.
Never Lie This particular book I finished in a day and was completely by audio.
Tricia and Ethan are a young, newlywed couple ready to take the next step of buying a house. They've seen a few houses, but Ethan wants something secluded. He's found a huge house quite off the beaten path that he's fallen in love with, so he makes arrangements with their agent to see it in person.
Of course, it's so far off the path that cell service fades AND a major snowstorm has followed them in, trapping them in the house. They venture in for warmth and to wait out the storm only to discover a world of mysteries.
The previous owner of the house was Dr. Adrienne Hale, a psychiatrist that has also written a few books before she went missing several years ago.
As Tricia and Ethan explore the manor, Tricia discovers that the doctor had recorded all of her sessions with her clients. Curiosity getting the better of her, Tricia listens in to many of the sessions, piecing together the last few weeks of the doctors life.
Lots of ups and downs, twists and turns! Very easy to listen to.
The Perfect Son Yet another page turning thriller from Freida!
Erika and Jason have two teenage children - Liam and Hannah. While Liam outwardly appears to be the perfect son, Erika has deep concerns. She noticed unusual tendencies at an early age that were not typical of other toddlers.
As Liam has grown up, she's taken precautions to protect him ... and those around him.
Liam has recently developed a crush on Olivia at school, and now she's missing.
Great thriller with a few unexpected twists and an ending that leaves you wondering!
The Surrogate Mother I love the storyline with this one!
Abby and Sam have been trying for years to conceive a baby. After unsuccessful attempts naturally, they tried bouts of IVF, and finally resigned to adopting. But Abby was insistent that they wait for a newborn. After not being selected for several months, they finally had a young mother that chose them as the adoptive parents! They prepared for the baby's arrival as much as they could, but in the midst of the celebrations, their hearts were crushed yet again. They would not get the baby.
Monica to the rescue!!!
Monica is Abby's assistant and could see how devastated Abby was so she made the grandest of gestures - she offered to be a surrogate and carry a baby for Abby. At first Abby dismissed the idea, but then she thought on it and finally shared the thought with Sam. With a legally binding agreement, they decided to move forward and Monica gets pregnant right away.
But things start feeling off...
Odd occurrences at work.
Monica texting Sam.
Monica is sliding right into Abby's life and Abby's not sure what to think anymore.
LOTS of action in the back half of the story!
Do Not Disturb This thriller was my first Frieda McFadden book, prompting my obsession with her work.
Quinn did it - she killed her husband. Yes, it was self defense. But now she's scared and decides to flee the scene. Her road trip doesn't go as planned, though. It start snowing right from the start, she runs into someone she knows from her past at a remote gas station, and then she's pulled over for a bad tail light. So much for laying low as she leaves!!!
She decides to wait out the storm in a off the beaten path hotel, later discovering so many oddities while there. Quinn wakes up snowed in and running out of options. In a hotel with a dark history, is she even safe to stay here?
Want to Know a Secret This story follows three families in a suburban town where the wives are very close friends. They say keep your friends close, and your enemies closer …
April is the beautiful wife with an online cooking show. Julie had been in the legal world until she had her boys, and now she leads the PTA, neighborhood activities, and local book club. Maria just moved to the neighborhood and has the hottest husband that has April's head turning.
When April's son disappears and April gets the first of many concerning texts, she realizes that someone is watching her, who knows her secrets.
The husband's aren't all innocent, either...
The Wife Upstairs The storyline of this one is fairly similar to Colleen Hoover's Verity. However, Freida does make this book her own, adding lots of plot twists in it so that kept me turning the pages.
Sylvia is young, broke, and out of luck. That is, until she meets Adam who hires her to come live with him to assist in helping with his wife, Victoria. After a terrible accident, Victoria suffered a brain injury and is wheelchair bound and partially paralyzed.
The house that she's moved into with Adam and Victoria is far from other houses - completely remote. It unnerves her at first, but she settles in and starts to learn how to care for Victoria. As the weeks go on, Sylvia uncovers many secrets and gets woven into the web of lies herself.
The Coworker Dawn is a socially awkward new employee who has a fascination with turtles. Her cubicle mate, Natalie, is the polar opposite of Dawn. Where Dawn is prompt, organized and into accounting, Natalie is a social butterfly with designer looks and an expense account that helps her achieve the top sales numbers at the company.
However, Dawn does not show up for work one day which is highly unusual, especially after having confirmed a meeting with her boss the day prior. Dawn had also sent a message to Natalie, and never indicated that she would not be in the office the following day.
Natalie decides to go to Dawn's place and ends up walking in to a horrible scene and calling the cops. There is no body, but lots of blood, so a search begins for the missing Dawn.
The second half of the book definitely picked up much more with some unexpected twists :)
I hope that you enjoy these Frieda McFadden books as much as I did! Happy reading!
Looking for more suggestions?
Please check out my other blogs such as Powerful Benefits of Reading for Pleasure, or dive directly into genre specific book recommendations with Psychological Thrillers - Professional Twist to touch on your thrillers; or if you are interested in romantic comedies, check out Faking Love, Finding Laughter: Exploring the Enchanting World of Fake Dating Tropes in RomComs, or learn about the past with Historical Fiction Favorites.
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So many good recommendations here! My library book request list just got so much longer. Thank you for sharing these!