Ranking Freida McFadden Thrillers
If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember me going down the rabbit hole last month and binge-reading a whole bunch of psychological suspense novels by an author named Freida McFadden. I dove into Freida’s buzzy suspense novel THE HOUSEMAID earlier this summer on a whim—and quickly found myself hooked on the author’s deliciously binge-worthy popcorn thrillers. My August 2022 reading list ended up being dominated by Freida McFadden books, and I realized it’s about time I documented my journey with her work so far! I’ve still got a long way to go before I’ll be able to say I’ve read all of her thrillers (she is prolific, to say the least), but we’ve all got to start somewhere, right?
Freida McFadden’s thrillers are the ideal books to turn to the next time you’re in the mood for a popcorn thriller. They’re page-turning, highly entertaining suspense novels that balance fluffier premises with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked. If you’re looking for weighty, intricate, literary crime novels, these are simply not the books for you. Freida’s writing is simple and straightforward; her plot twists can often rely on out-of-left-field reveals; her stories are dramatic and pretty over-the-top. This sounds like criticism, but I really don’t mean it that way—my only goal here is to set appropriate expectations. I’ll be the very first to admit it: when I started reading Freida’s books, I couldn’t get enough. These are guilty pleasure reads in the very best way; they’re the ultimate “popcorn thrillers,” perfect to take on your next vacation or just binge-read on a quiet night in. You’ll read each of these books in one or two sittings a piece and then want to dive immediately into the next. And good news for when you inevitably get hooked on her work, too: if you’re a Kindle Unlimited member, many of thrillers are available through KU—and if you’re not, her e-books are still very reasonably priced! (Hence how I managed to read so many of them back-to-back guilt-free in August.)
The next time I find myself falling into a reading slump and just need something lighter and binge-worthy to pull me out of it, I can almost guarantee I’ll be turning to a Freida McFadden book for the perfect “popcorn read” solution. Without further ado: read on for my ranking of the Freida McFadden thrillers I’ve read so far!
RANKING FREIDA MCFADDEN THRILLERS
#1: THE LOCKED DOOR
Read If You Love:
Serial killer stories
Twists & turns
Slightly darker stories
Plot Summary:
Some doors are locked for a reason…
While eleven-year-old Nora Davis was up in her bedroom doing homework, she had no idea her father was killing women in the basement.
Until the day the police arrived at their front door.
Decades later, Nora’s father is spending his life behind bars, and Nora is a successful surgeon with a quiet, solitary existence. Nobody knows her father was a notorious serial killer. And she intends to keep it that way.
Then Nora discovers one of her young female patients has been murdered. In the same unique and horrific manner that her father used to kill his victims.
Somebody knows who Nora is. Somebody wants her to take the fall for this unthinkable crime. But she’s not a killer like her father. The police can’t pin anything on her.
As long as they don’t look in her basement.
My Quick Thoughts:
It will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that my personal favorite Freida McFadden thriller is also the darkest book of hers I’ve read yet. (Me? Loving all things dark in a thriller? Shocking.) THE LOCKED DOOR is Freida’s spin on a serial killer thriller. THE LOCKED DOOR follows successful surgeon Nora who has worked her entire adult life to hide one terrible secret: her father was a serial killer. But Nora’s past collides with her present when one of her patients is murdered in the same horrific way as her father used to murder his victims, too—and this villain seems determined to tie his or her crime back to Nora, exposing her secret in the process. THE LOCKED DOOR follows Nora’s desperate race to unmask a killer before her own secrets are made public—and, worse, before she takes the fall for a murder she swears she didn’t commit. I absolutely tore through THE LOCKED DOOR; this is exactly my kind of “popcorn read”! Though this book does deal with slightly darker subject matter than some of Freida’s other books, it nevertheless maintains its “popcorn thriller” status thanks to binge-worthy pacing and lighter way of handling that dark content. Protagonist Nora doesn’t always make the most rational decisions (someone get this woman a security system for her house stat), and readers looking for a traditionally “sympathetic” protagonist may find her a little bit rough-around-the-edges, but I didn’t mind one bit. Creepy flashbacks to Nora’s childhood reveal the disturbing environment in which she grew up and cast suspicion on whether or not she really is innocent of the crimes taking place in the present-day, and the whole story builds to a wildly shocking final twist that, while perhaps not the most fair-play thing I’ve ever read, delivered all the entertainment value I’d hoped for and then some.
#2: DO NOT DISTURB
Read If You Love:
Psycho
Unreliable characters
Plot twists
Plot Summary:
Quinn Alexander has committed an unthinkable crime.
To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she’s done.
But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night.
Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick's ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching.
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 Quick Thoughts:
If a “popcorn thriller” spin on Psycho sounds up your alley, DO NOT DISTURB is the book for you. This book really is exactly what it sounds like: it’s Psycho but told through the lens of a juicy, dramatic psychological suspense story. DO NOT DISTURB follows a young woman on the run after committing a terrible crime. As a storm descends, our protagonist takes shelter in a roadside motel. But something about this motel seems a bit off… and our protagonist quickly discovers her decision to seek shelter there could end up a deadly mistake. Listen, if you know me, you know I simply can’t say no to a Hitchcock-inspired suspense novel, and DO NOT DISTURB was a delicious concoction made of equal parts Psycho-inspired plot, juicy drama, and unreliable characters. While the first portion of DO NOT DISTURB focuses on protagonist Quinn as she makes her way to the Baxter Motel, the story then expands, giving readers the point of view of another woman who plays a central role in this story’s creepy events. I loved the unexpected ways in which this story unfolded, and appreciated that the book took some twists and turns that veered away from its Psycho-inspired premise and into something a bit unexpected. A very satisfying ending capped this book off perfectly for me!
#3: THE HOUSEMAID
Read If You Love:
Domestic suspense
Rich people behaving badly
A little bit of spice
Plot Summary:
“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…
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.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of…
My Quick Thoughts:
This was the first Freida book I read, and I picked it up after hearing so much buzz about it! (It’s got a 4.5/5 star rating on Amazon with over 44K reviews!) We all know I’m not personally a huge fan of domestic thrillers—it’s a real hit-or-miss subgenre for me—and THE HOUSEMAID falls squarely within that category. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, this didn’t end up being my favorite book of Freida’s, but I still felt it was worth the $3.99 price tag for sheer entertainment value alone. THE HOUSEMAID begins with a familiar premise: a down-on-her-luck woman is hired by a fabulously wealthy couple to act as their housekeeper. But the more time she spends with the family, and the more she gets to know them, the more she begins to suspect that there’s something very wrong lurking under this family’s picture-perfect façade. THE HOUSEMAID delves into the dark secrets of the Winchesters, and follows our protagonist as she navigates her growing fear for her own safety—and her growing attraction to Mr. Winchester. This was a middle-of-the-road reading experience for me; on the one hand, I found this book’s juicy, over-the-top drama pretty irresistible, on the other hand, I did predict the majority of its plot twists (save for a shocking and clever reveal at the book’s end that genuinely did surprise me!). I’d probably give this book a 3/5 star rating—I’ve since read Freida books that I much preferred over this one, but I can’t deny what a deliciously entertaining read this was. If you loved Colleen Hoover’s VERITY, you’ll love this one.
#4: WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?
Read If You Love:
Light domestic suspense
Juicy drama
Suburban settings
Plot Summary:
YouTube 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 of the house? What was she doing with the local soccer coach behind fogged windows?
And what’s buried in her backyard?
Everyone has secrets. Some are worse than others.
April’s secrets are enough to destroy her.
I’ll make sure of that.
My Quick Thoughts:
I’ll be honest: I picked this one up entirely based on the fact that the protagonist runs a YouTube baking channel. I’m obsessed with the Great British Bake Off and hoped this book would be a perfect crossover between my love of suspense and my love of baking. Unfortunately, this ended up being my least favorite Freida book I’ve read. Baking is only the tiniest little piece of this story; the majority of the book is dominated by drama between women living in suburbia. WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? follows April, a wife, mother, and baking influencer. April has become something of a local celebrity in her community thanks to her popular YouTube channel. She seems to have the recipe for a picture-perfect life—but April is hiding dark secrets, and someone is determined to expose them. As inexplicable and increasingly sinister events begin occurring all around April, she’s convinced that someone is out to ruin her life forever. Much of WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? is focused on interpersonal drama that, for me, felt a bit repetitive and lacking in forward motion. The last 25% or so of this book worked much better for me—at that point in the story, I felt like the book’s tension and suspense really kicked in gear. Unfortunately, that’s quite a long time to wait, and I didn’t feel like this tension and suspense made up for the story that preceded it. Readers who want a story that’s much lighter on the suspense and leans more heavily into the drama and secrets in a suburban neighborhood will enjoy this book better than I did! This one had potential to be a Desperate Housewives-esque story of drama and juicy secrets, but unfortunately didn’t work quite as well for me as I’d hoped.
Are you a Freida McFadden fan? Which books of hers that I haven’t read yet would you recommend? I’d love to hear from you! xx A
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