Freida McFadden: top doctor and bestselling author now also beckons on silver screen

Freida McFadden has become a success author in recent years, and chances are you've been hooked on one of her compelling books at one time or another. Coincidentally, McFadden didn't follow a conventional path, to say the least.

After all, this American bestselling author of psychological thrillers is also a doctor specialized in brain injuries. She broke through internationally with her series The Housemaid (2022), including The Housemaid's Secret (2023) and a third volume The Housemaid is watching (2024), captivating millions of readers worldwide with unexpected plot twists. Her work has been translated into more than 45 languages and won awards such as the International Thriller Writers Award and Goodreads Choice Award.

She studied mathematics at Harvard University and then pursued medicine, specializing in brain injury. McFadden debuted in 2013 with self-published medical thrillers such as The Devil Wears Scrubs, inspired by her experiences as a doctor. Today, she works as a part-time doctor (1-2 days a week) and writes psychological thrillers full-time. A remarkable combo, isn't it?

Freida McFadden, by the way, is a pseudonym; her real name is not publicly revealed in reliable sources, and this is, after all, common among authors who want to maintain their privacy.

She was born May 1, 1980, in New York City. She is the daughter of a psychiatrist and a podiatrist and grew up in Manhattan with one sibling.

She publishes partly on her own and still works part-time as a doctor; her film adaptation of The Housemaid appeared in late 2025 and garnered high praise.

She still lives in the New York area and balances her medical career with writing. An unusual and interesting combination!

(MP/©The Global Entertrainment/Illustration: Wilhelm Gunkel via Unsplash)