Overview
- Freida McFadden, the bestselling thriller writer, disclosed in a USA Today interview published Wednesday that her legal name is Sara Cohen, a physician who treats brain disorders.
- She wrote under a pseudonym for more than 20 years, used a wig and glasses in public, and says she scaled back hospital shifts to once or twice a month after feeling overwhelmed by two careers.
- Cohen says she will keep publishing under the Freida McFadden name and wants readers to continue using it.
- The Housemaid’s 2025 film adaptation grossed about $400 million worldwide, and Lionsgate has The Housemaid’s Secret in production with Sydney Sweeney returning and Kirsten Dunst joining for a Dec. 17, 2027 theatrical release.
- Her rise began with self-publishing in 2013 and broke wide with The Housemaid in 2022, which spent more than a year on bestseller lists and drew a large online fan base.