How to read Freida McFadden books in order

With such a varied back catalogue, it can be tricky to know where to begin. Do you start with the best-selling Housemaid series, or dive into one of her earlier standalone novels?

We’re here to break down the reading order of all Freida McFadden’s series and standalone books.

How to read The Housemaid series in order

You’d be hard-pressed to stroll through an airport bookshop without spotting The Housemaid nestled among the best-sellers, and with good reason.

This psychological thriller by Freida McFadden has become her most iconic work, thanks to its sharp writing, tightly woven plot and deliciously sinister twists.

The series centres on Millie, a former convict trying to start over. She’s hired by the wealthy Winchester family to clean and care for their immaculate home. But it quickly becomes clear that the Winchesters aren’t quite what they seem – and neither, perhaps, is Millie.

The first book’s gripping cat-and-mouse dynamic has proved irresistible, with Millie returning for two more instalments that delve even deeper into secrets, lies and survival.

• The Housemaid (2022)
• The Housemaid’s Secret (2023)
• The Housemaid’s Wedding (2024) - a companion novella to be read after The Housemaid’s Secret
• The Housemaid Is Watching (2024)

How to read the Dr Jane McGill series in order

Now for something very different, but just as good: the Dr Jane McGill series. If you’ve spent years following the romantic turmoils of Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy, then this needs to jump to the top of your TBR.

Loosely based on McFadden’s own experience as a physician, the series is a witty, light-hearted look at the highs and lows of medical residency. It blends sharp humour and real emotion as we follow the trials of Dr Jane McGill, a newly minted doctor trying to survive both her career and her personal life.

In The Devil Wears Scrubs (yes, the title’s a playful nod to The Devil Wears Prada), 25-year-old Jane is fresh out of med school and thrown into the brutal world of hospital residency.

Forget the glossy drama of TV, Jane’s reality is sleepless nights, back-to-back shifts and a supervisor so ruthless she’s nicknamed The Devil: Dr Alyssa Morgan.

As Jane battles impossible expectations, quirky patients, maddening coworkers and the inconvenient crush she’s developing on a fellow resident, her sanity (and social life) hangs in the balance.

• The Devil Wears Scrubs (2013)
• The Devil You Know (2017)

How to read the Prescription: Murder books in order

McFadden’s Prescription: Murder series consists of two standalone medical thrillers that share a common tone and playfully subvert the classic whodunnit formula.

The first, Dead Med (originally published as Suicide Med), is set at Southside Medical School – nicknamed "Dead Med" for its alarming number of student overdoses.

Heather McKinley always dreamed of becoming a doctor, but now she’s drowning in sleepless nights, endless labs, brutal exams, and a recent breakup. On the eve of her final anatomy exam, a gunshot shatters the night. Someone is dead, but that’s only the beginning.

In the second book, Brain Damage, McFadden flips the traditional murder mystery on its head. Charly, a successful dermatologist, survives a bullet to the skull but loses her memory in the process. She senses that something about her so-called accident doesn’t add up, and as readers, we piece together the truth alongside her, one fragmented memory at a time.

While the two books can be read independently, we recommend following the publication order to fully appreciate McFadden’s clever twists on the genre.

• Dead Med (2014)
• Brain Damage (2016)

How to read Freida McFadden's standalone books in order

Freida McFadden has also released a wide range of standalone thrillers.

These can be read in any order, but if you're looking for a starting point, following the publication timeline is a great way to watch her storytelling evolve, with each twist sharper than the last.

• Baby City (2015)
• 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)
• Never Lie (2022)
• Ward D (2023)
• The Co-Worker (2023)
• The Teacher (2024)
• The Boyfriend (2024)
• The Crash (2025)
• The Tenant (2025)
• The Intruder (2025)

What is the Alibis Collection?

Freida McFadden has written three novellas: The Gift (2022), The Widow’s Husband’s Secret Lie: A Satire (2024) and Death Row (2025).

The most recent of these, Death Row, is part of The Alibis Collection, a themed anthology described as "a collection of stories about lies, truth, and deception".

"It’s just a matter of what you can get away with," the synopsis continues.

Designed to be read or listened to in a single sitting, the collection also features contributions from best-selling authors Sally Hepworth and Chris Bohjalian.

In Death Row, we follow Talia Kemper, a woman sentenced to die for her husband’s murder, despite a strong alibi and no apparent motive. As the clock ticks down to her execution, no one will believe her claims of innocence… and time is running out.

For all the latest RT Book Club news, interviews, Q&As with the authors, reviews of previous books and more, visit The Radio Times Book Club sponsored by Dr. Oetker Ristorante.