Want to Know a Secret?

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content, physical abuse, emotional abuse, death, and graphic violence.

Freida McFadden is a bestselling American author of over 25 suspense and thriller novels. McFadden is her pen name. She initially self-published her work but gained popularity with the publication of her #1 New York Times bestseller The Housemaid (2022), as well as its sequels, The Housemaid’s Secret (2023) and The Housemaid is Watching (2024).

One component of McFadden’s novels is her strong female protagonists. Most of her primary characters are women—both her protagonists and her antagonists. In this way, she often subverts the typical murder mystery genre, which primarily male villains dominate. For example, the star of her Housemaid series is Millie Calloway, a housemaid who dedicates her life to helping physically abused women find a way out of their marriages. Similarly, in Want to Know a Secret?, the novel centers on strong female characters. Even though most of the men are disloyal and cheat on their spouses—including Keith and Elliot—the women do not allow the men to control or manipulate them. Instead, April acknowledges Elliot’s infidelity but chooses to stay with him, preferring her social status and financial security provided by their marriage.