This post contains plot details and key twists from Never Lie and The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. If you haven’t read these books yet and want to experience the suspense firsthand, consider bookmarking this post and coming back after you’ve finished reading!
I first heard of Freida McFadden when I picked up Never
Lie in September 2023. This psychological thriller had me hooked from
its first page. I love reading suspense novels, and the twists, tension, and
eerie setting of Never Lie were everything I had hoped for. Later, I
picked up a copy of The Housemaid, but it remained on my shelf at home
until this month. I am so glad I finally got around to reading it, as both books
are masterclasses in domestic suspense, unreliable narrators, filled with
secrets, and jaw-dropping twists.
Never Lie is about newlyweds Tricia and Ethan. They are
trapped in a snowstorm inside the mansion of a missing psychiatrist. Tricia finds
therapy recordings in the home, and she begins to suspect something awful happened
inside his house. The suspense in the novel builds with every tape she listens
to, slowly blurring the line between deception and truth.
“I believe that any human being is capable of terrible things if you push them hard enough.”
This quote from the book encapsulates the central theme: the
hidden capacity for darkness inside us all. While Tricia searches for clues to
solve a mystery, she is also confronting her own secrets. Another one of my
favorite quotes from this book shows how McFadden keeps the readers on edge,
constantly questioning who they can trust.
“My mother always says the only way two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead.”
In The Housemaid, Millie is desperate for work after
her release from prison. She accepts a live-in job with the Winchester family,
and her dream job quickly turns into a psychological nightmare. Nina Winchester
is manipulative, volatile, and clearly hiding something sinister.
“I hired her to kill him. She just doesn’t know it.”
McFadden flips the narrative and shocks readers with lines like this. The tension is relentless, and Millie’s resilience becomes the heart of the story. The story of Nina and Millie is raw, terrifying, and has you wondering what is hiding behind the perfect picture of domestic perfection.
Both novels explore secrecy, power dynamics, and female resilience.
While Tricia and Millie are completely different women, they each face
psychological manipulation and danger. Tricia is introspective and haunted by
her past. Facing this, she tries to uncover the truth that lies hidden in the
home. Millie is scrappy, defiant, and also trying to escape her past. She confronts
her terror with cleverness, wit, and determination. The female resilience in both
thrusts them into dangerous situations, but McFadden turns her heroines into
resourceful, compelling, and relatable characters. In the end, both are
survivors, even if their journeys are so different.
McFadden has a gift for creating thrillers that are both
emotionally intense and psychologically layered. Never Lie and The Housemaid
showcase her ability to turn ordinary settings into pressure cookers of
suspense. Every character has something to hide, and every moment could be a
turning point. Never Lie has been my go-to book when someone asks for a recommendation,
but I might need to add The Housemaid to that list as well. When I heard that a
movie was being adapted from that book, I knew now would be the perfect time to
finally read it, and I am so glad that I did.
Read: September 11, 2023
The Housemaid Published: April 26, 2022
Read: October 18, 2025
aB . All Rights Reserved . 2025
