NEW Freida McFadden, The Intruder – Evaluate
COMING SOON! On the market on October seventh 2025
Thanks to Freida McFadden and Poisoned Pen Press for the early entry copy of The Intruder for The Strand Journal!
4.5/5 Stars
Evaluate
Spoiler free as the discharge date is so distant!
Freida McFadden has a expertise for making you doubt every part, and The Intruder is an ideal instance of why she’s on the high of the psychological thriller recreation. This ebook lures you in with the dream of escape: a recent begin, a cabin within the woods, and peace and quiet. It’s the fantasy of unplugging, leaving the town and the noise behind… till it turns into one thing a lot darker. We encounter some typical Freida themes of identification, trauma, guilt, reminiscence, and motherhood.
The setting alone informs readers we’re in for a classically gothic wild trip. There aren’t any gradual days, no moments of calm, and positively no pages the place the foot comes off the gasoline. We prepare for a spooky time, and we keep prepared. You may virtually hear the floorboards creak, really feel the nippiness within the air, and odor the storm coming earlier than something even occurs.
We meet our protagonist in a secluded cabin on the night time of a horrible storm. She’s chosen the quiet life after one thing occurred that pressured her to go away every part behind.
However then—she realises she’s not alone.
All of a sudden, she’s confronted with a choice: do what she thinks is true, or defend herself from potential critical hazard? Because the blurb teases, her late-night customer is “younger, alone, and coated in blood.” From there, the strain by no means lets go.
As all the time, I used to be hooked. We all know Freida has the thriller components right down to a tee—the satan works arduous, however Freida works tougher. I devoured this in underneath 24 hours. It felt like I used to be enjoying Cluedo in my head, racing to piece collectively the clues at the start fell aside. She completely laid down varied breadcrumbs to steer us alongside her little path. There I used to be fortunately pocketing the crumbs and protecting psychological notes, pondering I had it down and knew the place it was going… Foolish me. She might have given us breadcrumbs, however solely so she may take them away once more!
Considered one of my favorite parts was the construction. The novel flips between two timelines, “Now” and “Earlier than”, with out ever making it apparent how they join. Round 20% in, I had a principle… then utterly satisfied myself I used to be unsuitable… till a reveal later proved I used to be proper. (Sure, I used to be proud.)
Evaluate by Becca Opinions Books
What stood out in The Intruder was how a lot consideration Freida appears to have paid to her clue-building. I’ve to say, it was quite a lot of enjoyable! I felt like a film detective with a notepad, protecting monitor of each element. Specifically, she pays notable consideration to using color on this novel. Whether or not that’s the color of eyes, pens, hair, clothes, tooth and extra!! These aren’t simply descriptions—they’re clues. I wouldn’t be shocked if color turns into one of many major issues followers dissect after the discharge.
Talking of refined clues, this may be the perfect instance of identify play I’ve seen in a thriller. With out spoiling something: names matter. Take note of how they’re launched, repeated, and probably mirrored…
There have been just a few moments of repetition—strains and sensory particulars (just like the odor of peaches in a closet) pop up just a few instances in ways in which felt unintentional. It had the slight feeling of a placeholder that may not have been edited out but. A small critique, nevertheless it did briefly pull me out of the story a few instances. Hopefully it’s polished within the remaining model.
Character-wise, we’re launched to everybody on a strict need-to-know foundation. The owner? A bit seedy however innocent… perhaps. The neighbour? Variety, however one thing feels off. A mom? Probably unwell, however particulars are held again. All the things unfolds in layers, and that restraint truly amplifies the strain.
⚠️ Set off warning: There are some graphic scenes involving kids. It’s dealt with with narrative weight however might be upsetting to some readers.
At simply 288 pages, it’s spectacular how a lot floor this story covers. It strikes quick however nonetheless manages to weave in complexity, character depth, and sufficient suspense to maintain you guessing proper till the ultimate chapter. In case you’re a fan of McFadden’s typical twisty thoughts video games, you’ll eat this one up. The Intruder is unsettling, addictive, and loaded with clues so that you can chase.
I’ve to tease one thing, so with out even saying something, my remaining component of this assessment might be…
🟢🔥
Guide Particulars:
- ISBN: 9781464260919
- Worth: $27.99 / £20.50
- Hardcover (Paperback coming Autumn 2026)
- Purchase right here
Evaluate by Becca Opinions Books
Fancy studying extra thrillers? Learn extra weblog posts about nice novels right here!
Of if you happen to particularly need to discover out extra about Freida McFadden, try her web site.
