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Mystery solved: Freida McFadden is Sara Cohen
One of the publishing world's most enduring anonymities has ended after the author behind the pseudonym Freida McFadden disclosed her true identity as Sara Cohen in an interview with USA Today.
Why the secrecy?
Cohen, a practicing neurologist in Boston, adopted the pen name in 2013 when she self-published The Devil Wears Scrubs, a fictionalized account of her medical residency. The name "Freida" originated as a playful nod to the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database, a hospital training registry.
She told the New York Times in 2024 that she feared patients might question whether her thrillers drew from real cases. "At work, I want to be a doctor," she said. "I don't want people asking, 'Is this based on me?' It feels unprofessional."
Runaway success
Under the McFadden name, Cohen became the second best-selling author in the UK in 2025, moving 2.6 million copies. In the U.S., she sold six million print books. Only children's author Julia Donaldson outsold her in the UK that year.
Her breakout hit, The Housemaid (2022), was adapted into a film last year starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. This year, three of her titles-The Housemaid, Want to Know a Secret?, and Dear Debbie-have already topped best-seller lists.
Balancing two careers
Cohen reduced her medical hours to part-time in 2023 and further scaled back this year, working only once or twice a month. "I was completely overwhelmed trying to do both," she told USA Today.
She had planned to keep her identity hidden until she stepped away from medicine entirely. However, a colleague recognized her in a photo earlier this year, making the secret harder to maintain. "The cat is out of the bag," she said, though her team requested no social media posts about her dual life.
Public persona
During appearances as Freida McFadden, Cohen wears a wig, joking to USA Today that she "has no idea how to style [her] hair." Despite the reveal, she hopes fans will continue using her pen name. "I've always been genuine with my readers," she said. "Even though the name is a surprise, nothing else will change."
"I'm tired of people debating if I'm a real person or if I'm three men. I am a real person and I have a real identity."
Sara Cohen
What's next
With 29 novels published and no plans to return to full-time medicine, Cohen said she is focusing on writing. Her latest releases continue to dominate charts, and she remains active in engaging with her fanbase, known as "McFans" and "Freida Readahs."
