Why The Housemaid author Freida McFadden chose to reveal her true identity after more than a decade behind a pseudonym

For more than a decade, author Freida McFadden has thrilled fans with her psychological thrillers.

The New York Times bestselling author has penned 35 books, including the hugely popular The Housemaid series.

But little was known about her life, apart from a brief bio on her website, which stated that she "lives with her family and cat in a centuries-old three-storey home overlooking the ocean".

That was until this week's bombshell that Freida McFadden was a pseudonym to cover her true identity: US doctor Sara Cohen, who specialises in the treatment of brain injuries.

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In an interview with USA Today published this week, Cohen outed herself as the author of Frieda McFadden's books, which have sold more 17 million copies and been translated into 45 languages.

"I'm at a point in my career when I'm tired of this being a secret," Cohen told USA Today.

"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 and I don't have anything to hide."

Cohen was referring to the rumours that surrounded her for several years but intensified after The Housemaid was made into a film starring Sydney Sweeney.

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And it is easy to see why. You only need to look at the photo on her official website, which is credited to Mira Whiting Photography, to see something is up.

The author appeared to be wearing a rather obvious red wig, which had been styled into a severe bob. She was also wearing black rimmed glasses and minimal make-up.

Now it has been confirmed that Cohen was in fact wearing a wig in order to help conceal her identity.

She claimed that while she was wearing a wig, it was only because "I have no idea how to style my hair".

She also claimed she really does wear glasses, but whether those were hers or dupes is not known.

Cohen told USA Today her real life was "so much more boring than anything that happens in my books".

So why the facade, and how did she keep it going so long?

Cohen claimed she originally created the pseudonym because she didn't want her writing career to conflict with her job at a hospital.

"My whole goal was to keep it a secret until I was [ready to] step back from my doctor job, so it wouldn't be like everyone I work with suddenly knew and it compromised my ability to do my job," she said.

However, she admitted her co-workers did eventually find out about her double life.

They were, she said, "really nice about it" and agreed to keep her secret.

Many were fans of her books and had no idea they were working with such a prolific author.

She said she finally quit her full-time job in 2023.

"I have stepped away from my job. I'm only working [as a doctor] once or twice a month," she said.

"I just realised I was completely overwhelmed from trying to do both."

Now that she was "unmasked", she said she was glad to finally be free of her secret.

And perhaps expecting a backlash from fans, she promised her readers she was the same writer they had grown to know and love.

"Even though I haven't told my real name until now, I feel like I have shared the real me all along and everything I've told them has been the truth," she said.

"Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I've always been genuine with my readers."

According to the Daily Mail, the real-life Cohen grew up in Manhattan and was the daughter of a psychiatrist father and podiatrist mother.

She attended Harvard, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree before studying medicine and graduating in 2005.

She completed her internship in California, before becoming a resident at Stanford University, where she specialised in physical medicine and rehabilitation, before moving to a specialist veterans hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2010.

Authors who hid their identity

Cohen is not the first author to hide their identity.

Among them was JK Rowling, the author of the hugely successful Harry Potter series.

When her first book was released in 1997, her publishers reportedly encouraged her to use the initials 'JK' instead of her first name 'Joanne' to appeal to the young males who usually read fantasy novels.

She went on to adopt yet another pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, for her series of Cormoran Strike novels, including The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm and Troubled Blood.

She chose to write under a pseudonym so the books would be judged on merit.

Her secret was exposed in 2013 by The Sunday Times following an investigation. The outing caused sales of the series to skyrocket.

Then there is the case of the Italian author Elena Ferrante, who published their first book in 1992 but opted to keep their identity a secret from the outset.

This led to ongoing speculation and theories about the author's identity.

Then in 2016, Italian investigative journalist, Claudio Gatti, revealed the author was actually Anita Raja, the wife of author Domenico Starnone.

Gatti was promptly criticised for the invasion of privacy.

The claims were never denied or substantiated, and 'Elena Ferrante' has continued to publish works, some of which have been adapted to film.

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