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The Intruder

The Intruder

CrimeMystery
Pages
279
Published
2025
Language
English

Synopsis

Casey lives alone in a remote cabin in the New Hampshire woods, trying to put a recently upended life back together. When a fierce hurricane bears down, she finds a young girl outside in the storm — bloodied, silent, and gripping a knife she refuses to let go of. The girl won’t say where she came from or what happened to her, and as the night closes in, Casey realizes the stranger she’s taken in is hiding something dark and possibly dangerous. With the storm cutting them off from help and the truth surfacing in pieces, Casey has to decide whether the girl at her door is a victim to be protected or a threat to be survived — before the choice is made for her. The novel cuts between the present and the past to slowly assemble how its two strangers came to share one cabin.

Prose complexity
1/10

Vibe

DarkTenseCreepyAtmospheric
Dual TimelineUnreliable Narrator

Genres

Crime Mystery Psychological Thriller Domestic Thriller Thriller Suspense

About the author

F
Freida McFadden

Freida McFadden is the pen name of a practicing American physician who specializes in treating brain injury, and one of the best-selling psychological-thriller authors of her generation. She published under the pseudonym from her 2013 debut onward, keeping her identity hidden so her medical patients wouldn’t connect her to her fiction, and only revealed her real name publicly in April 2026. The name itself is a medical inside joke — “FREIDA” is the acronym for the American Medical Association’s...

Characters

Casey (The Intruder)Protagonist
All characters in The Intruder

Frequently asked questions

  • What is "The Intruder" about?

    A woman living alone in a remote cabin takes in a bloodied young girl clutching a knife during a hurricane, then realizes the stranger is hiding something dangerous.

  • When was it published?

    It was published in October 2025.

  • What’s the inciting moment?

    Casey finds a bloodied young girl outside her cabin, gripping a knife she refuses to release.

  • How is the story structured?

    It interleaves present-day chapters with flashbacks that gradually reveal the characters’ pasts.

  • What’s the central question?

    Whether the girl is a victim or a threat — the book is marketed around how far one girl will go to save herself.

  • Is it a standalone?

    Yes, it is a standalone thriller.

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