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The Locked Door

Pages
312
Published
2021
Language
English

Synopsis

When Nora Davis was eleven years old, she had no idea what her father was doing to women in the basement of their home — until the day the police came to the door. Decades later, he is serving a life sentence as a notorious serial killer, and Nora has built a careful, solitary life as a respected surgeon under a name no one connects to him. Then one of her young female patients is found murdered in the exact, distinctive way her father once killed. Someone knows who Nora really is, and seems intent on making her take the blame — or on finishing what her father started. As suspicion closes in and the killings continue, Nora is forced back toward the past she spent her whole life burying, and toward the unbearable question of how much of her father lives in her.

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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

Nora DavisProtagonist

A surgeon who has changed her name to hide that her father is an imprisoned serial killer.

Aaron NierlingAntagonist

Nora’s father, a notorious serial killer serving a life sentence.

Brady (The Locked Door)Supporting

Nora's college ex-boyfriend, who reappears in her life and is ultimately cleared of suspicion.

All characters in The Locked Door

Frequently asked questions

  • What is "The Locked Door" about?

    A surgeon who has hidden that her imprisoned father is a serial killer finds his distinctive method recurring in a fresh murder that threatens to expose her.

  • When was it published?

    It was published in June 2021.

  • What’s the inciting murder?

    One of Nora’s patients is killed in the exact way her father used, framing Nora and revealing that someone knows her true identity.

  • Is the surgeon detail authentic?

    Yes. The medical detail reflects McFadden’s real background as a practicing physician.

  • Is the ending really that shocking?

    It is frequently singled out for a late twist that most readers do not fully predict.

  • Is it a standalone?

    Yes, it is a standalone thriller.

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