The Witch

by Freida McFadden

Some secrets don't die―they wait.

When Julia Barlow loses her job and her apartment, she has nowhere left to go but Pemberton, her family's sprawling seventeenth-century estate in rural Massachusetts. Officially, she's there to check in on her aging grandmother. Unofficially, she's hoping the old house will give her a place to disappear.

Instead, Pemberton begins to unravel her.

Every night, the grandfather clock stops at exactly 3:41 a.m. The lights flicker without warning. And a disembodied voice cries for help outside Julia's bedroom door.

As Julia digs into the house's dark history, she uncovers the story of a woman executed for witchcraft in 1692―and realizes the past may not be finished with Pemberton yet. When decades of family lies begin to surface, Julia must confront a terrifying truth: Pemberton may be haunted by women whose voices refuse to stay silent.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes The Witch, a chilling, twist-filled thriller about secrets―those we inherit, those we bury, and those people will burn to keep silent.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Autumn, Horror, Halloween, Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 6, 2026

About the author

#1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and possessed cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

Note that I am maxed out on friends, so I apologize in advance that I can't friend anyone back!

Reviews

[levi (starboy) (s.ia)]

Who is holding you hostage brah. 3 books in less 8 months 🙏🏻💔
-
What a boring repetitive cover

[Nikos Drosinos]

At this point I’m not worried about Freida using AI… I’m starting to wonder if Freida IS the AI 🤖📖 - said whilst adding to TBR 📚

[Salma (inactive)]

Freida, blink twice if you need help.

[Laura Lovesreading]

ME: FREIDA... WHAT ABOUT WRITERS BLOCK!?
FREIDA: I DONT KNOW HER!

Here we go again!.. *add to tbr* 🥹🥹🥹

[seeraaa ♡ "I'M BACK"]

At this point Frieda McFadden publishes faster than I read 😅

[aira]

how does she come up with all these book ideas?!?! anyways, I guess I know what I'm doing on October 6th.

[manas]

freida won’t stop, and manas will never learn 😛❤️

[ahmeeka]

freida mcfadden needs a holiday

[STEPH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. That was mind-blowing. I’ve never been a fan of Freida, but this new book kept me up all night—for all the right reasons.

This is very different from the usual domestic thrillers she’s been putting out for years. Her classic “fast-paced chapters” are still very much effective, as I breezed through the pages, barely noticing that I was almost finished after only starting this morning. That’s how engaging it was.

The characters were all well-developed. I personally liked Caroline’s POV. She was a kind soul, a good-natured girl who was betrayed by almost everyone around her. The dual timelines also worked for me as a reader. As we go along the history of Pemberton and its masters, uncover the secrets buried in the backyard, and encounter the ghosts within its walls, we realize that human beings are far more dangerous and deceiving than ghosts.

Also, one or two characters will make your blood boil, your nostrils flare, and your teeth grit because of how cruel and malicious they are. But don’t worry—everyone will get what they deserve in the end.

To Freida: I am becoming a fan. Hopefully, my next read from you will be another win, since you seem to publish a new book every week. No rest for the wicked, indeed.

[Casey Reads 🌸]

Can’t wait!! Freida takes no breaks!

[Keya]

Atp I am tempted to kidnap fmf and send her off on a vacation myself 😭😭

[Kristina Pauls (ARC Reviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

PUBLISH DATE: October 6, 2026
BOOK TITLE: The Witch
AUTHOR: Freida McFadden
PUBLISHER: Poisoned Press
FORMAT: ebook
PAGES: 352
I received a complimentary digital ARC [Advanced Readers Copy] of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

----------------------------------------------
[Partial Preview Review 05/19/26]

I received a complimentary preview/sample copy of this title but I was under the impression it was the entire ARC. I’m super disappointed in that and would love the opportunity to read and review the entire book.

This sample pulled me in almost immediately. The combination of a creepy old estate, a grandmother struggling with memory loss, and possible ties old ancestors created such an eerie and intriguing atmosphere right from the start.

I especially liked that the story quickly gave emotional stakes alongside the mystery. Julia moving in to help care for her grandmother made the story feel real and personal while the unsettling undertones slowly started building around the house and family history.

At first, the opening historical sections felt a little different stylistically than what I normally expect from Freida’s writing, but once the present-day storyline began, I was completely invested.

I was honestly disappointed when I realized the link only included a sample because by I wanted to keep reading immediately.

Definitely one I’ll be picking up when the full release is available.

PUBLISH DATE: October 6, 2026
BOOK TITLE: The Witch
AUTHOR: Freida McFadden
PUBLISHER: Poisoned Press
FORMAT: ebook
PAGES: 352
I received a complimentary digital ARC [Advanced Readers Copy] of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[ambersometimesreads]

genuinely asking, freida DO YOU SLEEP??

[Liana Gold]

Freida hunny, you write faster than I blink. I think you might need a little precedex...

[Conny Godefroy]

This woman is insane.

[Rebecca]

...at this point idk what to even say

[anaya]

a new freida mcfadden book will be released on october 6.

[sophia_thesecond (in my noah kahan era)]

frieda...I thought we talked about this. when do you sleep?

[Amanda Alviz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one took me a little bit to get fully invested, but once I did I couldn't put it down! I liked the dual timeline of the past and present slowly building the story. Once the twists started, they just didn't stop and as always, McFadden left me with my jaw on the floor.


Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Nicole]

FREIDA. ANOTHER ONE. AND ITS WITCHY. OH I LOVE U AND U LOVE ME

[Sharon🔮👽 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witch was a very compelling tale that spanned two different lifetimes. The twists were twisty, I saw some of them coming but not all of them.

I’ve always been fascinated by the stories around the Salem Witch Trials. This story makes me curious if any of those women had attempted to do anything similar to free themselves of the claims made against them.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for the early access to this ARC. This will be a perfect atmospheric read in October.

[Sarah (heartfeltthrills)]

Can't wait! The witch is coming - Ms. Freida about to drop another spell disguised as a 'thriller'. Somebody get me sage and a bookmark.

[Aby M ❤️‍🔥 · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading so many of her books and enjoying most of them, I’m still surprised she can produce such good stories in such a short amount of time! this was a great read!

[Maria Vickers - MysteryLFL · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a different Freida read! Still plenty of fun, but much different than her usual. As a non-native English speaker, I struggled a bit with the old style English, but I still understood and enjoyed the book. Loved the twists, and for once, I actually find some of them plausible. I’d love to see more from Freida like this!

[Amber Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one! I especially loved the Salem Witch Trials-era storyline—it added such an, intriguing historical element. A quick, twisty read that kept me guessing! 📖✨ Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy!

[Anamaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really surprising and quite different from everything I’ve read from Freida McFadden so far. The story follows a woman who becomes increasingly drawn into the dark history of a mysterious ancestor, as events from the past begin to have an unexpected impact on the present. The two timelines are really interesting, and I loved seeing how the pieces slowly started to connect.

My only criticism is that Freida reveals almost everything in the last few chapters all at once. I think the story would have been even more effective if the revelations had been introduced more gradually, allowing the suspense and mystery to build throughout the book.

All in all, a great and intriguing read. It’s also a fascinating reminder that we never really know how much our ancestors—and the things they experienced—can still affect us generations later.

[Stanislava Spasova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could’ve been worse. Could’ve been better.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I have read by Freida yet! I wound up loving this so much, it has all the signature epic storytelling that I expect from a Freida book. It of course has her twists and turns, the depth in the characters, and a plot you cannot help but become engrossed in. The story is split by alternating from present day with Julia Barlow as the lead to 1692 with a woman that was executed for witchcraft. We slowly unravel what happened back in the 1600s while also uncovering what is going on while Julia is staying in her family's estate, Pemberton. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy a dash of supernatural in your thrillers.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witch by Freida McFadden
Publishing date - 10/06/26
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press, Freida McFadden, and Mandy Chahal for this eARC. The Witch is one of my new favorites by Freida McFadden !! Loved the dual POVs between the 17th century and the 21st century! The stories of Caroline (17th century) and Julia (21st century) meshed together perfectly. I was hooked right from the beginning and absolutely did NOT see that twist coming. 😳 This is a perfect read for the spooky season. Highly recommend this one!

[Kaitlyn Douthitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of The Witch, and as a huge Freida McFadden fan—and your resident spooky girl—this was easily one of my most anticipated reads of the year!

Going into it, I knew absolutely nothing about the story. Based solely on the title and cover, I expected something with dark, spooky, witchy vibes. Instead, it leaned much more into Salem witch trial territory, which wasn’t quite what I had imagined.

The story is told through two timelines. In the 1600s, we follow Caroline, a woman who is completely innocent but accused of witchcraft. In the present day, one of Caroline’s descendants returns to the family home to care for her increasingly forgetful grandmother—a house she has always believed might be haunted.

This felt completely different from Freida’s usual murder mysteries and whodunits. While I was a little disappointed because I expected more of a spooky, witchy story, it was still very well written and kept me interested. I honestly don’t think Freida knows how to write a terrible book!

It isn’t my favorite Freida McFadden novel, but it was still an intriguing and worthwhile read.