Best-Selling Author's New Buzzy Novel Named in Top Thrillers of the Decade
There's a reason thrillers never get old. They're entertaining, addictive, and genius at tapping into something uncomfortably familiar - all from the safety of your own reading nook.
Goodreads has just shared a recently curated selection of mystery and thriller novels that have resonated most strongly with readers over the past decade. And among them, one title is standing out for the level of conversations and attention it's already generating.
Freida McFadden's Dear Debbie is that book.
Released on January 27, the read has everything you want in a thriller: simmering domestic tension, a nicely crafted revenge arc, and a built-in "What would you do?" hook.
Its page-turning plot centers on Debbie Mullen, an advice columnist who has lost all patience for men who do women wrong. Jobless and now aware of her husband's secrets, McFadden's antiheroine sets out on a violent and calculted revenge spree, feeding into repressed impulses and punishing all ye who cross her.
With all the twisted makings of a killer series, Amazon MGM Studios have already purchased rights to adapt the novel for the small screen. According to Deadline, Lucifer's Ildy Modrovich is attached as showrunner. She will also write and executive-produce.
McFadden has been making headlines lately, not only because the first novel of her Housemaid series was adapted into a wildly successful film starring Sidney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried (sequel hits December 2027), but because she's gone and unmasked herself.
Freida McFadden Reveals Her Real Identity
The author, who wears a wig and glasses in public, and uses a pseudonym for her work, is also a doctor who treats brain disorders. Before her popularity blew up, she wanted to keep the two personas separate. But now, she says she doesn't see the point.
Revealing her real name and identity with USA Today, the real Sara Cohen says, "I'm at a point in my career when I'm tired of this being a secret. 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 adds that the wig is just because she has "no idea how to style [her] hair."
"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 continues. "But I have stepped away from my job. I'm only working like once or twice a month."
Dear Debbie is available at bookshop.org.
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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 3:13 PM.