The mystery behind one of suspense fiction’s most kept secrets has finally been solved.
Freida McFadden, best-selling author the maidShe has revealed that her real name is Sara Cohen, a New York-born doctor who spent years keeping her identity hidden to protect her medical career.
McFadden shared the first photo of his real appearance with Today.com on Monday, wearing a lab coat with the name Sara Cohen, accompanied by a pair of glasses.
He explained that the decision to come forward came when the secrecy surrounding his identity began to take on a life of its own.
“It became clear to me that the mystery surrounding my real name was taking on a lore of its own and I decided it was time to share it,” he said.
The 45-year-old had kept her identity secret for years, publishing under a pseudonym while working as a doctor specializing in brain disorders.
His reasoning was practical.
“My goal was to keep it a secret until I was ready to leave my job as a doctor, so it wouldn’t be like everyone I work with suddenly knew and it compromised my ability to do my job,” she said. USA today in an interview on April 8.
She confirmed that many of her colleagues had already figured it out but had kept her secret a secret.
At times, online speculation had reached something more pointed, with some people online claiming to know his real name and threatening to reveal it.
McFadden was remarkably relaxed about it.
“It made me laugh because it’s not like I’m in witness protection! I always wanted the focus to be on my books, not my identity,” she said.
She added that she has been “amazed” by the public’s reaction since she performed. “I’ve read a lot of comments saying, ‘This is the plot twist I needed!’ that have made me smile.”
Despite the revelation, she has no plans to stop writing as Freida McFadden.
“It has always been my intention to entertain people and that is what I will continue to do as long as they continue reading,” he said.
McFadden published his first book, The devil wears a medical gownin 2013, but it was the maid in 2022 that made her a household name.
The novel was recently adapted into a film starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, which grossed nearly $400 million at the global box office. a sequel,
the maid‘s Secret, starring Sweeney and Kirsten Dunst, is already in development.
