Horror Book Preview: Read or Skip The Intruder by Freida McFadden

 

Freida McFadden is back with another thriller. While we wait for the movie adaptation of THE HOUSEMAID to come out, why not delve into another thriller by the prolific author?

The Intruder was released in October 2025 and has already topped the charts in the thriller section, and naturally received positive reviews from critics. 

THE INTRUDER Book Summary

Casey is in the middle of nowhere, living in a cabin that she doesn’t think can withstand the upcoming storm. But while she can endure the swaying tree outside her house, or the flickering lights and shaky roof, a face outside her kitchen window alarms her. 

The girl is young, alone, and covered in blood. She’s holding a knife in her hand that she won’t let go of. Casey soon realizes that the girl has a dark secret, and should Casey gets too close to the truth, she may not live through the night. 

THE INTRUDER Book Preview and My Take

It’s not surprising that you will find yourself immediately engrossed by the story from the very first page. 

We meet Casey, who is worried about the storm that’s going to hit. She suspects that the roof of the cabin she has leased might collapse, considering she keeps finding shingles all around. After persistently calling Rudy, her landlord, regarding the roof, he finally shows up, but is clearly disinterested and starts smoking. He doesn’t even care that the tree next to the house is swaying!

We also learn that Casey used to be a teacher and that she was recently let go, which led to her wanting to stay off the grid. But clearly, she cannot live without some basic amenities. Over here, the author injects unintentional humor as to how anyone who has lived in the city cannot actually survive in the woods without some modern technology. Yet, Casey is determined to prove to herself that she can and has sold her phone, for starters. Next, she also doesn’t have internet. 

Hopefully, nothing happens to her later in the story where she requires exactly those two necessities. 

Anyway, Casey may have a secret past, but she also knows how to take care of herself. 

This she demonstrates when she uses her self-defense moves on Rudy, who, instead of taking her roof problems seriously, hits on her. She literally makes Rudy eat dirt, a satisfying moment to read. 

With Rudy gone, Casey goes about doing the needful to protect the house from the storm. She tapes up the windows and gathers the candles, placing them in all strategic spots. 

It is when all this is going on that she spots a pale face peeking at her from outside, and she screams. But since the face goes away, Casey imagines it to be part of her hallucination. 

However, later, there is a knock on the door, and it is Lee, her neighbor. Now, Lee is someone else who makes Casey curious about him. He is friendly but doesn’t make a move on her. She suspects he may not be interested, but then recalls the summer when she wore a skimpy outfit and he was clearly attracted to her. 

Lee points out the mistakes she made with taping the windows and then offers to let her stay with him until the storm dies. But Casey is certain that she can take care of herself and refuses. She practically throws him out of the house. 

In the middle of all this, we get a flashback scene: Before. In this, we meet Ella, a troubled child who never has enough to eat and must resort to stealing lunches at school. She is often sent to the principal because of this, who proposes she get on the meal program, but Ella knows her mother would never agree to the poor children’s program. 

Once she receives her one-week detention punishment, she heads outside and meets Anton, a guy who dyes his own hair green. He’s been sent to the principal because he was fighting. When he makes a remark about Ella being ugly, the two share a moment where they flip each other off. She then runs into Brittany, the most popular girl in school, who is nice to Ella. 

Is the girl outside Casey’s house Ella? Or someone else entirely?

READ OR SKIP?

It’s Freida McFadden. There are going to be plenty of twists and turns. And of course, no one is who they say they are. Casey obviously has a secret. Lee has a secret. The girl outside the house has a secret. Chances are that all these secrets are connected to each other. But how?

No need to turn detective. Why not just read it?

Get the book here