The Witch by Freida McFadden
A Haunting Thriller of Salem, Secrets, and Silence.
Freida McFadden’s The Witch is a chilling standalone psychological thriller that blends modern suspense with the dark legacy of the 1692 Salem witch trials. It follows Julia Barlow, who loses her job and apartment and retreats to Pemberton, her family’s isolated seventeenth-century estate in rural Massachusetts, supposedly to check on her grandmother. Instead of finding refuge, Julia encounters unsettling phenomena—lights flickering without explanation, a grandfather clock stopping at exactly 3:41 a.m., and a disembodied voice crying for help outside her bedroom—leading her to uncover a haunted family history that may be more dangerous than any secret she expected.
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As Julia investigates the estate’s disturbing past, she uncovers the story of a woman executed for witchcraft in 1692, during the Salem witch trials. The novel uses a dual-timeline structure, moving between Julia’s present-day investigation and the 1692 story of Caroline Eldridge, a young woman whose life becomes entangled with accusations, betrayal, and an unjust conviction. As decades of Barlow family lies surface, Julia realizes that Pemberton may be haunted by women whose voices refuse to stay silent—and that uncovering the truth may be the only way to end the terror.
“The Witch is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that pairs McFadden’s addictive pacing with a genuinely eerie Salem-inspired mystery.”
The Book Guide® Editor
The novel is a fast-paced, atmospheric read for fans of Freida McFadden’s twist-driven thrillers, as well as readers who enjoy gothic haunted-house fiction, historical mysteries, and witch-trial narratives. Its combination of a present-day protagonist, a 1692 Salem-era storyline, family secrets, and supernatural dread makes it an especially strong pick for spooky-season reading.
The Witch by Freida McFadden (2026)
The Witch by Freida McFadden-
by The Book Guide Editor4.7/5 Very good
