The Coworker

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER

"Don't start a Freida McFadden book late at night. You won't be able to put it down!"-- Natalie Barelli, bestselling author of Unforgivable

Two women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can't be taken back.

Dawn Schiff is strange.

At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.

So when Dawn doesn't show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell--beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running--is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything...

It turns out Dawn wasn't just an awkward outsider--she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who's the real victim?

But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.

The Coworker is a tense, unputdownable thriller from New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden that explores the dark ways the past can echo through the present--with deadly consequences.

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Published Aug 29, 2023

368 pages

Average rating: 6.98

938 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *The Coworker* by Freida McFadden delivers gripping psychological suspense with strong workplace tension and an intriguing mix of twists. ...

Annie.S
Jan 21, 2025
8/10 stars
Such a fast read, I was hooked right away!
sydneyckempler
Nov 13, 2024
7/10 stars
Every character was an awful person in their own ways, BUT I was on the edge of my seat regardless just dying to know what happened!
Julie Lalande
Nov 29, 2023
7/10 stars
The book club gave this an average rating of 7 , with a couple of 8’s. It brought up some interesting conversations about bullying and points of views. One of our experienced fiction readers did not think this was Frieda’s McFaddens best book but still was able to give it a 7. The book is themed in Boston. Good read.w
Enid Cangiano
Dec 29, 2025
10/10 stars
I was a bit hesitant with this one, I'm coming to terms that Freida is hit or miss with me but this was a Hit! Listen one of my favorite animals is a turtle but bro, this goes to an extreme and that is all I will say about the turtle thing.

The build up was good, although I called part of the plot before midway I genuinely was so into this book, I finished this in 24 hours because I was hooked. Thriller/psychological just how I like it. It still gave me some twists that I didn't see coming.

definitely worth the hype and highly recommend. I can't say more without spoiling it.
Lrenae
Dec 22, 2025
6/10 stars
The Co-Worker was a fast, easy read that definitely kept me turning the pages. The workplace tension and unreliable characters pulled me in, and I enjoyed the mix of suspense and drama. That said, some of the twists felt a little over-the-top, and the ending didn’t quite land for me. Overall, an entertaining book, just not a standout compared to some of McFadden’s others.

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