Bookouture bags third book in McFadden’s Housemaid thriller series

Bookouture has acquired the third book in Freida McFadden’s Housemaid thriller series, the first title of which – published in April 2022 – is Bookouture’s highest-ever earning title. The second book in the series, The Housemaid’s Secret, was published in February 2023.

Publishing director Ellen Gleeson acquired world English language rights, including digital, audio, and film and TV rights for The Housemaid is Watching from Christina Hogrebe at Jane Rotrosen Agency. Sourcebooks holds world English print rights to the title and will be publishing in print via the Poisoned Pen Press imprint in June 2024 in alignment with e-book and audio editions.

In The Housemaid is Watching, publishing summer 2024, eponymous housemaid Millie attempts to leave her dark past behind and moves to a peaceful suburb with her husband and children. But danger lurks in the seemingly perfect neighbourhood.

Gleeson said: “Working with Freida McFadden on the phenomenon that is the Housemaid series has been nothing short of a career dream come true. The Housemaid is Watching delivers on everything I know Freida’s hundreds of thousands of fans adore: incredible plotting, tension in every single scene, dark humour, and twists that leave you breathless. Revisiting Millie’s story is so special and I cannot wait to share The Housemaid is Watching with the world. And be careful: she’s always watching…”

McFadden, who also works part-time as a doctor specialising in brain injury and is the author of 20 self-published titles, said: “I am grateful to everyone who contributed to the success of the Housemaid series, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter of Millie’s adventures.”

Rights to The Housemaid have been sold in 37 languages and film rights were snapped up by Todd Lieberman’s new production company Hidden Pictures, financed by Lionsgate, in a four-way auction.

According to the publisher, the Housemaid series has sold 1.8 million copies, with half a billion page reads in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription programme.