The Coworker

Rating: ⭐️⭐️😜😰🤩 TLDR; I read this with my mom and we could not put it down. This was a fun, quick, and suspenseful read. Gotta love Freida's twists. I always wonder how she does it but she does. If you are in a reading slump, need a break from a larger series or just trying to get back into reading - read this or start with one of Freida's books.

This review is for fun and hope its entertaining in some way - enjoy and read this book.

In the cold, sterile halls of Vixed, where nutritional supplements are crafted, secrets fester like an unspoken toxin. Freida McFadden's "The Coworker" beckons readers into the enigmatic world of Dawn Schiff, the peculiar accountant who vanished, leaving behind a whirlwind of suspicion and a twisted game that not even the office's queen bee, Natalie Farrell, can escape.

🕰️ A Game of Shadows: As the clock ticks towards 8:45 a.m., the strangeness of Dawn Schiff unfurls like a shadowy dance. McFadden paints Dawn as an enigma, an outsider harboring mysteries that elude the prying eyes of the Vixed coworkers. The suspense tightens when Dawn vanishes, leaving Natalie ensnared in a web of questions with no easy answers.

😂 Office Humor Meets Dark Secrets: In the monotony of office life, McFadden injects doses of humor (she's good at it), transforming the mundane into a comedic escapade. The quirks of office culture find a place amidst the suspense, creating a narrative that oscillates between chuckles and gasps. It's a rollercoaster of emotions, where laughter and tension intertwine in an unusual office tango. Just when you think you got it figured out someone else pops up.

🔍 Twists That Tease: McFadden's trademark twists take center stage, beckoning readers into a maze of uncertainty. The anonymous phone call becomes a siren's song, luring Natalie into a labyrinth where the distinction between victim and perpetrator blurs. With each revelation, the plot tightens its grip, leaving readers guessing until the final, gasp-inducing twist.

👥 Cat and Mouse: Caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse, Natalie grapples with her connection to Dawn. The lines between alliances and betrayals blur as she navigates the treacherous terrain of office politics turned deadly. McFadden expertly weaves a tale of suspicion and mistrust, leaving readers to wonder who's pulling the strings.

💀 Echoes of the Past: The echoes of Dawn's mysterious past reverberate through the present, casting shadows that stretch far beyond the office walls. McFadden, a maestro of suspense, explores the sinister ways in which the past can claw its way into the present, leaving a trail of deadly consequences.

In "The Coworker," Freida McFadden concocts a potion of humor, suspense, and office intrigue that proves irresistible. A page-turner that entices you into the labyrinth of secrets lurking beneath the veneer of Vixed, it's a thriller that echoes long after the final revelation. Will you uncover the truth, or will the shadows of the office swallow you whole? 🕵️‍♀️🔍🕰️

Her books are good for a break between big series or if you’re just getting into this kind of genre.

Predictable. Yes. Crafty. Yes. Worth the read. Also yes.

As I’m reading this, the story leads me to be so focused on Natalie versus other characters but then there’s small clues where you start to consider other characters and question no what’s going on. Unless you’re really into this kind of stuff being detective that does take a little bit to catch on. I am a little disappointed that the ending doesn’t quite carry out a little bit more, but I suppose it does to , an extent. We all know people are crazy, but for these two to essentially go up against each other like this, it would be interesting to see if there was a book 2 on this one maybe they got together. All the characters come in at the right time and there’s just enough to keep you guessing without actually knowing what’s going on and the surprises are well just that surprises. So either you’re going to get it or you’re not until the end.

This is the second of McFadden’s books that I’ve read. McFadden does create significant suspense in this story, and I wanted to find out how it would end. I figured out a portion of the plot beforehand, but was still anxious to see what would happen next. Natalie and Dawn are polar opposites. Natalie is blonde, vivacious, extroverted and successful. She’s a hard-charging sales rep for a Boston-based health supplement company. She’s well-liked, motivated and used to getting what she wants. In contrast, Dawn is quiet, reserved, shy and more-than-a-little quirky. She’s rigidly punctual, socially awkward and desperately eager to connect with her coworkers, often with disastrous results. She’s a dedicated accountant at the same company as Natalie, but she exists in the background and on the sidelines. Then one day, Dawn doesn’t show up for work. This wouldn’t be particularly unusual for a typical employee, but it’s definitely out of character for Dawn, whose schedule is consistent and unwavering. While out on a sales call, Natalie impulsively decides to go to Dawn’s home to check on her, and to see if anything is amiss. Natalie enters through an unlocked back door and finds a large bloodstain on the living room carpet. Shaken, she calls the police. An investigation begins that centers around Dawn’s various colleagues because she seemed to have few friends and little family. The assigned detective pursues various leads, but increasingly circles back to Natalie and her possible involvement. Natalie’s puzzled and then fearful when she becomes the central focus and primary suspect in the investigation, when the battered body of an unidentified woman is found. The story moves between the search for Dawn and Natalie’s racheting alarm at the mounting evidence against her. She worries that someone is trying to frame her for murder, and watches helplessly as former friends turn against her. McFadden does an excellent job at depicting the juxtaposition of the two women’s lives as they intersect and unravel. Lots of adrenaline and pages turning in a flurry. I was surprised by how invested I was, given my earlier reaction to McFadden’s other book, “Never Lie”. This one had a slightly more redemptive message, though the darker undertones are still ever-present in this book as well. McFadden seems to favor shady characters with sinister edges, complicated backstories and subjective motivations. As a thriller, it works, but I wouldn’t want to encounter people like this in real life.

When I read McFadden’s books, I am always shocked that she can lead the reader to all the wrong conclusions in order to twist a surprise in at the end. This time, I had my suspicions and was cautious about digging in to any particular theory. This book wasn’t about the crime as much as the backstory and what it lead the character to do- and find out about. The mystery for the book was related more to character traits than the actual crime.

Natalie, the main character, is a sales rep for a vitamin company. Her cubicle neighbor, Dawn, is keeping a secret. Through emails and first person narration, the reader is tossed into a world in which high school shenanigans turn deadly.

Quick read but not my favorite McFadden book. Hopefully I have not read so many that these books have lost their edge.