Dead Med (by Freida McFadden)

Keeping up with Freida McFadden’s novels can feel like a full-time job, so I’ve started alternating between her older titles and her more recent releases. Dead Med caught my attention after a friend read it and recommended it.

Published in 2024, Dead Med is a revised edition of McFadden’s early medical thriller Suicide Med (originally self-published in 2014), with about 20 percent new material. Heather McKinley starts her first year at DeWitt Medical School, a place students call “Dead Med” because of its history of overdoses. She arrived hoping to heal others, but the sleepless nights, tough exams, and constant pressure quickly wear her down. Then her longtime boyfriend breaks up with her, she starts failing anatomy, and the life she worked so hard to build begins to come apart. On the night before the anatomy final, a gunshot echoes through the school’s halls, and Heather finds herself in the middle of a terrifying night that is far from over.

I borrowed the audiobook from Hoopla and enjoyed the dual narration by Patricia Santomasso and Scott Merriman. Overall, it was a solid medical thriller that captured the competitive intensity of med school and showed how quickly secrets and sabotage can turn deadly. The story unfolds from multiple characters’ perspectives, which kept me engaged. The repeated introductions felt slightly redundant at times, but they effectively established each person’s starting point and mindset.

I wasn’t particularly satisfied with the ending. It felt abrupt and left me with more questions than answers, never quite settling into a satisfying conclusion. Despite that, Dead Med was still an engaging listen that held my attention through its high-stakes tension and shifting viewpoints. If you enjoy medical thrillers and don’t mind an ending that leaves you with lingering questions, it’s worth picking up—especially on audio with the dual narration.

I'm slowly making my way through Freida McFadden's entire catalog. You can find my previous reviews of her books linked below.

• 2026
  • Aug 17, 2026 Dear Debbie (by Freida McFadden)
  • Mar 16, 2026 The Boyfriend (by Freida McFadden)
• 2025
  • Dec 5, 2025 The Gift (by Freida McFadden)
  • Oct 8, 2025 The Housemaid’s Wedding (by Freida McFadden)
  • Jul 6, 2025 The Inmate (by Freida McFadden)
  • Jul 4, 2025 Death Row (by Freida McFadden)
  • May 11, 2025 The Tenant (by Freida McFadden)
  • Apr 24, 2025 The Crash (by Freida McFadden)
  • Feb 7, 2025 The Housemaid is Watching (by Freida McFadden)
• 2024
  • Dec 22, 2024 The Perfect Son (by Freida McFadden)
  • Nov 17, 2024 The Housemaid’s Secret (by Freida McFadden)
  • Oct 29, 2024 The Housemaid (by Freida McFadden)
  • Oct 1, 2024 One By One (by Freida McFadden)
  • Jul 3, 2024 Do Not Disturb (by Freida McFadden)

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