Glamorous and wealthy Georgia is in a psychiatric ward accused of killing her sister Annabelle. She is under the careful watch of all staff and is planning to plead insanity. Her only request is to meet her newly discovered twin sister. She is the only person who knows she exists and therefore the only person who may be able to help her.

Amanda is currently running her family bar after her parents' deaths. She is shocked to receive a phone call and discover that she is somehow involved in the biggest current news story - the murder of Annabelle Cartwright. When Amanda finds out she has a twin sister she is forced to investigate her past and try to figure out of Georgia really killed her sister.

This book was a light easy read, but never really grabbed me. I love a book with short chapters and different POVs, but these chapters were almost too short. I wanted certain story lines to go more into depth and I felt like we didn't get to know some of the characters as much as we could have. Nothing was truly very shocking and I felt like the twin connection was too forced.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC of The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen.

This book had me in a chokehold and wouldn’t let go until I finished the very last page.

Mandy is a bartender who has taken over the bar her adoptive mom and dad left her. One day she gets a call that she has a sister. A twin sister. She knew she was adopted but never knew where she came from much less of having a twin.
The kicker is that her twin Georgia is on the psychiatric ward of the hospital. Locked up for killing her other sister. In a dissociative state, she wants to see her twin for the first time. Leaving slight verbal clues, she unfolds a story for Mandy to bring down the people who put her there.

I loved how Sarah Pekkanen authored Georgia’s chapters because Georgia for the most part was talking in her own head. She had little encounters but most of her story was in her head. That was very clever writing and I feel like it would be difficult to keep those chapters going but she executed them flawlessly.

There were several twists and suspects during the story and I was here for them all. I loved the ending. The statue part was so cool.

Definitely would recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read The Locked Ward before the publication date. It was such an honor!
This was my first Sarah Pekkanen book to read and it will not be my last. I loved her writing style and the juxtaposition of Georgia and Mandy. This book had plots twists and turns at every turn of the page.
There was not a dull chapter or any fluff filling which was refreshing. I can honestly say, it's one of the first thrillers that I didn't trust any of the characters. It's a true thriller that will keep you guessing and questioning the plot to the very last page!
Overall a truly great thriller and a must read by any psychological thriller fan out there.

This was so good! I really enjoyed House of Glass, so I was so excited for the opportunity to read this. Sarah Pekkanen is now on my must read list! I really liked the characters, and the alternating POV worked so well. I wasn't sure what was truth and whom to trust. Coincidentally, my son was doing his psychiatric ward rotation while I was reading this, so it was fun to chat with him about the book over lunch!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this copy to read!

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish The Locked Door. While I was intrigued by the premise and had high hopes, I struggled to connect with Georgia’s point of view. The writing style in her narration felt unnatural and distracting to me, which made it difficult to stay engaged. I recognize that this may be a matter of personal preference, and I’m sure other readers may appreciate the unique voice more than I did. I hope to try another title by Sarah Pekkanen in the future.

Mandy Ravenal has created a good life for herself. She is carrying on her parent's legacy, managing the popular family owned bar Sweetbays, her parents scraped to open when she was a child . The bar has become her life and her family since she lost her parents. Her world is a little lonely but full of rewarding work.
Then she got a call asking her to visit a local socialite who has been detained in a mental health facility. Georgia Cartwright has been arrested for the murder of her younger sister. The press is calling it the Crime of the Decade. She can't imagine why this woman is reaching out to her.

Author, Sarah Pekkanen, has written another compelling twisty mystery that could have been ripped from the current headlines. Read It you won't be sorry.


Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & the author for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book hooked me from the start, was a fast read because of how interesting to me it was. I found lots of twists that I would try to solve before they came to light. Definitely enjoyed the book.

Solid 4 ⭐️ for the story and twist. Each POV was written a bit weird for me. Not sure exactly what it was, not necessarily bad but different. Maybe I’m not into first person? Georgia’s POV reminded me of those books I read as a kid, the pick your own adventure. Those were written in first person and I think switching from that type of POV to 3rd person just didn’t flow? The story was a little scattered but I did overall enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Sarah Pekkanen, and St. Martin’s Press for the digital advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Being adopted, there is always the curiosity about your biological family. Amanda Ravenel, Mandy, runs the bar she inherited from her parents. She is asked to visit the hospital where her sister, Georgia Cartwright, is being held for "the crime of the century". Mandy never knew she had a sister, and Georgia claims that she is innocent of murdering her other sister. Mandy wants to help Georgia, but how can you prove someone is innocent when you don't know them? Mandy's decision to help her sister will change both their lives. Why doesn't Georgia trust the police to investigate this crime? Georgia's adoptive family is wealthy and uses that wealth in many good and bad ways. To fully understand what has happened, Mandy will have to unearth the past to solve this mystery.

The Locked Ward is about murder, manipulation, and family ties. Sarah Pekkanen takes intrigue, wraps it in murder, and gives readers a ride. Twists and turns will keep you guessing as the investigation takes a sinister turn. Mandy and Georgia's developing sisterly bond is well written and one of the reasons readers will stay engaged throughout the book. This thriller keeps you guessing. The ending is excellent and provides the closure that this story needs. Mystery and thriller fans will love this quick-paced book!

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sarah Pekkanen for the advanced copy of the book.

Wow!

My first book by Sarah Pekkanen and I'm definitely a fan.

Georgia is a rich, high society girl when she's arrested for the murder of her sister Annabelle. She is placed in a locked ward for mental illness. About a month before this happened, Georgia found out she had a twin, Mandy. Her attorney gets Mandy to come visit Georgia and sets out to get Mandy to prove her innocence.

Lots of drama and danger ensues. The book reminds us that the narrative the press feeds us may not be the truth.

It starts with a top news story of a bloody murder driven by revenge.

Georgia was locked up in a psychiatric ward awaiting charges for killing her younger sister. She made a call to Mandy, her 32-year-old twin. She thought she was the only person who could help her get out. Oddly, she had just learned from DNA reports of her existence and hadn’t spoken to her yet. Would Mandy even pick up?

There’s been numerous studies of the close bonds between twins. This story attempted to show the effects upon twins separated at birth and raised in two diverse environments. Would one rescue another if called upon? There was a lot about trust and secrets.

The chapters were short but it was slow moving with holes periodically. While it was a fascinating concept with the twins, there were times when it lacked tension as it progressed alternating between Mandy and Georgia. However, the end came with a complete unexpected surprise. I’ll be looking forward to whatever she writes next.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 5, 2025.

really enjoyed this storyline, as well as the double pov. i'm a sucker for fast-paced, action-packed chapters - although this one still felt a bit slow despite the short chapters. the characters fit right into their respective categories (the evil matriarch, the no-back-bone father, the treasured child and the demonized one, etc.) and it works for the plot. the writing kept me hooked and i really wanted to know more. i'm glad this has a sort-of-happy resolution, and i'm kind of hoping for a sequel in which we lean more into mandy's darker side (+ can we know more about colby's obsessive side??)

overall - not earth-shattering, but definitely a good read

thank you to net-galley for the e-arc <333

I liked the story but sometimes understanding who was talking was kind of difficult. The point of view was sometimes hard to understand and I kept having to back to see who’ was talking. Other than that, it was great! Really interesting and kept me guessing till the end.

Georgia is being held in a psych ward awaiting arrest after being found bloody and looming over the murdered body of her adopted sister, Annabelle. Amanda is working in her bar, the one she inherited from her parents, when she gets a life-changing call from Georgia’s lawyer: Georgia and Amanda are twins, separated at birth and adopted by two different families, Georgia’s wealthy and Amanda’s not so much. Mandy goes to visit and finds that Georgia is pretending to be in a dissociative state but believes she is innocent and that “they” will kill her too if Mandy doesn’t help her get out and figure out who really killed Annabelle. Mandy slowly enters Georgia’s life to help the sister she never knew she had—even though she has no idea if Georgia is the killer—but can she figure out what really happened before it’s too late?

The Locked Ward is a solid, if imperfect, thriller. You’ll probably have some idea what’s happening though you’ll likely not figure it out exactly. Unsurprisingly, it alternates perspectives between Georgia and Amanda. Interestingly, it tells Georgia’s from the second-person, keeping everything largely in the present so the reader is not shown whether or not she’s the killer until the same time Amanda learns. I liked the two main characters, and their evolving relationship. There are lots of suspects and lots of twists in the main story, though some are less believable than others. There’s one twist in the Epilogue (view spoiler) that was wholly unnecessary, inconsistent with the character for the entire story, and honestly a trying-too-hard, lame way to end the book. Recommended, but be prepared to roll with some unlikely plot twists. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I loved this book. As much as I like the books that grab me on page 1 and don't let up until I get to the end, I find that I read them too quickly just to see how they end, and then a day later, I've started a new book and totally forgotten what the previous book was about. This book had promise from the very beginning, but I was able to read for an hour or two before bed, put it down at a reasonable hour, and look forward to the next night when I could read more. The chapters alternated between the two sisters, so we really got to know both of them and learn about their lives. I loved the conflict Mandy had over whether to believe Georgia or not, and how she kept changing her mind based on new evidence. There was an underlying tenseness about whether or not Georgia was actually in danger, which was totally believable since we saw how she tried to manipulate Mandy into helping her. Maybe there really wasn't danger and that was just another means of trying to get Mandy's help? As soon as I found out they were twins, my first thought was that they would end up switching places so Georgia would be free to find out who framed her, so I was very happy that that wasn't the case. The only thing I had trouble with was that Georgia's chapters always talked about 'you', when she meant herself. This might be helpful for people who don't read the chapter titles to know immediately who was talking, but I found it very jarring. Now, to be fair, I just got done watching 'You', so I had to shake off the idea that Georgia wasn't a serial killer in EVERY one of her chapters, but then I would think she was talking about Mandy, because who talks about 'you' as being themselves? I have never read this author before but am looking forward to reading more!

This was so well-written! It’s a classic murder mystery, with really well-developed characters and even when you assume it’s formulaic, you’ll be surprised. The whole package ended up being a very fun read. It’s well worth your time!

Such a great storyline! I’ve never read anything by this author before. I love her writing. I will seek out more books by her. It’s an intense, fast paced story but very well written! I’d love to read a sequel. There are aspects that I want to know more about; how life changes for Mandy with Georgia, but also with Scott. Great book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This sounded so thrilling, yet it turned out to be anything but compelling. This didn’t work for me on so many levels. The premise is that wealthy and successful Georgia Cartwright was adopted, and is now accused of killing her adoptive family’s biological daughter. Georgia decides to pretend to be in a dissociative state instead of going to jail. She is sure that she can just call her twin sister, Mandy, who has no clue that she is a twin, and Mandy will put her life on pause to help Georgia prove her innocence. Implausibly, Mandy does just that, and the two immediately develop twin telepathy.

The story is narrated first person by Mandy, and second person by Georgia. Georgia’s narration just didn’t work as it was hard to connect with her illogical thinking. There is also a big ick factor later in the book, skirting around relationships that would be incestuous if allowed to develop.

Overall, the story just lost momentum as Georgia’s predicament became repetitive and boring. There is one point where Mandy is dressing in Georgia’s expensive designer clothes, spritzing on her perfume, daydreaming about becoming Georgia, and that could have been an interesting turn.

I enjoyed reading The Locked Ward as my first book from this author and have added her other books to my TBR now!! From beginning to end, I could not wait to see what the next page held. The storyline and the twists were perfectly executed! Highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers!

So many unanswered questions for a read as slow paced as this. Honestly the back and forth was too much with not enough context ie 77 chapters or so in this 300 page read. I really loved The Golden Couple by this author so this was quite a shame. But I have questions about Colby, Scott, the aftermath of Patty and the graper for it to be any higher of a review