The Locked Ward is a masterfully crafted psychological thriller that keeps you on edge from page one until the final twist. If you love suspense woven with emotional complexity, unpredictable turns, and dark family drama, this book is a must-read. I had a hard time putting this one down. As an avid reader of her books, this one did not disappoint!

Georgia- accused of killing her sister. currently awaiting trial. temporarily committed to a psychiatric institution. her only request is to speak to her twin sister.

Amanda- unaware that she had sister, let alone a twin, is pulled into the story out of her own curiosity.

🧠 psychological thriller
👥 dual point of view- one from a second person point of view
📚 themes of sisterhood, family secrets
🚪setting of a locked psychiatric ward, created. tension, and an eerie vibe

My thoughts: I enjoyed The Locked Ward and thought it was a solid thriller/mystery. While there were some tangent stories that seemed to just fizzle out, I was intrigued to keep reading to figure out how it would all end. I liked the use of the second person point of view for one of the sisters. It did bring me into the story. Fun and fast-paced with short chapters mashed for an easy and captivating story.

Another great suspense filled mystery from Sarah Pekkanen. When you were younger, did you ever go looking for your birth certificate hoping to find out that you were adopted and wishing you had siblings out in the world you didn't know about? No? Well, it was something I did when I got mad at my parents! The Locked Ward brought me back to this childhood memory, but with a sinister twist!

This was an interesting plot and I enjoyed this read immensely. Highly recommend.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. All comments and opinions are my own.

It should be no surprise that Sarah Pekkanen delivers a thrill ride in THE LOCKED WARD.

Twin sisters, Georgia Cartwright and Amanda Ravenel have been estranged as they lead very different lives. Georgia is the adopted, socialite daughter of a prominent family and Amanda works in a bar. When Georgia is accused of the murder of the biological daughter of her adoptive parents, she is placed in a locked psychiatric ward while awaiting trial. She reaches out to Amanda with an easy (yeah, right) request. “ I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.” Amanda isn’t sure she even wants to help Georgia but twin bonds are sometimes stronger than what the head wants. Amanda goes into her own investigation not knowing whether Georgia is innocent or not. As she uncovers more secrets, subterfuge and lies, she vacillates between guilt and innocence. Will she ever know the whole truth or is Georgia manipulating her?

This one had me on the edge of my seat. The differing points of view and the first and second person narrative, along with the short chapters kept me reading well past my bedtime. Ms. Pekkanan showcases her own skills in the genre while writing without her usual partner. I have read her previous novels and she never fails to deliver. I could feel the tension ratcheting up as Amanda got closer to the truth with characteristic twists and turns that I have come to expect from this author. The writing is clear and concise and leads to an enjoyable read. I can’t wait to see where she takes me next, either with her partner or on her own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Amanda and Georgia are twins who were separated soon after birth. Georgia was adopted by a wealthy family and is later accused of murdering her younger sister. After Georgia asks her estranged twin sister to help her get out of prison, Mandy does her own investigation and uncovers quite a few secrets. This book is full of twists. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed it.

I hate it when I don’t love a book. I really do. Especially a book by a favorite author. This has a great premise but it just didn’t execute it. There was a good bit of tension, but the mystery, and the dialogue weren’t as strong as I’ve come to expect from her. It lacked the substance that I’m used to seeing from Pekkanen. I’ll still ready anything she writes because she’s a phenomenal writer.

REVIEW: The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen

The Locked Ward is about a girl named Mandy who receives a letter from someone claiming to be her identical twin, Georgia, whom she was separated from at birth. Georgia is currently in the prison ward of a hospital, accused of killing her adoptive sister, Annabelle. She wants Mandy’s help clearing her name and getting her out because she insists she is innocent. As more layers of the story are revealed, we begin to discover that it may be more than what you think.

The Lock Ward is a thriller that focuses on whether Georgia is guilty or innocent of murder. Several layers to the story reveal more and more family drama. Secrets are brought to light, and there are some twists along the way. The setting of a hospital ward was super interesting. Not only did we get to learn more about lock wards, but it also made the story feel more tense and eerie. I also enjoyed that this story was written in both Georgia’s and Mandy’s points of view.

Unfortunately, The Lock Ward had some flaws. Although there were twists and turns, many of them felt predictable. Some holes in the story never got filled in. They really pushed the “twin connection” that made it feel over the top. A lot of the story was unbelievable. I also didn’t like that when we are in Georgia’s POV, it is written in the 2nd person. I was hoping for an explanation of why, because otherwise it wasn’t needed and was distracting.

The Lock Ward had some strong potential but needed to be tightened up a bit.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a free advanced copy for my honest review.

This fast paced psychological thriller had me hooked from page 1!
Georgia Cartwright, a 32 year old wedding planner is is a locked psychiatric ward awaiting a competency hearing after being charged with murdering her younger sister. She refuses to talk to anyone but her lawyer and her sister Amanda (Mandy).
When Mandy gets a message that her sister wants to see her, she is confused. She is adopted (so is Georgia) but was never told that she was a twin.
The story is told from both Georgia's and Mandy's point of view and that really heightened the suspense for me.
This book brought into play the backgrounds of each sister, with Mandy doing a lot of legwork toward learning about Georgia, and Georgia thinking she is in a dissociative state because she doesn't remember killing her younger sister.
Needless to say, there were lots of twists, lots of unique characters, a lot of secrets and lies...which added up to a compelling family drama/murder mystery.
The twist at the end was unexpected but I thought that it fit in well with the plot.

Mandy is shocked to learn she has a twin when she is called to visit Georgia in a psychiatric institution. Georgia was raised in a wealthy family and is accused of killing her sister, the biological daughter of Georgia's parents. Georgia tells Mandy that she is innocent and asks her to prove it.

This one was just ok for me. I didn't really find it suspenseful and was not surprised at all by the ending (any of it - not the main whodunnit or the twist). I think part of it was Georgia's chapters were just hard to read. The 2nd person was weird here and didn't work for me. I enjoyed Mandy's chapters much more, but since they were only half of the chapters, it didn't overcome Georgia's.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely not the whirlwind of drama/murder/mystery I was expecting, but I enjoyed the characters and the story. The end was unexpected, so that definitely is what made it a four star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
----------
Some doors should never be opened.

Was it bitter, all-consuming jealousy? Pathological sibling rivalry? Pure insanity?

Whatever the cause―and everyone has a theory―it's the Crime of the Decade when glamorous Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted as a newborn, is accused of killing the biological daughter of her wealthy, Southern family.

Georgia is locked in a psychiatric institution where the most violent offenders are held while she awaits trial. The only words she whispers when her estranged twin sister Amanda visits are, “I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.”

Amanda doesn't trust Georgia, but she can't abandon her in a place so eerie and menacing that it seems to exist in another dimension. Is Georgia the victim of a powerful family that's so depraved murder is the least of their crimes? Or is Amanda being led down a path of madness into the web of a master manipulator?
----------
I believe this was my first Sarah Pekkanen book, but I have been reading a lot of thrillers in the last two years, and I know she is known for them, so I was very excited to read it. It definitely had a lot of twists and turns...but were there too many? There were some aspects of this book that really worked. I loved that the story was told from the alternating viewpoints of Georgia and Amanda, although I join other reviewers in wondering why second person was chosen for Georgia's chapters. The twins separated at birth premise was a great starting point because of course that is going to lead to a lot of intrigue. And the psychiatric hospital setting was definitely a disturbing place to have Georgia locked up as Amanda tried to figure out just what it was that was going on in her twin's powerful family.

However, some of the twists seemed to come out of left field, and it made them a bit less than believable. The set up just wasn't always there. I definitely didn't guess who the murderer was (like this person was not on my radar AT ALL), and I feel like in the best thrillers, there should be some path that makes sense that gets us there. At the end, I didn't feel completely satisfied, although all in all, this was a good read, just not among the strongest thrillers I have read this year. However, I will definitely try this author again, as I have checked out her other offerings and see that some of them are very highly rated!

The first book I read by this author was House of Glass which was excellent. I was super excited to read The Locked Ward and it did not disappoint! Readers of Freida McFadden and Lucinda Berry will also enjoy Sarah Pekkanen. who will now be one of my go-to psychological thriller authors!

The story is told from the perspectives of Georgia, a wealthy socialite who was adopted as a baby and is accused of killing her sister Annabelle, the biological daughter of her adoptive parents, and Mandy, her estranged twin sister that she has recently tracked down. Georgia pleads insanity and is being held in a mental hospital and hopes that she can convince Mandy of her innocence and find out who really killed Annabelle. There are so many mysteries! Why were the twins separated at birth where Mandy was raised by loving, middle class parents and Georgia was raised by wealthy parents who constantly compared her to her younger sister? Did Mandy's parents know that she had a twin sister? Did Georgia kill her sister in a jealous rage or is Georgia an innocent victim and someone else killed Annabelle? The story takes many twists and turns which I didn't see coming.

I also really enjoyed learning more about the bond between twins even when they have been separated at birth.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Happy thriller Thursday - and this release is an especially thrilling read/listen! Many thanks to the St Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for early access in exchange for my honest opinions.
Set in the South, there is BIG money, BIG family secrets, and just a little bit of murder in this book. Georgia is locked up, awaiting trial for killing her sister, the biological daughter of her wealthy parents. She's hoping to be freed by her estranged twin Mandy, who didn't even know she had a twin sister until Georgia reached out after being arrested. The more you learn about the situation, the crazier it gets.
If I had to pick two words to describe The Locked Ward I would go with bingeable and unpredictable. I read this in less than 24 hours - the short chapters held my attention and January Lavoy’s narration of the dual POVs brought the story to life when I was running errands but had to know what happened next. I definitely recommend it!

I have read several of Ms Pekkanen’s coauthored books and the 2 previous books she wrote on her own. I’ve enjoyed all of them. This one I liked but didn’t love. I actually got an e-arc from NetGalley but when I discovered my favorite audiobook narrator (January LaVoy) voiced the audiobook I did buy the audiobook from Audible. As usual she’s the best narrator.

I liked the short and fast chapters. The overall mystery of what happened to Annabelle and how Georgia and Mandy were separated was interesting. I thought it was weird how Mandy didn’t really care about who her birth parents were. Mandy’s chapters were first person perspective but for some reason Georgia’s chapters were second person perspective which I found to be odd. Opal was a pointless character.

This was a quick listen for me and it was alright, just not great.

**Thanks to the author and St Martin’s Press for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, I also bought the audiobook from Audible.**

I was hooked on the story since the beginning, it had me wanting to know what was going to happen next throughout the whole book. I really liked the plot twist and turns in the story, except the ending, it wasn’t what I was expecting but overall I can say it was a good read.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this.novel.

I really wanted to like this book. I loved her release from last year (House of Glass) and I was very much looking forward to reading this one but unfortunately this one didn’t work nearly as well for me.

I loved the short chapters (also works for the quick thriller) and the location of a psych ward was a great setting but the story itself just didn’t work. I didn’t connect with the two main characters and overall the whole story seemed over-the-top and lacked the fun twists I was hoping for.

2.5/5 rounded up to 3 for this review.

A similar take on a locked door mystery while we see one of our female main characters in a locked psych ward. This just failed to grab my attention. I finished the book and though it was okay I found myself not really caring what happened to the characters
In the end. Overall for me just a steady 3/5.

Thank you (again) to Netgalley for this ARC of Sarah Pekannen’s newest thriller. I really enjoyed this one and it’s probably now one of my favorites by her. Released earlier this month, it follows a twisty, turny tale of sisterhood, family secrets, and, of course, murder most foul. The surprises kept coming all the way through the epilogue. 4.5⭐️

Amanda Raven, also known as Mandy, was getting used to having a quiet life after her adoptive parents passed away. She continued running the bar her adoptive father purchased when she was younger. It was a nice life, a simple life. So why did this high society heiress accused of murder ask her to come visit her in a psychiatric ward?

Georgia Cartwright is stuck in a psychiatric ward for killing her sister, well, the biological daughter of her adoptive parents. Ever since they were little, they always were at odds thanks to her adoptive mother pitting them against each other but killing her? No way would Georgia do that! Yet no one believes her since she was the one who found her dead. As for the psychiatric ward, it's way better than prison. Acting as if she's in a catatonic state, Georgia must find a way to communicate to Mandy without calling attention to herself. Even more, she needs to convince Mandy about their connection to one another.

Unknown to them, twins Mandy and Georgia were separated shortly after their birth. Now together again, they must figure out who the killer is and more important, Mandy wants to find out why they were separated. Time isn't on their side because Georgia's hearing to stand trial is coming quickly so will they solve this mystery in time?

This was my first book by Sarah Pekkanen and I really enjoyed it. The Locked Ward had a lot of twists and turns as a good psychological book should have. I highly recommend it if you love mysteries. The narrator for the audiobook, January LaVoy did an amazing voice on the story telling. Her voice was perfect changing between the characters with great emotion and volume.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, MacMillian Audio and St. Martin's Press for ARC. Thank you Sarah Pekkanen for a great read and to January LaVoy for the audio version of the book!

I was given this ARC for my honest opinion which is of my own accord.

The Locked Ward is a compelling story told in two POV's, each by a twin sister separated at birth.
Georgia is locked up in a psychiatric ward, with dangerous criminals, after a horrific crime she is accused of committing. She hopes to convince her estranged twin of her innocence.
Mandy discovers that the alleged murderer, now making headlines, is the twin sister she never knew she had when she is suddenly summoned to the asylum.
The story follows Mandy as she unravels the mystery behind the murder and unearths the scandalous secrets surrounding Georgia's adoptive family.
Nothing is as it seems in this twisty and clever story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.