I'm glad I decided to request this book, as I wasn't a fan of her previous book, The Glass House. This was soooo captivating, I read it in two days. An adoptive sister is accused of killing her sister and is sent to a mental institution while she awaits trial. It turns out the adoptive sister is a twin, and her twin is the only person who can save her. Set among the wealthy elite in Charlotte, the reader follows a twisty narrative filled with secrets. Thank you, NetGalley!

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a psychological thriller filled with untrustworthy characters, dysfunctional families, secrets, anger, and revenge - and murder, of course. The book opens with one of our main characters coming to in a psychiatric ward. Wealthy and young, Georgia Cartwright is accused of murdering her younger sister with many witnesses attesting to the fact that Georgia has always had it out for Annabelle. Now Georgia is in a semi-catatonic, sometimes dissociative state, waiting to see if she will be found fit to stand trial. She is able to request a meeting with one person - a long lost twin sister she recently found via a family dna website and whom she knew nothing about until now.

Mandy was shocked to hear from Georgia's defense lawyer claiming she is the twin sister of this accused murderess. She was raised modestly by her adoptive parents whom have since passed away and knew nothing about her birth family or the fact that she even had any other birth siblings. She decideds to meet with Georgia to see what her sister could want when Georgia tells her that she is completely innocent and she needs Mandy's help before they come for her and kill her. Well, that sure pulls the reader in!

I am a fan of Ms. Pekkanen's other suspense titles and was eager to get my hands on this one. While it was entertaining enough, it was missing something to move it up to the next level. I really enjoyed the short chapters that left the reader on a cliffhanger. I enjoyed the flashbacks into the Cartwright home and family life - getting quick glimpses into Georgia and Annabelle's relationship. I thought the little clues and misdirections were pretty good. But I did often find my mind wandering and the whole sudden twin bonding thing struck me as odd. How did that suddenly develop only after they found out about each other as adults? I also was thrown off by the second person POV in Georgia's chapters. The switch to that POV may have caused my mind to lose focus.

Overall, this was a decent suspense, but not really thrilling. As stated, I really have enjoyed Pekkanen's other couple of novels and will gladly try her next! This one just wasn't a big hit for me personally.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Georgia Cartwright is placed in a Locked Ward after killing her sister.
Only to realize, she was adopted. Once in the ward, she reaches out to her biological twin sister for help.
Amanda, who, too, just finds out about the twin-ship has to decide if she can trust Georgia. Help free Georgia’s name and innocence.

I was super excited to read this book after giving House of Glass 5 stars a couple months ago, and I was not disappointed. It started off really strong with Georgia being in a locked psychiatric ward after being arrested for killing her sister, Annabelle. Georgia enlists her long lost twin, Mandy, to help prove her innocence. I was really interested for the first 40% or so, but felt like the book dragged a bit in the middle. I did find the ending satisfying and enjoyed the political drama elements of the book. Overall, I found this to be a solid thriller!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My latest read was The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen, and as always, she delivers a thriller packed with suspense and jaw-dropping twists. She’s so good at hooking you from page one and keeping you guessing until the very end.

The story follows Georgia, who’s been placed in a locked psychiatric ward—accused of murdering her younger sister, Annabelle, at her birthday celebration. But there’s more to this family than meets the eye. Georgia was adopted, and her relationship with her younger, sister was filled with tension, jealousy, and years of feeling like the outsider in her own home. Annabelle was the biological daughter and Georgia adopted!

The only person Georgia believes can help her now? A twin sister she never knew existed. Enter Mandy—a bar owner who grew up in a working-class family and has no idea she was separated at birth. Her quiet life is turned upside down when she gets a call that her twin needs her. From the moment they meet, Georgia’s first words are, “I didn’t do it,” and Mandy is thrown into a mystery she’s not sure she wants to solve.

Told in dual POV, this story is full of emotional tension, dark secrets, and plenty of twists. I was genuinely surprised by several turns in the plot. While it wasn’t my favorite Sarah Pekkanen novel, I still found it enjoyable and well-paced.

If you love psychological thrillers with family drama and unpredictable turns, The Locked Ward is definitely one to add to your list.

I was really excited to read this book and it did not disappoint. I would say this would be a popcorn thriller, I read it very fast. The chapters were short and you had to read the next to see what happened next. If you like: psychological thrillers, sister relationships, murder mystery, books about twins, multiple pov’s, and rich family drama then you will like this!

Georgia Cartwright is accused of murdering her sister and is sent to a psych ward. Georgia insists she didn’t kill her sister and is being framed. She knows the only person who can help her is her twin sister Amanda, the only problem is, Amanda doesn’t know Georgia exists.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I really like how this one unfolded. Both Mandy and Georgia are great characters. I liked Mandy’s strength, and that she went to bat for essentially a stranger. And poor Georgia. Males and females should never be together in such a setting. Especially when nurses don’t have their eyes on patients all the time.

This was a slow unraveling mystery, and the alternating points of view really brought it together. I also really like the thought of Opal getting her due.

Overall, this was a fun and addicting read.

Synopsis: After being accused of murdering her sister, Georgia Cartwright is being held in a psych ward. The only person she can turn to is her twin sister, Amanda. The only
problem is that Amanda doesn’t know she exists.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller, but it’s not one that is going to be super memorable for me. The short chapters and pacing kept me interested, and I was a fan of the dual perspectives. I think the concept was great, but I was just hoping to be a little more surprised by the twists and reveals. The portion that actually took place in the locked ward felt a little disjointed. Overall, though, still a solid psychological thriller. If you like family drama, rich people behaving badly, and the long lost twin trope, then definitely check this one out! The audio is very entertaining - January LaVoy never misses!

Read this if you like:
🗝️ psychological thrillers
🗝️ murder mystery
🗝️ twins separated at birth
🗝️ dual pov
🗝️ family drama

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my review. Book will be published August 5th, so not too far away!
Oh, this one was good! Told using both Mandy’s and Georgia’s POV, I loved how this one unfolded. That being said, Georgia’s POV is told in second person which can take a bit of getting used to. The ultimate last twist at the end was so good too! But I enjoyed all of the twists, I did figure out one of the big ones but I don’t know that it was supposed to be a huge secret as the clues were there. Overall, another solid book from @sarahpekkanen and highly recommend!

WOOWW I got through this so fast and was invested right from the start. The Locked Ward is eerie without being scary and realistic without being mundane.

The give and take between Georgia and Mandy worked really well. Georgia is first introduced to the reader in a psych ward so initial impressions are that she’s some sort of crazy. Yet you are quickly questioning everything surrounding her presence there. Mandy is desperate for connection and has good intentions but something about her character consistently grew more off putting until I wasn’t sure which one of them was going to deliver the punch.

I loved that Georgias perspective was narrated in “you” not “I” because it not only helped contrast between her and Mandy, but it added to the sense of disorientation and dissociation that her character was projecting. There was one thing related to this that I was looking for/thought would be cool but alas it was not there.

Being a twin myself, one thing I didn’t like was the huge amount of emotional and physical connection described between Mandy and Georgia. It definitely helped for one feature of the plot but otherwise it was not my cup of tea since it just seemed so far fetched. And the final reveal works, but is somewhat of a stretch - given the characters involved, sure maybe, but also are we sure?? I think it just felt a little misaligned with the rest of the book.

Regardless, this is an easy, immediate recommendation to anyone that enjoys a fast paced, locked room thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I received The Locked Ward from St Martin's Press and would like to thank them for the ARC, as this is my second Sarah Pekkanen novel from them.

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

Georgia has the life everyone envies - as a newborn she was adopted by a rich Southern family, she has a great job helping brides create their perfect wedding day, and she lives in an amazing apartment - so why would she risk all that to bludgeon her sister to death?

Mandy had a wonderful childhood and has taken over her parents bar after their deaths. Everything changes when she gets a call from a public defender letting her know that her TWIN sister who has been accused of murder wants to meet her.

This book is written in both first person narration as well as second person narration making a distinct difference between our twins chapters but also sucking you into the storyline in a way. "You wake up groggy" . It was a very unique way to read a novel with two main characters.

The Locked Ward is a twisty mystery that makes you second guess everything you know about the characters you've been introduced to and feels like anything is possible in this rich community of shady people. I loved the intrigue and the pacing was excellent, making me want to keep flying through each sisters chapters.

Highly recommend for some good paranoid vibes and detective work.

The Locked Ward is expected to be published on August 5 2025 and will be available at your local bookseller or library

A psychological thriller about twin sisters torn apart at birth and reunited in the most unthinkable way. This one is fast-paced, full of dark secrets and family drama.

If you like your thrillers with a side of family secrets and psychological suspense, The Locked Ward definitely delivers.

The story flips between Georgia, who’s locked away in a psychiatric hospital after being accused of murdering her stepsister, and Mandy, who just found out the alleged killer is her twin sister, a sister she never even knew she had. 😳

The setup alone was crazy from the start. Especially when Mandy agrees to visit Georgia and immediately feels that unshakable bond only twins seem to have. From there, old secrets surface and the constant questioning of “is Georgia actually innocent, or dangerously manipulative” takes over.

🔎 What I Loved:
🗝️Dual POV
🗝️Short chapters
🗝️Strong emotional pull between the sisters
🗝️Family secrets, mistaken identities, and some morally gray characters 👀

🤔 Minor tweaks for me:
🗝️couple of twists were pretty easy to spot
🗝️The ending didn’t fully land the emotional punch I was hoping for.

Still, I flew through this book and would totally recommend it to fans of twisty sister thrillers and stories about unraveling the past to survive the present.

Thanks so much @netgalley @sarahpekkanen & @stmartinspress for the eARC and #gifted paperback!

Absolutely loved this book! I love the twisty psychological aspect and twins element. Thank you for my advance copy! 🩷

The Locked Ward was entertaining and easy to get into from the first page. I enjoyed the premise and was interested in where the plot was taking us. It never “wow’d” me in any aspect though and the ending felt like another mystery solved. I think this would make the perfect relaxing beach thriller.

Tradition format 📕 (digital)

This book was a little physiological thriller, mystery and family dysfunction/drama all rolled into one.

What I liked: alternating POVs, quick short chapters made the book fast paced. I also like how the plot unfolded in little tidbits along the way to keep the reader engaged.

What I didn’t enjoy as much: a few of the characters and sub plots just didn’t really connect and seemed out of place or even unnecessary in the book. I saw the big plot twist coming a mile away and the ending just seemed a little out of left field to me. I think I was also expected a bigger plot twist than the book delivered so that was a bit of a miss for me as well.

Overall I still enjoyed this book but a few things just didn’t come together well for me. I give this a 3.5/5.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this book. Opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the ride on the one. The short chapters and multiple POVs made it a quick read. I saw some of the smaller twists coming but the big one I did not! The twin connections were kind of weird and unbelievable to me, but what do I know…I’m not a twin. Overall, I enjoyed it. Worth a read for mystery lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in consideration for my honest review.

I was excited to read this one because I loved The House of Glass. While this book was a quick and entertaining read, I will forget about it come tomorrow. The characters felt a bit flat, and the ending was rushed and anticlimactic. The twin thing didn’t work for me, and the suspense was pretty minimal.

If you like stories involving family relationships, sibling rivalry, being locked up in a psychiatric ward, and powerful wealth, then this is the story for you. It is dark, tense and tragic but fascinating.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! I love this author and was excited to read this. This is told from the perspectives of twin sisters Georgia and Mandy. The thing is, they didn't know they were twins, or that the other even existed, until Georgia was accused of murdering her younger sister Annabelle and sent to a mental hospital after pleading insanity. Georgia had discovered Mandy a couple weeks previously, and instead of reaching out to plan a meeting, she asked her to help her prove her innocence in Annabelle's murder. The two girls grew up in very different environments - Georgia in the well-connected, wealthy Cartwright family and Mandy with her adoptive, middle-class parents. Everyone thinks that Georgia hated her sister Annabelle and believes her to be her murderer, but as Mandy begins her own investigation, she finds more than she bargained for. The Cartwright family has many secrets and Mandy is determined to figure out the secrets her own parents may have kept from her. This wasn't as twisty and suspenseful as it could have been, in my opinion, but there is a big twist at the end that I didn't expect!

Sarah Pekkanen has done it again! The way that she creates a story that is so twisty and keeps you guessing always creates a great reading experience! I thought that the way that you can genuinely feel the unease and fear that both Mandy and Georgia experiencing throughout the story had me looking around corners and had my heart BEATING! And I love a family drama/thriller so this checked several boxes for me!