The Locked Ward is a compelling new thriller by Sarah Pekkanen. This is one of those books where you're not sure exactly who to believe, so you just keep turning the pages as rapidly as you can in order to unearth what in the world is actually going on. The characters and plot are fascinating. Read and enjoy!

This was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to thriller lovers. Though the beginning and ending were page-turners, my attention waned at times throughout the book. There were almost too many details to pull together in the end. I did enjoy the well-rounded ending and a couple of surprising twists along the way.

If you have not read Sarah Pekkanen before, I would highly recommend a few of her earlier books.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Locked Ward


Thank you,Sarah Pekkanen, St.Martin's Press, and Netgalley for this ARC in Exchange for my honest opinion.


Socialite Georgia Cartwright who was adopted as a newborn into a wealthy southern family, is accused of murdering her sister Annabelle who is the her parents biological daughter. She is taken to the psychiatric unit of the hospital where she awaits her fate along with other mentally ill and the criminally insane all coexist.

90 minutes away only child Amanda just waking up and hearing about the crime of the decade, recieves a world rocking phone call.. stating that her sister will only talk to her oh and by the way she is in the locked ward accused of murder. Amanda does decide to go ahead and meet Georgia unsure what any of this is about. The only thing that Georgia says to her is that "I didn't do it, you have to get me out of here"

Amanda, realing from the bomb that she not only has a sister she never knew about.. but a twin.. she reluctantly decides to help Georgia or at the very least get to the bottom of all of this. Is she just a pawn in a dangerous game of manipulation Georgia is playing? Is Georgia insane? Is Georgia the victim? Is Amanda in danger? All of this barely scratches the surface of the secrets this story uncovers.

⭕️ Separated Twins
⭕️ Corruption
⭕️ Family Secrets
⭕️ Complex Family
⭕️Unreliable Narrator
⭕️ Dual POV
⭕️ Psychiatric Hospital
⭕️ Fast Paced

Good thriller with an intriguing storyline. I think the only complaints I had about this book is that it's said that Annabelle is 4 months younger than Georgia however in multiple parts of the book she is portrayed as much younger than Georgia. I also had a hard time picturing Amanda & Georgia as women in their early 30's. I also didn't care for the 2nd person POV that Georgia was written in.

I would still recommend this thriller to other readers because the story truly was good and the setting of the "locked ward" was very eerie.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen was a psychological thriller about twin sisters who were separated at birth. They meet only when Georgia reaches out to Mandy through her attorney. Mandy is shocked to have a twin sister whom her now deceased parents never told her about, but even more shocked to find that this sister is in a psychiatric hospital after being charged with murdering her younger sister in cold blood.

The book started off quickly and continued at breakneck speed with very short chapters that alternated between each sister's perspective. While I like short chapters, these were so short that I found them jarring, and the POVs were odd with Mandy's in first person and Georgia's in second person. I felt the characters were underdeveloped, and the plot was hard to swallow. I did appreciate the twisty nature of the story, especially the final twist at the end. The writing was solid throughout.

Despite my misgivings, I will recommend this to readers who like fast paced psychological thrillers.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The only reason I give this book 4 stars, not 5, is because of the way the author wrote Georgia's POV. I just didn't get the way she kept referring to her as a 2nd person. It was just weird and made me question why. Other than that this book was very good and kept me on my toes!!!!!!!!

Not only does Mandy discover that she has a long lost twin, but her twin is also locked in a psych ward and accused of murdering her other sister. This discovery unravels decades of family secrets. As we follow along with Mandy's race against time to prove that Georgia is innocent, this book packs in the tension and the twists. Although I felt like there were too many red herrings that led to nothing, I still really enjoyed this captivating book. My patrons are going to love this.

This two-perspective thriller opens in second person: You are in the locked ward. You are strapped down and are not sure how you are going to get out. What has happened? Why are you there? Sarah Pekkanen does an excellent job of bringing the anxiety immediately and setting up two potentially unreliable narrators as your viewpoints into this story. One is Georgia, in the locked ward on a mental hold after she was found covered in her estranged (and dead) sister's blood. The other is Mandy, an average small-town bar owner whose life is upended when Georgia requests to speak with her, and her alone, and reveals that Mandy is the only one who may be able to get Georgia out.

There is a lot of narrative tension and danger presented not only by Mandy's investigation into the killing of Georgia's sister, but also by Georgia's presence in the locked ward and its other inhabitants. The chapters switch between Mandy and Georgia's points of view, which helps to provide an immediacy to the danger both characters are in. This is my first Sarah Pekkanen novel but it won't be my last!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

This one started off a little slow for me, and it took a bit before I warmed up to the characters. But once I got further in, it became really engaging and the overall story drew me in. I kept wanting to know what truly happened the night Annabelle was killed and how it would all unfold.

The dual POVs worked well - the sisters felt distinct and believable, which I really appreciated. The tension and twists kept me turning the pages, and I was fully invested by the midpoint. While the story went a little wild toward the end, I was absolutely here for it. The main reveal was satisfying, even if the small tagged-on piece afterward felt unnecessary.

Overall, this is a sharp domestic thriller full of secrets, layered twists, and family drama that continually held my attention. If you enjoy thrillers with messy dynamics and unpredictable turns, this one is definitely worth picking up!

Thank you to St. Martin’s press via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I really liked this one. I was surprised by the twists especially the last one. I loved the characters and flipping back and forth between sisters. Overall just a really good quick read.

Mandy gets a strange call from a lawyer, asking her to visit an accused murderer in a psychiatric facility. When she meets Georgia, she feels an instant connection, and quickly gets sucked into the events that landed Georgia in the facility. Both Mandy and Georgia aren’t sure if they can trust one another, but Mandy needs to know the truth.

This one was a page turner for me, and I loved the short chapters and quick pace. Since we’re mostly getting to know Georgia in the context of the facility, I feel like we may have missed out on a bit of her personality - and after the epilogue I wasn’t sure I understood Mandy either.

Props to the author for having me fooled - I should have been thinking more critically but I was happy to just be entertained.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy, in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always enjoyed a good story about twins separated at birth, and this put a unique spin on that trope! The mystery of it all kept me hooked throughout the book and then once the twists and turns started, they didn’t stop until the very end.

Family secrets, a psych ward, and two sisters uncovering the truth.

The premise of long-lost twins pulled me in, and I liked the alternating perspectives but the pacing dragged and the suspense never fully landed.

Overall decent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Locked Ward will keep you guessing until the very end. A complex thriller about sisterhood and what happens when people are stretched to their breaking point. Some doors should never be opened.

3.5 stars rounded up

Page turner alert! This was attention-grabbing from the start. The ending could be tightened up a bit. It’s enjoyable like all the books I’ve read from Sarah Pekkanen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for a honest review

4.5/5 stars

The Locked Ward is a riveting psychological thriller set in North Carolina.

The book alternates between two female POVs: Georgia and Mandy.

Georgia is locked in a psych ward. She is from a wealthy family. She is accused of a horrible crime.

The chapters in the psych ward were chilling and horrifying. Was she a psychopath or someone wrongly accused. I was fascinated by this part of the story.

The other chapters are from Mandy/Amanda’s POV. She runs a bar. She has a connection to Georgia. I really enjoyed seeing her try to understand everything that was happening.

As Mandy starts to become more involved in Georgia’s world the pieces start to come together. I was mesmerized by this story. The ending was really good. And wow the epilogue was surprising!

I really liked this book, it was my first one by this author. It was really well written and if finished it in one night. would recommend to friends.

If it's written by Sarah Pekkanen, I'm going to pick it up and read it. The Locked Ward did not disappoint. If you want to read a locked room mystery about twin sisters separated at birth, this is your jam.

Georgia is in a psych ward awaiting trial for the murder of her sister Annabelle. Georgia was adopted; Annabelle is the bio daughter of their parents. Georgia has discovered she has a twin-- Mandy-- and now she calls on her to help solve the mystery of Annabelle's death, because Georgia is proclaiming her innocence. Mandy doesn't want to get involved, but she is intrigued and drawn into the mystery of their past and the present.

Be prepared to read Mandy's perspective in first person and Georgia's in second person. It's a little bit confusing at first, but once you get into the rhythm of it, you will really enjoy the difference.

This is definitely a page turner and a solid 4 stars from me!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

<i>The Locked Ward</i> started off incredibly strong. The first chapter had me doing the happy dance that is usually reserved for yummy food. Pekkanen's way of describing a scene can actually transplant you into the story.

Discovering you have a sister out of the blue is a shock in itself. Finding out it's the same person currently arrested for murdering her other sister brings it to an entirely new level of wtf. Not only that, they are twin sisters split at birth! Georgia currently in a psych ward among other violent patients tracks down her twin and asks her to help her. She didn't do it and she needs Amanda's help. Amanda needs to decide what she believes is true and what is completely made up.

Let me just say, I ate this mystery right up.

Sarah Pekkanen’s The Locked Ward is a gripping psychological thriller that dives deep into the murky waters of family trauma, mental health, and the fragile bonds of sisterhood. The story centers on Georgia Cartwright, accused of murdering her younger sister and confined to a psychiatric facility, and her estranged twin Amanda, who is drawn into a web of secrets and manipulation after a desperate plea for help.

Pekkanen masterfully uses dual perspectives—Georgia’s unsettling second-person narration and Amanda’s grounded first-person voice—to create a disorienting yet immersive experience. The psychiatric ward itself becomes a character, with its oppressive atmosphere and disturbing institutional details adding to the tension.

The novel excels in its exploration of nature vs. nurture, unreliable memory, and the corrosive effects of privilege and power. Georgia is a fascinatingly ambiguous protagonist—sympathetic yet suspicious—and Amanda’s transformation from skeptic to investigator adds emotional depth.

While some plot twists felt slightly predictable and a few secondary characters could have been more fleshed out, the overall narrative is compelling and emotionally resonant. Pekkanen’s writing is atmospheric and sharp, and the Southern Gothic undertones give the story a haunting edge.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers with complex characters and dark family secrets, The Locked Ward is well worth the read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 Stars

Thank you SMP for the gifted digital copy!

The Locked Ward
Sarah Pekkanen
Publishing Date: August 5, 2025

🎧 Narrator: January LaVoy 🎧

Despite having the digital copy, I listened to this one compliments of Libby and my local library.

One twin is accused of murdering her sister, while the other twin sets out to uncover the truth about what really happened.

I really enjoyed the locked ward setting. I also enjoyed the separated twins aspect. This was fast paced and suspenseful, full of family drama and secrets, and many twists were thrown in.

Overall it was just ok for me. There wasn’t anything wrong with it per se, just nothing mind blowing either. The twists were plentiful but not all that jaw dropping. And I think the final twist in the epilogue was attempting to be a major jaw dropper but it just fell flat.

If you are looking for a quick and easy thriller and enjoy mental health settings, family drama, and murderous siblings, this one might be for you!

🎧 January LaVoy’s narration was enjoyable and kept the suspense flowing. I do feel like at times the twins accents made them sound like old ladies… but maybe that was a me problem 🤣