I love Sarah Pekkanen, and this book was glued to my hands until I was finished! I love this, and I'm so excited to continue reading her novels.

3.5 stars

The Locked Ward is a fast-paced thriller with short, digestible chapters that make it a quick and easy read. While it wasn’t my favorite thriller of the year, it delivered exactly what I expected—an entertaining and suspenseful story that kept me turning the pages.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my feedback.

To me Sarah Pekkanen can do no wrong! Absolutely love her work and The Locked Ward was every bit as good as her last! Told in alternating points of view, this was such a fast paced, wonderfully written, explosive story! Georgia and Mandy are such great characters, it was so hard to put this down. The twists and that ending! Absolutely incredible! Loved loved loved!!!

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The short, fast-paced chapters kept my interest. However, the story seemed repetitive between the two points of view, and the ending seemed rushed. I would definitely recommend this author, but this book was not my favorite of hers.

Stephen and Honey Cartwell are a well known and very wealthy couple who have two daughters, one by adoption. Friends with the senator and respected in the community, people have heard about the adopted daughter, Georgia and how unkind she is to her younger sister, Annabelle. So when Annabelle, is murdered at her birthday party, the family blames Georgia for the murder and cuts ties with her. Georgia finds herself in a locked ward in a psychiatric facility to await a fitness hearing. In a nearby town, Mandy is running the bar her parents left to her when they died. She receives a call to come and see Georgia in the hospital. Georgia will tell Mandy some shocking news and ask for her help.

This is my 3rd book by @sarahpekkanen. I loved the dual POV and mysterious sisterly relationships. Short chapters and many suspicious characters amped up the tension. There were enough breadcrumbs to feel like a semi-accomplished armchair detective but still many surprises and quite an ending!

If you love a ‘who can you trust?’ storyline, sister relationships, wealthy people behaving badly, and some good twists, then pick this one up!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinions. The Locked Ward publishes August 5, 2025.

Such a good thriller. Suspenseful and kept me reading late into the night. I’ve read all her books and look forward to the next one.

2.5 Stars. Having enjoyed Sarah Pekkanen's excellent House of Glass, I was pleased to receive an early digital edition. Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher. August 5th is the scheduled publication date. I regret that I didn't find The Locked Ward as compelling as her previous book. It features a sinister plot, dysfunctional families, misunderstandings, anger, revenge, secrets, manipulation, lies, and murder. I found the plot to be clever, with short chapters, but it ultimately became tangled, convoluted, and disjointed. It explored the dynamics and connection between twin sisters who were separated from birth. There were suggestions that wealth and power can subvert the justice system.

Georgia is the adopted daughter of the wealthy Cartwright family. Now an adult, she is in the locked ward of a mental hospital. It holds the most violent psychiatric patients, dangerous to others and themselves. Georgia appears to be in a semi-catatonic or disassociative state. She will be tried for the recent bludgeoning of her family's biological daughter, Annabelle. She plans to appeal the murder due to mental illness. Her choice seems to be between remaining in the locked ward while forced to be on medication, or life in prison. She is constantly watched, but none of the caregivers seem to notice that she speaks coherently with lawyers and a visitor.

Georgia has a plan to escape either of these two dreadful choices. She knows she has a twin, Amanda (Mandy). Mandy is unaware that she has a biological twin sister. Georgia believes someone is planning to kill her, and hopes that Mandy can save her. Mandy grew up in a middle-class home. She inherited a bar, but has felt something or someone is missing in her life. She is contacted by a lawyer to gather some of her twin's belongings, and to visit her in the claustrophobic ward where Georgia is imprisoned. This comes as an incredible shock to Mandy, but she is curious. When they meet, Georgia insists she is innocent, and some malevolent forces want her dead. She wants Mandy to prove she did not commit the murder. Is Georgia being manipulative, and is she lying? The result could put Mandy's life in jeopardy. Mandy feels that they have a mental and emotional bond.

The case made a sensation in news reports due to the family's prominence. Gossip and observations attest to a history of conflict between Georgia and her biological sister, Annabelle. Georgia was noticeably hostile and jealous, so the public is not surprised at the murder. Annabelle was considered a pleasant, good girl, but there was suspicion of a longtime affair with a much older politician. Could that be connected with her death?

The story is told in alternating chapters, narrated by Mandy and Georgia. This made the book fast-paced, but the suspense and intensity were lacking; the characters were dull and not memorable. There were many twists and turns once Mandy started her investigation, while unsure that Georgia could be trusted. Mandy has stepped into a tangled web where danger awaits at every turn.

Although frustrated with the book's structure, I think many readers will be entertained.

I enjoy Sarah Pekkanen’s novels, so I looked forward to her latest release. The story was well planned out, and there were some plot twists by the end that I wasn't totally expecting. The short chapters read quickly between Mandy and Georgia. Although this wasn’t my favourite thriller I’ve read recently, I am glad I read it.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

3.5 stars

I have read several of Sarah Pekkanen’s books and this won’t be my last. This wasn’t my favorite one of her book, but the twists were a great surprise.

This is told with two different POVs, once being Mandy told in the first POV and then Georgia told in a second POV. I’m not sure I liked this method. I typically can follow along with dual POVs, but this took some time to process.

The mystery elements were pretty good, but this wasn’t too much of a thriller. It was kind of slow throughout the book.

I feel like there were a few too many loose ends at the end. They are not that big of a deal, but that kind of bothers me.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

When Georgia finds herself locked in a psychiatric ward after her younger sister is murdered, her only hope for release is to have the truth of that night revealed to the world. Mandy learns of a previously undisclosed connection to Georgia and reluctantly agrees to help bring the real killer to justice. Set in the world of high society and political intrigue, Mandy has only days to set the record straight and save Georgia.

thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

like a 2.5? I do think the promo around this book is wrong, as it's much less like a thriller and much more like a psychological novel. even by those standards, not much happens in this book. it's quite slow-paced and there isn't really payoff on a lot of the things brought up to warrant that slow pace; in fact, I felt like a lot of characters were left hanging by the end, and not in an interesting way. (there are also several characters, like Opal, where I wonder what the point of them even was.)

that said, it's not a painful read or anything, and the revelations a little past the 80% mark really did get to me. they were done well and made the whole book pretty tragic. like I finally had some Emotions, yanno?

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an early review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was SO excited for this, solely by the title alone. After working in the mental health field and spending some time on a psych ward, I couldn’t wait to see what this author came up with. It was unfortunately just meh and un rememberable to me, so maybe my expectations were too high.

The chapters were short and the writing was easy to follow, however, the characters felt very one-dimensional to me. I didn’t really like them, which I think was the purpose of them being written the way they were, and if so, then the author did a great job with that.

The twist wasn’t super surprising either. I was picking up on the hints so when it came to reveal time, I wasn’t shocked or anything. The ending was a little weird to me and made the story feel unfinished, which I don’t always enjoy when it comes to thrillers.

It’s not a bad book by any means. It just was okay, and my expectations were too high. It’s definitely an easy read if that’s what you’re looking for!

Murder, money, and messy family mayhem converge in this gripping thriller.

Georgia Cartwright, a glamorous Southern socialite adopted as a newborn, now finds herself accused of murdering the biological daughter of her wealthy adoptive family. Held in a high-security psychiatric ward, Georgia’s only hope is her twin sister, Amanda. The twist: Mandy, who was adopted by a different family, doesn't even know she has a twin until after Georgia's arrest, and is reluctantly pulled into a world of secrets, deception, and danger - questioning whether the sister she never knew existed is truly a victim or an expert manipulator.

"The Locked Ward" is a tightly-wound psychological thriller that grabs you from the first chapter and doesn’t let go. In this chilling and fast-paced novel, author Sarah Pekkanen explores the dark undercurrents of sisterhood, privilege, and perception with her trademark suspense. Told in alternating perspectives between Georgia and Mandy, the novel keeps the tension high with short, punchy chapters, many ending on gripping cliffhangers that make it nearly impossible to put down, but never at the cost of the overall story. Pekkanen is a master of psychological suspense, and while the ending veers toward the soapy and somewhat predictable (I couldn’t help but think of "Dallas" at times), the journey there is absolutely riveting.

Georgia and Amanda are both complex, intelligent, and capable women, and watching their relationship evolve against the backdrop of institutional paranoia and family dysfunction was one of the novel’s great strengths. Though "The Locked Ward" may not be my personal favorite among Pekkanen’s works - that honor still goes to "The Golden Couple", one of the books she co-authored with Greer Hendricks -, it’s still a compelling, binge-worthy read that showcases what she does best: keep you turning the pages.

Perfect for a summer day when you want to disappear into a twisty, atmospheric story, "The Locked Ward" is thoroughly enjoyable psychological suspense at its finest. I flew through it in one day.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"The Locked Ward" is slated to be released on August 5, 2025.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC, Macmillan Audio for the ALC, and NetGalley.

I’ve read a few Sarah Pekkanen books now, and I’ve enjoyed them. For this one, I really liked the short chapters and dual POV. I liked the narrator, and I was able to easily keep track between the two POVs, although having the digital copy of the book helped with that as well. I liked that it moved quickly.

That said, this wasn’t my favorite of her books because it almost felt as if there wasn’t enough going on. It felt more mystery than thriller, and even the mystery was not all that surprising. I wasn’t really shocked by the twist.

Overall, it was entertaining, but some of her other books are better. I’ll still continue to read her books. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Wow, The Locked Ward was a crazy, psychological page turner. I was hooked from the very beginning. Georgia is accused of murdering her sister, Annabelle because she was caught with her blood on her dress. Her own mother, Honey despises her and always has. Georgia is adopted and goes to a PI to find out more of her biological parents, but finds out she’s in fact a twin. Amanda, never knew she was a twin at all until the morning after Georgia’s arrest when she receives a phone call from her lawyer saying Georgia wants to see her and claims she’s her sister. All in all, Amanda has about 72 hours to find Georgia’s innocence in her sisters’ murder, or be sentenced to death. There’s so many twists and turns (some predictable), but I throughly enjoyed this story and couldn’t put it down.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for an early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book deserves a very high 4-star rating. Imagine living your life as a child, feeling like an outsider due to circumstances beyond your control. Then, you discover you have a twin you were separated at birth. Tragically, you’re framed for your sister’s murder and committed to a psychiatric ward. The only way to get help is to reach out to the one sister you never knew existed.

Despite knowing the twists were coming, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The author’s descriptive writing allows you to vividly imagine yourself in the story. The characters were well-developed, and the plot was engaging and easy to follow. It’s the perfect beach read that you won’t want to put down.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a page turning thriller. One sister accused of killing another, and then a secret twin makes an appearance. Perfect for anyone looking for a propulsive read!

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
Twisty psychological thrillers are my favorite! Georgia is locked in a psychiatric institute for killing her adopted sister, who happens to be the biological daughter to a very wealthy family. But not everything is as it seems. Her estranged twin sister, Amanda, comes to visit her in the institution, and at every visit the only thing that Georgia ever tells Amanda is that “I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.” Amanda begins to question if her sister is actually innocent of the crime she was accused of, or is she a master manipulator? This was such a fun and twisty read that kept my attention throughout. I enjoyed the different POVs from the sisters, as well as the setting of the psychiatric institution that created a claustrophobic and eerie feeling. This book is full of secrets and rich people behaving badly (which is always fun🙌🏻). The short chapters are a plus, and the ending is wrapped up with some fun twists and shocking revelations that left me feeling utterly satisfied & exactly what Pekkanen is known for.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Psychological thrillers
✦Books full of secrets & wealthy people behaving badly
✦Claustrophobic and eerie settings
✦Dual POVs
✦Plenty of twists, short chapters, and a shocking conclusion🙌🏻

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5

3.5 rounding up to 4. I ended up liking this much more than I thought I would. The first few chapters just didn't pull me in. But once the story got established it was very good. It turned into a very quick read with surprising twists. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I definitely enjoyed my first Sarah Pekkanen book and it definitely won’t be my last. The twists and turns kept me guessing all the way through the story and I absolutely loved the bond of “sisters” that was created through the story. The twist at the end was great and something I didn’t see coming at all! Highly recommend!