Georgia Cartwright grew up in the lap of luxury, seemingly wanting for nothing. As the eldest daughter of a wealthy, socially prominent Charlotte, North Carolina family, she seemed to have her life completely together, living in her own luxury apartment while running a successful high-end wedding planning business. The last thing most people would have expected is for her to be accused of murder, and especially not the bludgeoning death of her younger sister Annabelle.

Mandy Ravenel is the owner-operator of a bar in a town ninety minutes away from Charlotte. She’s seen the sensational headlines regarding Georgia but figures that the case has nothing to do with her… until she receives a phone call from Georgia’s lawyer. Turns out that Georgia wants to see her, of all people, due to a bombshell that changes everything Mandy thought she knew about her life.

It’s no secret that both Georgia and Mandy were adopted as babies. What Mandy is only now discovering is that they were adopted separately despite being twins. Mandy was lucky enough to be raised by loving parents. Georgia, on the other hand, was not.

In the aftermath of Annabelle’s murder, Georgia is being held in a locked psychiatric ward, under close observation for fear that she might harm herself or others. She doesn’t trust anyone from her old life, and turns to Mandy in desperation:

QUOTE
You need to play this moment carefully. Everything depends on it. You are supposedly in a dissociative state, which you learned about years ago because you wrote a twenty-page paper on it for a college psychology class.

The topic interested you, so you did your research and spent late nights crafting your paper. It turned out to be the most important thing you learned in college.

That paper may have saved your life.

You keep your facial muscles slack, your voice and body devoid of expression. You speak in a low monotone–too low for the watcher to hear. This message is for your twin alone. Everything depends on how she receives it.

“I didn’t do it,” you tell your sister. “And if you don’t get me out of here, they’re going to kill me.”
END QUOTE

Mandy doesn’t know what to believe. But she’s always been the loyal sort, and Georgia is clearly in need of a friend. Besides, Georgia has irrefutable proof of their connection, and is pretty much all the family that Mandy has left now. Investigating might also help Mandy shed light on the secrets of her own murky past, even as she struggles to uncover the truth behind Annabelle’s murder.

The more she discovers though, the more unsettled she feels. The Cartwright family were highly adept at keeping up appearances, despite the sinister secrets lurking just beneath their glittering surface. Georgia was always the family scapegoat, especially in comparison with golden child Annabelle. Is she taking the blame now too, or has her upbringing served to make her even more devious than anyone realizes? As Mandy wonders:

QUOTE
Maybe the DNA my twin and I share has dictated our choices, creating these uncanny overlaps–and potentially more that I have yet to discover. We wouldn’t be the first twins to experience this; I read about two identical twin brothers, both named Jim by their adoptive parents, who were separated at birth and went on to lead eerily similar lives, down to driving Chevrolets, vacationing at the same Florida resort, and marrying women named Linda–before both Jims got divorced and remarried women named Betty.

But there’s another possibility.

Georgia is a professional planner; she stages scenes for maximum impact.

Could she have staged these links between us before lulling me here?
END QUOTE

Told from the viewpoint of both sisters – with the clever use of first and second person narratives to denote each one – this twisty tale of female solidarity is page-turning and heartfelt. Georgia and Mandy are both unreliable narrators to a certain extent, as they struggle with the overwhelming pressures of their circumstances. And while this is a book about the power of sisterhood, there was absolutely a moment of feminine betrayal here that left me gasping. Overall, however, this is a terrific novel about the power of kinship, determination and love to overcome even the worst imaginable circumstances.

This one was a wild, unsettling ride. Sarah Pekkanen takes us into a psychiatric ward where secrets, lies, and manipulations run deep — and nothing is as it seems. The atmosphere was tense and claustrophobic (perfect for the genre), and I couldn’t stop turning the pages.

That said, parts of the story felt a little uneven for me — some reveals landed hard, others felt predictable. Still, I loved the psychological layers and the exploration of trust, control, and survival. It reminded me of why Pekkanen is such a go-to for twisty, bingeable thrillers.

🌿 Overall: Dark, fast-paced, and thought-provoking — not a perfect hit, but definitely worth the read if you love psychological suspense.

This started slow for me but the deeper I got into the story the morning entranced I got on trying to figure it out. Kept me guessing till the end,

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I think as a forensic mental health nurse I find it challenging to enjoy books in a psych setting. I just find that it’s either too much like work, or not at all like work.

Chapters were short with different POVs which I like. I hated the second person pov and then the first person POV. I found that annoying. I didn’t find this book had any real shock aspects. It was just an ok book for me. Good enough mystery but nothing overly memorable.

Any time I thought I knew where this was wrong I was completely wrong! Got to be my favourite Sarah Pekkanen novel so far!

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a fast-paced, psychological suspense thriller, murder mystery, and dysfunctional family drama all rolled into one!

Georgia Cartwright, a 32-year-old high-end wedding planner, was adopted as a newborn by a wealthy and socially prominent family. She is placed in a psychiatric ward for violent offenders while awaiting trial for killing her younger sister, Annabelle (the Cartwright's biological child).

Georgia recently discovered she has a twin sister (Amanda Ravenel); the two of them were separated at birth. She now calls on Amanda (Mandy) for help. Mandy has heard about the "Crime of the Decade" from the news, but is taken aback when she gets a call from Georgia's public defender saying that Georgia has asked to see her. What? Why? You're her twin sister. WHAT!?!?!

Told through Georgia's and Mandy's points of view in alternating and short chapters, this fast-paced book is hard to put down. There are plenty of twists and turns, some I expected, but others took me by surprise. This is a very entertaining read. I would have binge read it, but was visiting family while reading it and that would've been rude ;0)!

My thanks to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to access a DRC via NetGalley. This book is available for purchase now. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

What a chilling psychological thriller that burrows deep beneath the surface of Southern wealth, exposing the darkest corners of family loyalty and betrayal. The story’s heartbeat is the fractured bond between twins Georgia and Amanda, one accused of a crime and the other caught between suspicion and the desperate hope for truth.
This book keeps you unsteady, blurring the line between sanity and manipulation as Amanda navigates a psychiatric institution that feels haunted by more than secrets. The narrative coils tighter with each chapter, leaving you to question every motive, every memory. The answer as to who is the actual victim and who is the villain slips just out of reach, even as the sisters’ past and present spiral together.

With its suffocating atmosphere and sharp, psychological twists, this book lingers long after the final page. Some doors are best left shut!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced read in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a page turner and right up my alley. Family secrets, twins separated at birth, private investigators, and so much more! I really enjoyed the split POV and learning about past events through different lenses. I don't want to give too much away, but I will definitely be recommending this to my mystery/thriller folks!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

The Locked Ward is a fast paced psychological thriller that dives deep into the world of mental health care. The story follows a psychiatrist and a patient both holding onto painful secrets that begin to unravel as their lives collide. The setting inside a psychiatric hospital creates a tense and claustrophobic backdrop where trust is fragile and nothing is quite as it seems.

The characters are complex and emotionally layered and the story builds momentum with every chapter. Sarah Pekkanen explores trauma healing and the fine line between protector and manipulator in a way that keeps you questioning everything. This is a dark gripping read that stays with you long after you finish.

3.75 ⭐ Enjoyable and kept me interested until the end. Liked how fast paced the story was. I thought it was going to be a 4 star read but the epilogue feel a little flat for me. I expected something a little more sinister to be found out and it just didn't seem that shocking of a conclusion but overall still enjoyed reading this and will continue to read more Sarah Pekkanen!

I’ve genuinely enjoyed this author’s previous work, so I came into The Locked Ward with high hopes. Unfortunately, this one didn’t resonate with me. The setup felt overly drawn out, and when the major revelations finally arrived (some quite out-of-the-blue) they didn’t have the emotional impact I was hoping for.

The story asked for a level of suspension of disbelief that I personally found difficult to embrace, and as a result, the narrative never fully drew me in. While the premise was intriguing, the execution didn’t quite deliver the punch I wanted. I also struggled to connect with the main characters. I didn’t find them particularly sympathetic or engaging, which also made it hard to stay invested.

I realize my opinion is in the minority, and I truly love that others are connecting with this story. Sometimes a book just doesn’t align with what I’m looking for, and that’s perfectly okay.

Thank you @netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this gifted copy!

This psychological thriller was fast and easy. I find asylum or psychiatric settings in books to be so unsettling and I love it. Some parts of the book were slightly outlandish but the extremes with the main character, Georgia, especially made the story unexpectedly addicting.

I loved this book so much. I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers, but they have to be done right. This one was! It was exciting, enthralling, breathtaking, and unpredictable. A murder mystery with an unreliable narrator. So so so so good!

This book pulled me in right away and kept me guessing the whole time. The characters are complicated, and you’re never quite sure who to trust. The setting adds a constant sense of unease that lingers even after you put it down. It’s one of those stories where the less you know going in, the better. If you’re into dark, twisty reads that mess with your head, this one delivers.

A fast paced read! This one was hard to put down, and had me wanting to know what happened! The twist was slightly predictable, but overall I really enjoyed it! If you’re looking for a quick, good book to get you out of a slump this is the one. I highly recommend!

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a chilling mix of family secrets, unreliable sisters, and a psychiatric ward that adds an extra layer of menace. I really enjoyed the tense, atmospheric narration, which heightened the eerie vibe and kept me hooked even when the pacing slowed. Twisty and unsettling, this one kept me second guessing everyone’s motives until the end.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio for the ALC.

4 stars! This was SO good. I loved the author's writing style. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars. This one was good but not great. I read a lot of thrillers so most of the twists were predictable, but a few did surprise me towards the end! One POV was in first person and the other was in second person which was strange and took some getting used to, but I ended up liking that unique perspective! Georgia’s POV was great; I really enjoyed the claustrophobic, tense atmosphere of the locked ward. This dysfunctional family dynamic mixed with a tangled web of secrets and lies will definitely have you suspending all disbelief (or is it suspend belief? Either way, you know what I mean, it’s just not very realistic, almost soap opera-esque at times)

I’ve enjoyed a couple of the author’s previous books and even though this wasn’t my favorite, I’ll definitely try her next one! Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy!

predictable but easy - flew through it and enjoyed the creepy escape. Clean enough to share with young teens too. I also enjoyed the Caroli as setting. Thanks to #netgalley for the opportunity to preview #thelockedward by Sarah Pekkanen.

Asylum! Yes, please. I throughly enjoyed the setting and plot of this book. But of course, the book by one of my favorite authors was a 4 star read for me. I highly recommend this thriller for those who enjoy hospital/asylum, page turning excitement, and unique characters!