First of all, I received this as an e-ARC so thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Freida McFadden.

This book was interesting. Because it takes place in a psychiatric ward, it was especially interesting to me due to the fact that I worked in a psychiatric hospital for three years. This made me uniquely qualified to review certain aspects of this book. While the story itself was entertaining, the ending was predictable. At no point did I want to DNF though. It did keep my attention throughout the read.

Now for the accuracy. I have only worked in one hospital but I’m fairly certain there are specific procedures that are pretty universal across most if not all psychiatric facilities. For one thing, staff working on the unit must do regular patient checks throughout the shift. Most of the time, they are every 15 minutes. During these checks, you must visually confirm the safety of each patient. At no point was this mentioned in the book. Because the FMC was a med student, I can let this slide because psychiatric technicians and Nurses are the ones who perform the checks and not med students, but still, this should have been mentioned at least once in the book.

Also, when a patient is restrained in the safe room, especially when they are placed in restraints, they must not be left alone, especially for lengthy amounts of time. Restraints are an extremely big deal, for lack of a better term, and there are very strict laws that go along with retraining patients. Obviously, this would not necessarily be something that happens in the book due to certain events, BUT a med student would absolutely know the laws and procedures that apply to restraining patients and would be able to point these out to the staff members so she would have realized there was something wrong much earlier, but that would not have allowed for such a thrilling story.

While this was an entertaining story, the lack of accuracy in the procedures took me out of it and I was not able to fully enjoy it. If you are going to write about a subject, make sure you do your research into all aspects of the subject matter. Speaking with her father who is a psychiatrist obviously was not sufficient.

Ward D was a very mind boggling story. Although I guessed right with one of the twists the ending left me feeling very unsure of what I’d just read.
Amy Brenner is a medical student and has to spend the night in the mental health unit of the hospital. Nothing is as it seems as certain things start happening Amy starts to believe she is losing her mind. Is something more sinister going on or is Amy’s mind playing tricks on her?
This story was very captivating and I did not want to put it down I had to know what was going on and who was telling the truth. The epilogue had me wanting to reread everything and I’m just shocked! Really compelling read and I will continue to read more by Freida McFadden!
Thanks to netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Really silly and awful stereotypes of mental health facilities and mental health issues.

I didn't realize this was a rerelease so I already had a copy from Kindle Unlimited. Like much of McFadden's work, this is a quick and suspenseful read. I see in some reviews people taking umbrage against portrayals of mental illness in this book - I don't really have a strong opinion on this as I don't think McFadden was necessarily aiming for realism as opposed to suspense and thrill. There is a good argument to be made that mental illness should not be used to equate danger, although this book reads more like Gotham City Arkham Asylum. A fun and quick locked room mystery read. Recommended but not McFadden's strongest work.

Ward D by Freida McFadden was my first dive into her books, and after hearing all the hype, I just had to see what the buzz was about. Let me tell you—I was not disappointed. The characters felt so real, and the story had this unnerving tension that pulled me in right from the start. I didn’t want to put it down, though sleep eventually forced me to.

The ending? Completely unexpected and incredibly satisfying. It makes me wonder—could Freida McFadden be the literary M. Night Shyamalan? The twists were that good. Since finishing *Ward D,* I’ve already picked up another of her books, and it was just as fantastic: fast-paced, exciting, and absolutely edge-of-your-seat gripping.

This is an easy 4-star read for me, maybe even close to 5. If you’re into mysteries that keep you guessing and characters that feel like they could step off the page, I can’t recommend this one enough. Freida McFadden has definitely earned a spot on my must-read list!

Amy, a medical student has a placement working a night shift in a locked psychiatric hospital ward as part of her education and she is dreading it. Not only because of the potential danger, but also because someone from her past is connected with Ward D.

Then as the night progresses, strange things start happening on Ward D, and despite what everyone is telling her, it's not clear if she will survive the night

This is the first Frieda McFadden book that I have read that didn't have the word "Housemaid" in the title and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like the Housemaid novels, this was a fast-paced story with lots of twists.

The setting is very creepy and you never truly know who can be trusted. It definitely kept my interest and I finished this book in no time flat.

#netgalley

Ward D starts off pretty fast paced and the storyline keeps you engaged. Not too many jaw dropping twists like McFadden usually does. I couldn’t see myself recommending this type of McFadden book to my book club but over all a very quick read.

Holy cap this kept me wanting to know more and not wanting to put it down because I wanted to know more!

This book was so outlandish I found myself laughing out loud at times. The ending was also incredibly predictable.

Wow. So creepy and good! This young med student who has to spend time in a locked/high security psychiatric unit has no idea what she’s in for during the night shift. You keep guessing what’s happening and what’s coming but you will be shocked at the twists this author throws our way. Crazy ending!

OMG this is the first book I have read by Freida and it won't be the last. I loved every moment of this book. It was suspenseful and haunting all at the same time. I could not put it down that is how good this book is.

There is so much that happens in the twenty four hours that Amy is spending in the Psych ward for her medical rotation. When she gets there she is nervous to go in and when she finds out who her partner is going to be she is not happy. As the night goes on so many things happen to each of the patients.

The ending was epic. I did not see that coming but it did and I had to re-read the last chapter again because I could not believe what had happened. This is a must read so go on out and grab your copy and enjoy reading it.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Summary: Medical student Amy must survive a terrifying night shift in a hospital's mental health unit, where patients and staff mysteriously disappear, forcing her to confront a haunting past and a deadly present.

My review: Ward D by Freida McFadden, a re-release from May 2023, delivers a fast-paced, thrilling experience set in a locked room mystery. While the plot may feel predictable at times, McFadden's signature twists and tense atmosphere keep the story engaging, making it an enjoyable read for fans of her previous works.

Genres/Themes: Fiction / Thrillers - Psychological / Thrillers - Suspense / Thrillers - Crime

Ward D is scheduled for publication on March 04 2025, by Poisoned Pen Press.

3.5 stars, rounded up for the crazy thrills! I just started reading Freida's work about 6 months ago & now like everyone else, I'm hooked, so I was happy to get my hands on her "Ward D" which is a re-issue from a couple years ago, but may be new to more than just me! I mostly enjoyed this tale of med student, Amy who has to take her turn in the locked psych unit. Lots of fast-paced thrills and twists occur, to say the least - I couldn't put it down! I did have to suspend my disbelief on a couple of medical issues, but like most of the author's work, if you just go with it & don't overthink, it's quite fun! I'll looking for more! My thanks to the Poisioned Pen press (my fav Bookstore too!) and Net Galley for my advance readers copy - very appreciative and my pleasure to review this title!

This book hooked me and I flew through it. The descriptions of the atmosphere of Ward D were chilling. Lots of twists and turns and of course surprises at the end since this is a Freida McFadden book.

My only complaint.. I did feel the mental health representation was not the best. I did not like the characterization of the patients on Ward D. Somewhat outdated views.

Omg what a blinking read! I’m shaking! . So many twists and turns, im sitting here totally gobsmacked😀 Excellent read and highly recommended

I loved rereading Ward D just as much as I did the first time. I enjoyed the little nuggets I missed the first time. It’s just as better the second time as it was the first. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC #FreidaMcFadden #WardD #NetGalley

Medical student Amy Brenner is spending the night on a locked psychiatric ward. Amy has been dreading her evening working on Ward D, the hospital’s inpatient mental health unit. There are very specific reasons why she never wanted to do this required overnight rotation. Reasons nobody can ever find out.

And as the hours tick by, Amy grows increasingly convinced something terrible is happening within these tightly secured walls. When patients and staff start to vanish without a trace, it becomes clear that everyone on the unit is in grave danger.

This is one of the best McFadden books I've read. I love the twists and turns, the pacing is perfect. It's gripping enough to read "just one more chapter" - which is the bane of my existence when I need to go to bed! 😀 Excellent read!

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

An absolutely great Thriller! So terrifying and Hard to believe anyone with everything they say! So good. Im hooked at every Book By freida.

4.5 stars! It was a riveting, gripping read that I couldn't put down. A cast of interesting characters that I truly could not decide who to trust. I did feel like 2% disappointed by the ending, but I'm not entirely sure why. It was a scary locked room mystery that I will definitely be recommending.

Thanks so much for the copy of this book! I’ve read a few Freida books before but I could NOT put this one down. It was creepy and a super fast read where I kept wondering what was going to Happen.