Sarah Pekkanen’s *The Locked Ward* is a thrilling read that dives into family drama, jealousy, and the tricky nature of truth. The main character, Georgia Worthington, is declared not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of her younger sister. Adopted into the Worthington family, Georgia is stuck in a high-security psychiatric hospital, trying to convince her estranged sister, Amanda, that she didn’t commit the crime.

The dynamic between Georgia and Amanda is complex, filled with guilt and mistrust. Amanda struggles with her own feelings of emptiness while trying to uncover the truth about Georgia’s case. The setting of the locked ward adds a tense atmosphere, making readers question Georgia’s innocence right along with Amanda.

Pekkanen’s sharp writing keeps the story moving and explores themes of sibling rivalry and family loyalty. With plenty of twists, the book wraps up in a haunting way that leaves you thinking about justice and the secrets that can either bond or break a family. If you enjoy psychological thrillers like *The Silent Patient*, you’ll definitely want to check out *The Locked Ward.*

An easy, twisty thriller for anyone who is a fan of this author. Its everything I expected and needed!

I have loved some of Sarah Pekkanen's books, but did not feel this way about The Locked Ward. The premise sounded so good, I couldn't way to dig in. But... and this may sound harsh... The title and story felt like a Freide McFadden wannabe. And hers haven't even been clicking for me the past couple of times. The story just didn't seem fresh. It was a fast read but but nothing new. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I love her books so was really excited for this one! Georgia and Mandy are twins but Georgie is on the psych ward of a hospital and Mandy is the owner of Sweetbays, a bar she loves. So when Georgia is committed after murdering Annabelle at her birthday party with a gift Georgia has given her, Mandy is confused as it's unlike Georgia and she is mute and unresponsive in the psych ward. But Mandy loves her sister and is sure there are things she doesn't know so she vows to get to the bottom of it. It's a crazy search for the truth and even crazier trying to decide who the real villain is!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital advanced reader copy for review. I want to preface this by saying there were a good amount of errors in the copy I received that I'm sure will be ironed out before publication, so I am setting that aside when giving my rating. If you were a fan of House of Glass and Gone Tonight, I think you'd enjoy this book. Pekkanen's writing is very accessible and keeps the reader engaged. I finished the book in less than two days. I was able to guess some of the twists, but not all of them. I've marked Pekkanen as a must-read thriller author going forward.

Sarah Pekkanen writes such an addicting thriller. I flew through this one. It’s an immediate fast start with action right from the start. While somewhat predictable it was super enjoyable with excellent writing. Highly recommend for a quick read/fast paced thriller!

Sarah Pekkanen writes some of my favorite thrillers, so when St Martin’s Press invited me to read her newest release early, I was beyond excited! (Bushels of thanks to them!!!)

This twisty thriller follows two perspectives: Georgia, who is in the locked ward of a hospital after being suspected of murdering her sister, and Amanda, Georgia’s fraternal twin sister. Amanda becomes involved after she visits Georgia on the locked ward and Georgia tells her she is innocent.

I really enjoyed following both perspectives and seeing the story come together. Everything that Georgia experienced on the locked ward was crazy and creepy, and Amanda also had a lot of excitement in her chapters as she put together the pieces of what happened to Georgia.

I did predict a couple of the twists and I will say that I wanted a bit more from the ending, but I found this a very quick and enjoyable read. I’d definitely recommend it if you like thrillers.

Book Review✨

Psychological Thriller
4/5⭐️

•Georgia, is institutionalized in a max security psychiatric hospital for only the most violent offenders- for the murder of her sister, Annabelle. Can her estranged sister, Amanda, help her? Can Georgia be trusted?


Short chapters. Dual POV where both perspectives keep you interested. The layout of this story is very much like a Freida McFadden book- where the chapters are so short, but end on a note where you have to read the next one- then all of a sudden, the book is done! I loved the setting of the psychiatric hospital, the atmosphere was thick and you could really put yourself in Georgia’s shoes. I thought that I guessed the ending 100 times and I was so wrong! I read the last 50% of this in one sitting- did not move once 😂 Twist after twist. This is going to get so much hype when it comes out! Add this to your TBR.

This book starts out strong with Georgia, our MFC, who was adopted, standing over her bloodied and dead sister holding a book end that she had bought her for her birthday. Georgia is sent to a Mehran mental hospital where she awaits on whether or not she'll be found competent to stand trial.
Meanwhile, Mandy gets a call from the hospital advising her that her sister would like her to pick up her stuff. Mandy is shocked because, as far as she knows, she's an only child. When Mandy gets to the hospital, Georgia immediately claims that Mandy needs to help her out.
After meeting Georgia, Mandy immediately feels a connection and wants to uncover the truth. Is Mandy being played, or is there more to this story?

After reading The Locked Ward and having already read House of Glass, Sarah Pekkanen is now an author that I'll blindly buy her books.


Moving on to The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen. I'm excited to start this one. I hope it's just as exciting as House Of Glass. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

It’s a good read if somewhat predictable overall . I felt the story has been told before .
This authors other books much better
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

4.5/5

Georgia is accused of murdering her sister. She has a secret. She’s actually a twin. Mandy is the twin who had no idea she even had a sister.
Georgia had her lawyer get in contact with Mandy. As Georgia is sitting in a psychiatric ward. She’s trying to get Mandy to pick up on things and help save her.
The story has so many twists and turns.

Great book!

I was excited to read this book as I loved this author’s House of Glass. Unfortunately, it didn’t measure up for me. I couldn’t get into it until mid-way through and even after that, it was slow paced and contrived. Wish I had liked it more!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed The Locked Ward. There was ample suspense & and interesting family dynamic. I’ll also state that the author really fulfilled her research duties, having worked in a psych ward myself. I finished the book within 48 hours & again, I enjoyed it but IDK if it’s b/c this is nearly the only genre I read or what, it just didn’t keep me gripped as say, the Anonymous Girl did. Ms Pekkanen is a fantastic author, an auto-read for me but I do still miss the collaborations with Greer Hendricks…..Sorry, but gotta give honest reviews🫣. Solid 4 star read!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It was the Crime of the Decade. Pathological sibling rivalry. Bitter, all consuming envy. Whatever the cause and everyone has an opinion, it led Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted as a newborn, to kill the younger, biological daughter of her wealthy, socially prominent family! Wow! Creepy read! Being stuck like that with no way out!! This book had great suspense, murder, mystery, dark family secrets, intriguing, a shocking who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This book was just okay. Not bad, but not great either. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve read too many thrillers, but I found it pretty predictable from the start. It will keep you entertained, but it’s not anything that you haven’t read before.

Secrets, lies, corruption, murder….The Locked Ward has it all.
Georgia and Amanda find out they are twins after a lifetime apart, thanks to adoption. But luckily for Georgia, they come together just in time. Is Georgia a killer? Has she been set up? Can Amanda help her in time, or even trust her? While I wish the ending had been a bit more dramatic, this was a good solid read I finished in one day.

Wow! “The Locked Ward” was a crazy intense story. Once you start reading, you won’t want to stop, eager to find out what twisted surprise will come next. And there are definitely some unexpected twists.

The Locked Ward

Mandy Ravenel receives a call one morning that has the power to change her life. The owner of a bar that had been her parent’s before they died, Mandy leads a comfortable life in a small North Carolina town. When she is contacted by a public defender representing Georgia Cartwright, a wealthy socialite accused of killing her younger sister in a fit of rage the night before, she is immediately confused as the two women have never met. Then the lawyer unleashes two bombshells. Not only is Georgia, who is currently being held in a locked ward due to a 72-hour psychiatric hold, asking to see her, but the two are twin sisters that were separated at birth.

Mandy visits her sister and is shocked when Georgia whispers her innocence and begs her to help her. After being warned to “trust no one” Mandy begins an investigation into her own past and the crime, soon realizing that both twins could be in danger because of secrets that are bigger than anyone could have guessed. And facing down the powerful Cartwright empire might threaten both of their lives.

This book captured my interest from the moment I read the first words and I admit I absolutely devoured it. Sarah Pekkanen weaves together a taut thriller full twists and turns that keep the reader guessing throughout. Five stars for this truly unputdownable read.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

I want to thank Sarah Pekkanen and St Martins Press for an arc copy of this book to read! A fantastic read that hooks you from the very beginning! Keeping you guessing the entire read and providing lots of twists and turns the entire way through! I requested an arc of this book specifically because I read house of glass last year by the same author and absolutely loved it! She did it again with another fabulous read! This book publishes on 8/5/25 definitely put it on your TBR and in the meantime check out house of glass!

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is such a mind bending thriller! The story dives straight into the drama with Georgia, a woman accused of murdering her younger sister, locked up in a facility for violent offenders. Right away, she tells her twin sister Amanda, “I didn’t do it,” and that sets the tone for this twisty ride. The suspense is intense, especially with all the family secrets and psychological manipulation thrown into the mix. I loved how nothing was straightforward, and that every time I thought I had it figured out, something would flip the whole story upside down. This book was chilling, addictive, and impossible to put down!