The Locked Ward has so many fun tropes and was a super speedy read. Murder, mystery, a psych ward, family secrets. It had so much juicy stuff to unpack. Great mystery and twists.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a gripping psychological thriller that delves deep into the complexities of mental health and human relationships. The story is centered around a troubled psychiatric ward, where the lines between patient and caretaker blur, creating an atmosphere of tension and intrigue. Pekkanen’s skillful writing pulls readers into a web of secrets, lies, and betrayals, keeping them on the edge of their seat until the very end. The characters are well-developed, and the plot twists are unexpected yet satisfying. Overall, The Locked Ward is a compelling read that offers both suspense and emotional depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 5/5!!!!!!

SYNOPSIS: The Locked Ward is a fast paced psychological thriller about Georgia Cartwright, who is in a locked psychiatric ward for the murder of Annabelle, the biological daughter of her adoptive family- a sister in which she has always had a strained relationship. Georgia contacts Mandy, her separated-at-birth and estranged twin sister, for help- telling her she didn’t do it… and there is a much bigger story at play.

MY REVIEW: I really feel like there is nothing Pekkanen will write that I won’t devour; she does an exceptional job telling this story. The plot, and subplots, are enthralling and this is definitely a “one more chapter” dance type of read. The chapters are short and leave you with a cliffhanger each time. I LOVED this one and already want more!!

Told from an alternating POV, between Georgia in the locked ward with sprinklings of the past, and Mandy who is investigating any lead Georgia will give her. Georgia’s POV is told in second person, which I was unsure of at first, but I actually enjoyed and added to and worked exceptionally well with the main plot. It was giving Gone Girl.

Pekkanen delivers incredible depth with both a character and plot-driven thriller; the atmosphere of the locked ward was palpable, and made me feel like I was there with Georgia from start to finish. Throughout the book I questioned the reliability of EVERYONE. There are shocking twists you won’t see coming right up to the very last chapter. All of my questions were answered and the end was very satisfying.

Themes: (complex bonds of) sisterhood, family loyalty, trust, murder

Georgia Cartwright is a beautiful, attractive young woman with a successful career. Adopted as a newborn, she is now a scion of a wealthy Southern family. Georgia comes under attack when she is accused of murdering her younger sister Annabelle, who is a biological daughter of the Cartwrights'. Georgia is placed in a mental institution while she waits to find out if she is mentally capable of standing trial, or if she will spend the rest of her living days in a psychiatric hospital.

Amanda "Mandy" Ravenel is an adult orphan. After her parents passed away, she took over the running and management of their family bar. Mandy is shocked when out of the blue, she is contacted by Georgia, a complete stranger to her. Georgia requests a meeting with Mandy. While Mandy is completely baffled, she attends the meeting, and is shocked when Georgia asks Mandy to help gather evidence that could exonerate Georgia. Although Mandy is perplexed, curiosity gets the best of her, and she begrudgingly agrees to assist Georgia in her task. As Mandy begins to dig deeper into Georgia's life, it quickly becomes apparent that dark secrets permeate this entire family. Did Georgia actually murder Annabelle? If so, why? And what deep connection does Mandy have to Georgia?

This book was another hit by Sarah Pekkanen. It was a quick read, but it had enough elements of intrigue and surprise to keep me guessing throughout. Being released in August 2025, this would be a perfect read for lazy summer days. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Sarah Pekkanen does it every single time! This book at me on the edge of my seat! The twists, the turns, I was there for it. I loved that the plot wasn’t predictable. I loved the character build. And I especially loved the style of her writing. This will make an excellent audiobook.

4.5 stars!!! I absolutely devoured this book!! Such a page turner! You don't know who to believe and it kept me guessing until the very end!

The co writer of one of my fav thrillers The Wife Between Us so I was excited for this Arc!!! Wooo. Hmm very strange and unsettling. The writing wasn’t the best, and the overall storyline seemed kind of silly to me. But it’s the first book I’ve binged in a long time, so I’ll give it that.

I still can’t believe I got an ARC of this novel! House of Glass was one of my favourite thrillers I read in 2024, so it was a no-brainer that this book was already on my TBR. I loved the short chapters and how the story was told in 2nd person for Georgia’s portion, playing into the idea of voices inside her head and fitting right into the locked ward setting. Overall, a great read with many chilling moments.

Sarah Pekkanen does it again!! Another exciting thriller, pulling me in immediately and making me want to stay up all night to read it!

I devoured this book, read it in less than a day. I loved the bread crumbs that kept being left in the sister’s different POVs. Every time we switched a chapter I was desperate to find out what happened in the other POV so it was truly unputdownable. It was twisty, surprising, and paced very well. I didn’t even have a prediction for the big twist because I was just so engaged in watching it all unfold that I wasn’t trying to think ahead. I’m a big fan of Sarah’s writing and how she builds a story! I will say the ending here fell a little flat for me but what I love about Sarah’s books is that she doesn’t do ambiguous endings. She’s definitely one of my favorite thriller authors for many reasons but that’s the top one. If you’re a whodunit fan, this is a great read!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the privilege of reading the ARC of The Locked Ward! And to Sarah Pekkanen for writing it.

A fast paced book that added some twist and turns to keep you guessing. Georgia is arrested for murdering her sister, Anabelle, and the only person she will see or talk to is her someone that doesn't even know she exists. Mandy gets a call requesting that she go and visit Georgia and when she fins out that they were twins separated as babies, things get interesting. Mandy has to figure out if she should trust Georgia, but as she starts to uncover some answers things just get more dangerous. Leads will get people killed, friends are really enemies and trying to figure out who you can trust could get you killed.

Great quick read by an outstanding author, Sara Pekkanen.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Love Sarah’s twisty writing! A nail biter for sure. Will read any of her thrillers - they always come through!

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a gripping and deeply personal look at the complexities of mental health and the institutions meant to treat it. With raw honesty and sharp insight, Pekkanen pulls back the curtain on a world often misunderstood, making the reader feel both the claustrophobia and the hope within its walls. Her storytelling is both compassionate and unflinching, balancing tension with moments of profound humanity. This is a powerful, eye-opening read that lingers long after the final page.

Grateful for the chance to read this ARC! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy.

I really liked this book. It kept me guessing and the best part was… I didn’t expect the twist at the end at all!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 stars

The Locked Ward was a quick read that had many twists that I didn't see coming. There were multiple family secrets that were uncovered throughout the book. I would definitely recommend it. Short chapters and an overall entertaining read. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed reading this book, I found it kind of slow at first but not too bad or not so slow to make me want to stop reading.

Once I got into it I was hooked because I just had to know. I wasn’t sure why Georgia was speaking in the third person and I’m still not quite sure why that was… nevertheless I did enjoyed reading this book!

Love the author as well and this wasn’t a let down… good job!!

I expect a need to suspend my disbelief when it comes to thrillers at times, but I found it a little difficult with The Locked Ward. Too many things were explained with little detail and were awfully convenient. The twist wasn't groundbreaking and as a whole felt fairly anticlimactic. Middle of the road read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved House of Glass when I read it last year so this was an immediately added to my TBR when I saw she was releasing a new book. I haven't been reading much thriller recently but I always love a good psychological thriller that has you on the edge of your seat. A good thriller for me is when you can't put the book down and are unable to guess any plot twists. This book definitely grabbed my attention but it's not something that I will likely think back on months/years later. I would recommend it to those who love a quick read and like twisty books.

I enjoyed this thriller a lot it is a bit of a slower paced but it works well with the story. I liked the characters and the entire unsure of who was telling the truth and of course the twists were great. It does pick up as the story unfolds but it held my attention the entire time. I have read this author’s books and I love them all. A great thriller and can’t wait for her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Sarah does it again! Edge of my seat - it was fast paced and action packed. I loved the sister’s magnetic connection throughout this book. Thoroughly entertaining - devoured it in three days!