Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wow! I loved this psychological thriller with a side of murder mystery! I couldn’t tell who was telling the truth or who was lying. Just when I thought I had my pulse on what was going on, I was thrown a twist!
This was a very fast paced and engaging read. If you’re a fan of thrillers this does not disappoint!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.
This was a very fast paced and engaging read. If you’re a fan of thrillers this does not disappoint!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Murder
Minor: Rape
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
ARC Review: The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
Twin sisters, long separated and raised in completely different worlds, find their fates colliding in this psychological drama. Georgia, adopted into a wealthy family, now finds herself in a locked psychiatric ward after being accused of murdering her sister Annabelle. With her world crumbling and her options running out, her only hope lies in Mandy—the biological twin she just discovered but has never actually met. Mandy, meanwhile, has just lost her adoptive parents and is running the family bar they left behind. The story unfolds in alternating perspectives as the two women attempt to uncover the truth and prevent Georgia from being institutionalized—or worse.
This was my first time reading Sarah Pekkanen, and while the premise hooked me—a dark, twisty story involving estranged twins and a murder mystery—the execution left me a bit UNDERwhelmed. The opening started strong but then the pace started dragging and I struggled to stay engaged. The ending did offer a bit of a pickup, but not quite enough to make up for the lull in the middle.
That said, I did appreciate the short chapters and the dual POV format, which made it easy to fly through even when my interest dwindled. Unfortunately, it just didn’t deliver the suspense or emotional depth I was hoping for.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!
Twin sisters, long separated and raised in completely different worlds, find their fates colliding in this psychological drama. Georgia, adopted into a wealthy family, now finds herself in a locked psychiatric ward after being accused of murdering her sister Annabelle. With her world crumbling and her options running out, her only hope lies in Mandy—the biological twin she just discovered but has never actually met. Mandy, meanwhile, has just lost her adoptive parents and is running the family bar they left behind. The story unfolds in alternating perspectives as the two women attempt to uncover the truth and prevent Georgia from being institutionalized—or worse.
This was my first time reading Sarah Pekkanen, and while the premise hooked me—a dark, twisty story involving estranged twins and a murder mystery—the execution left me a bit UNDERwhelmed. The opening started strong but then the pace started dragging and I struggled to stay engaged. The ending did offer a bit of a pickup, but not quite enough to make up for the lull in the middle.
That said, I did appreciate the short chapters and the dual POV format, which made it easy to fly through even when my interest dwindled. Unfortunately, it just didn’t deliver the suspense or emotional depth I was hoping for.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!
mysterious
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.
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75 for me !
thanks to NetGalley and St.
Martin's Press for providing me with an
ARC in exchange for my honest review !
This follows 2 girls that find out they’re twins due to one being put up for trial for the accused murder of her sister.
This was definitely interesting, I enjoyed the pace of the story line. I wasn’t a fan of how Georgia the twin in the ward for murder had chapters with information that repeated themselves about how she was placed as the bad guy against the deceased sister Annabelle. We got that her parents would favor Annabelle more at times but it was just repeated a lot so for me I found it alittle redundant
Mandy the other twin who’s trying to help figure out what happened she’s just trying to do her best as she was just sucked into this life. She has many secrets of her own that she hasn’t told Georgia about. Which is so fair. They have people going against them and it’s All such a crazy scheme
It was very drama filled, pretty neutral with the story line ! I’d definitely recommend if you want a quick read !
thanks to NetGalley and St.
Martin's Press for providing me with an
ARC in exchange for my honest review !
This follows 2 girls that find out they’re twins due to one being put up for trial for the accused murder of her sister.
This was definitely interesting, I enjoyed the pace of the story line. I wasn’t a fan of how Georgia the twin in the ward for murder had chapters with information that repeated themselves about how she was placed as the bad guy against the deceased sister Annabelle. We got that her parents would favor Annabelle more at times but it was just repeated a lot so for me I found it alittle redundant
Mandy the other twin who’s trying to help figure out what happened she’s just trying to do her best as she was just sucked into this life. She has many secrets of her own that she hasn’t told Georgia about. Which is so fair. They have people going against them and it’s All such a crazy scheme
It was very drama filled, pretty neutral with the story line ! I’d definitely recommend if you want a quick read !