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danubooks 's review for:
The Locked Ward
by Sarah Pekkanen
dark
emotional
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
Opening the door into someone's past can be dangerous
Southern families are known to have a skeleton or two, and the wealthy Cartwright clan is no exception. They have two daughters: Georgia, the elder one who was adopted, and Annabelle, younger and the biological daughter of the parents. When Annabelle is killed it is Georgia who is accused of the heinous crime, what the media delights in calling the "Crime of the Decade", and Georgia is confined to a (creepy) psychiatric hospital for violent offenders while she awaits her trial. In fact, her own attorneys argue that she is not fit to stand trial and she worries she may never leave the hospital. Georgia's one hope is Amanda, the twin sister she has never met (they were separated at birth), and to whom Georgia's attorneys reach out asking her to visit her sister. The bonds of sisterhood are strong and out of curiosity Mandy agrees to visit Georgia, who swears she didn't kill Annabelle and that Mandy has to get her out of the hospital before someone kills her. Is this a case of a wealthy but dysfunctional family sacrificing an adopted child to hide their own sins, or was Georgia either jealous of a sibling she considered a rival or maybe even truly insane and now manipulating Amanda? The more Amanda probes, the more lies she uncovers...nothing, and no one, is what they seem.
The Locked Ward is a psychological thriller featuring a demonstrably unreliable character in Georgia, the chilling setting where she is trapped, and a look at the bonds of sisterhood. As she has in the past author Sarah Pekkanen has created an intricate and twisted plot and this time has woven in the dynamic of long-separated twins. The chapters are short and the pace brisk with plenty of twists along the way, all keeping the reader guessing right up to the ending. I wish a little more had been explained about the initial separation of the twin girls, but it is a solid and entertaining read with an intriguing premise, one likely to appeal to readers of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware and Megan Miranda. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me access to a copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.
Southern families are known to have a skeleton or two, and the wealthy Cartwright clan is no exception. They have two daughters: Georgia, the elder one who was adopted, and Annabelle, younger and the biological daughter of the parents. When Annabelle is killed it is Georgia who is accused of the heinous crime, what the media delights in calling the "Crime of the Decade", and Georgia is confined to a (creepy) psychiatric hospital for violent offenders while she awaits her trial. In fact, her own attorneys argue that she is not fit to stand trial and she worries she may never leave the hospital. Georgia's one hope is Amanda, the twin sister she has never met (they were separated at birth), and to whom Georgia's attorneys reach out asking her to visit her sister. The bonds of sisterhood are strong and out of curiosity Mandy agrees to visit Georgia, who swears she didn't kill Annabelle and that Mandy has to get her out of the hospital before someone kills her. Is this a case of a wealthy but dysfunctional family sacrificing an adopted child to hide their own sins, or was Georgia either jealous of a sibling she considered a rival or maybe even truly insane and now manipulating Amanda? The more Amanda probes, the more lies she uncovers...nothing, and no one, is what they seem.
The Locked Ward is a psychological thriller featuring a demonstrably unreliable character in Georgia, the chilling setting where she is trapped, and a look at the bonds of sisterhood. As she has in the past author Sarah Pekkanen has created an intricate and twisted plot and this time has woven in the dynamic of long-separated twins. The chapters are short and the pace brisk with plenty of twists along the way, all keeping the reader guessing right up to the ending. I wish a little more had been explained about the initial separation of the twin girls, but it is a solid and entertaining read with an intriguing premise, one likely to appeal to readers of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware and Megan Miranda. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me access to a copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.