The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen on August 5, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Domestic, Fiction / Women
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
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Tt’s the Crime of the Decade when glamorous Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted as a newborn, is accused of killing the biological daughter of her wealthy, Southern family. Georgia is locked in a psychiatric institution where the most violent offenders are held while she awaits trial. The only words she whispers when her estranged twin sister Amanda visits are, “I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.” Amanda doesn’t trust Georgia, but she can’t abandon her in a place so eerie and menacing that it seems to exist in another dimension. Is Georgia the victim of a powerful family that’s so depraved murder is the least of their crimes? Or is Amanda being led down a path of madness into the web of a master manipulator?
This was a quick and entertaining read. Though not my favorite by her, but was still entertaining. When I am able to predict the outcome, sadly, the book will never get five stars from me, but that doesn’t mean that it was not enjoyable. The atmosphere of the institution is so eerie and menacing that it feels like stepping into another dimension. The short chapters made it impossible to put down, and I found myself racing through the pages with warp speed!
I rated this novel four stars. The mystery surrounding Georgia’s innocence and the secrets of the Cartwright family are executed with a strong trajectory, featuring short, fast-paced, action-packed chapters. While some twists were a bit predictable, and I had hoped for a more earth-shattering conclusion, I still thoroughly enjoyed the character development and the magnetic—at times, eerie—bond between the sisters.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press publishing for the advanced reader copy of this fast paced thriller.