Book Review: The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen

Twins, secrets, and a murder in the South—The Locked Ward promises madness and mystery but lands somewhere between good and just okay.

Some books waste time easing you in. The Locked Ward does not. I went in expecting a typical psychological thriller setup—because yes, it’s Sarah Pekkanen—but this one jumps right in. It’s tense, claustrophobic, and fills you with doubt from page one. Find out why I gave this book 3/5 stars and read my review below.

The Locked Ward: A Novel – Kindle edition by Pekkanen, Sarah. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

What is the book about?

Whatever the cause—and everyone has a theory—it’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?

Sarah Pekkanen on New Release, The Locked Ward – She Reads

My thoughts:

I usually love Sarah Pekkanen’s work, but The Locked Ward didn’t grab me the way I hoped it would.

The setup caught my attention immediately: Georgia Cartwright, adopted into a wealthy Southern family, is accused of murder. Now locked in a psychiatric ward for violent offenders, she swears to her estranged twin sister, “I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.” From there, the story twists through family secrets and manipulation. Unfortunately, the actual story never quite lived up to the premise.

It’s readable, with a few good surprises, but it’s not a stay-up-all-night kind of mystery. A good book, just not a great one. But I’ll definitely keep reading Pekkanen in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader’s copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.