Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Published: August 5, 2025 by St. Martin's Press
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook 397 Pages
Genre: Psychological thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Blurb: 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?
Nothing is as it seems in Sarah Pekkanen’s The Locked Ward, a shocking psychological thriller about the complex bonds of sisterhood—and what happens when they are stretched to the breaking point.
Some doors in the Locked Ward should never be opened.
My Opinion: A psychological thriller steeped in uncertainty. From the start, I was never sure who to trust, and even by the end, the truth feels deliberately elusive. That tension, whether manipulation or madness, is what drives the story.
Georgia Cartwright grew up branded as the family’s mistake, overshadowed by her stepsister Annabelle, the golden child. When Annabelle is murdered, suspicion falls squarely on Georgia. She’s locked away in a psychiatric institution where safety is fragile and indifference reigns.
Into this setting walks Amanda Ravenel, Georgia’s twin, who was adopted out as a newborn and raised in a different world. Georgia had searched for Amanda, but their first meeting came under ominous circumstances. The sisters’ dynamic is unsettling yet compelling: Georgia will only speak to Amanda, whispering her plea — “I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.” For two women who had never met, the sudden bond feels unnatural, but it becomes the fragile thread that holds the story together.
The novel leans into the “rich behaving badly” theme, peeling back layers of privilege, betrayal, and family secrets. The dual POV format adds intrigue, though some plot turns feel overly convenient, and the pacing drags in places. Still, the collision of two very different lives, one raised in wealth, the other hidden away, makes this an interesting exploration of family, truth, and lies.
January LaVoy’s narration brings nuance and energy. She gives Georgia and Amanda distinct voices, capturing fragility, unease, and privilege with subtle shifts in tone. Her pacing and emotional shading elevate the story. She’s always a joy to listen to.
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?
Nothing is as it seems in Sarah Pekkanen’s The Locked Ward, a shocking psychological thriller about the complex bonds of sisterhood—and what happens when they are stretched to the breaking point.
Some doors in the Locked Ward should never be opened.
My Opinion: A psychological thriller steeped in uncertainty. From the start, I was never sure who to trust, and even by the end, the truth feels deliberately elusive. That tension, whether manipulation or madness, is what drives the story.
Georgia Cartwright grew up branded as the family’s mistake, overshadowed by her stepsister Annabelle, the golden child. When Annabelle is murdered, suspicion falls squarely on Georgia. She’s locked away in a psychiatric institution where safety is fragile and indifference reigns.
Into this setting walks Amanda Ravenel, Georgia’s twin, who was adopted out as a newborn and raised in a different world. Georgia had searched for Amanda, but their first meeting came under ominous circumstances. The sisters’ dynamic is unsettling yet compelling: Georgia will only speak to Amanda, whispering her plea — “I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.” For two women who had never met, the sudden bond feels unnatural, but it becomes the fragile thread that holds the story together.
The novel leans into the “rich behaving badly” theme, peeling back layers of privilege, betrayal, and family secrets. The dual POV format adds intrigue, though some plot turns feel overly convenient, and the pacing drags in places. Still, the collision of two very different lives, one raised in wealth, the other hidden away, makes this an interesting exploration of family, truth, and lies.
January LaVoy’s narration brings nuance and energy. She gives Georgia and Amanda distinct voices, capturing fragility, unease, and privilege with subtle shifts in tone. Her pacing and emotional shading elevate the story. She’s always a joy to listen to.
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