The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
8/5/25; 320 pages
St. Martin's Press
The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen is a highly recommended psychological thriller.
Amanda (Mandy) Ravenel lost both of her adoptive parents and now runs the bar they owned. She is shocked when a lawyer calls her one day and informs her that her twin sister wants to see her. Her sister is Georgia Cartwright, the adopted daughter of a wealthy, Southern family. Georgia is currently locked in a psychiatric institution after being accused of killing her younger sister and her parents biological daughter Annabelle.
After visiting Georgia, who indicates that she didn't kill Annabelle and needs her help, Mandy has a DNA test done that confirms that she and Georgia are sisters. Mandy ends up feeling a connection with Georgia and decides to help her even though she is not sure she completely trusts her. Besides helping Georgia, knowing she is a twin opens up questions about her own adoptive parents and what they knew.
This is a well-written, fast-paced psychological thriller with plenty of melodramatic overtones. The narrative unfolds through short chapters which alternate between the viewpoint of Georgia and Mandy. The fast pace makes it easier to set disbelief aside accepting both that Georgia is in the psychiatric hospital because she is acting out being in a dissociative state and that Mandy would go above and beyond to help her (even though the bond between twins is a known fact).
In spite of the fact that the plot is a little over-the top exaggerated and predictable at times, I found myself totally invested in finding out what happened. I eagerly read on following the character development and new discoveries along the way. Adding in ties to a corrupt politician and all the behind the scenes manipulation also helped.
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