The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Twins, separated at birth and adopted into different families, come back together in adulthood when one of them is accused of murder.
Will Mandy be able to find the truth of the crime and use it to help free Georgia, or is Georgia actually guilty?
Georgia, adopted by the wealthy and well-connected Cartwright family, grew up very differently from Mandy, who was adopted by a family of much more modest means.
Another difference is that the Cartwright’s were able to conceive a child naturally just after adopting Georgia. Thus, her little sister, Annabelle came into their lives. It’s rumored that Georgia was always viciously jealous of Annabelle.
When Annabelle is murdered, and Georgia is found with the body with blood all over herself, it seems like a clear-cut case, and Georgia gets sent to a psychiatric hospital. But is the case really as clear-cut as it seems?
When Mandy is contacted about the whole situation, she can hardly believe it. She didn’t even know she had a sister, let alone a twin. This seems absolutely crazy, yet she’s intrigued, and goes to see Georgia.
Seeing the situation her sister is in, Mandy is compelled to help. She begins to dig in, finding out more about her mysterious sister, her adoptive family, and where both Mandy and Georgia came from. She discovers things she could have never imagined, but will anyone believe her?
There’s many scandalous secrets and individuals who, for various reasons, would prefer the past stay well and truly buried. Will these twins be able to come out on top, or will the evil actors be able to silence them forever?
The Locked Ward is the latest from one of my go-to Thriller authors, Sarah Pekkanen. I always look forward to Pekkanen’s new releases. I love how readable her stories are, and I find her plots and characters compelling.
This story is no exception. I found the set-up so interesting. It easily pulled me in. Mandy finding out that she had a twin, and the horrific circumstances that twin was currently in; I couldn’t even imagine being in that position.
Georgia’s perspective however, is told in 2nd-person, and honestly, I wasn’t crazy about that choice. I’m not a fan of 2nd-person in general anyway, and I just felt like in this story, I would have preferred a more clear, 1st-person narrative style for Georgia.
That is but a tiny personal preference issue though, and I felt like the rest of the story was great. It’s quite a tangled web. I found it unpredictable and very entertaining.
In addition to recommending the book itself, I would also recommend the audiobook if you’re going to give this one a shot. The narration by January LaVoy, unsurprisingly, was excellent. It definitely helped me to fully immerse myself into this story.
Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copies to read and review. As always, I look forward to whatever Sarah Pekkanen releases next!