The Locked Ward: A Lesson in How NOT to Write a Thriller

Usually, I don't post negative book reviews. My reviews are either super positive or completely neutral the rest of the time. I don't believe that a terrible book is worthy of my energy, and I understand that reading preferences are very subjective. It has happened plenty times that I hated a well-loved book or loved one that was issue-riddled. But The Locked Ward? No way can I pass on this one. I was honestly appalled at just how terrible it was. I entered expecting a quick-paced, suspenseful thriller, and instead of that, I got bored, annoyed, and irritated.

High Hopes That Crashed Hard

When I picked up this book, my expectations were high. I was looking for a thriller I could breeze through in a day. Thrillers are my go-to when I want a fast read. And this one seemed perfect: it had a mental institution setting, psychological twists, and—bonus points—it involved twin sisters. Twins in a story usually promise amazing plot twists, and even if you can guess them sometimes, that’s part of the fun for me.

The synopsis sounded great, so I thought I’d get a jaw-dropping story, or at least a few gasps here and there. Was that too much to ask? Apparently, yes. Instead, what I got was dull. Where was the suspense? Where were the twists? The plot felt like someone had mashed together parts of two or three different stories and never actually finished any of them. A murder happens, someone’s wrongly accused, and then they are cleared, but not in a shocking or clever way. Just… done. It was such a letdown.

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The Premise versus The Execution

The novel revolves around Georgia, who is an adopted child and is accused of murdering her sister, who happens to be the biological daughter of her adoptive parents. While awaiting trial, Georgia is sent to a mental hospital that houses violent offenders. There, she agrees to meet with only one person, Amanda, her twin sister. Amanda never knew Georgia existed, but soon she is roped into Georgia's "drama."

Theoretically, the premise of the book is highly intriguing. Discovering that one has a twin in one's thirtyssss? Held against one's will on a psych ward with an accusation of murder? Sounds like the fantasy of a suspense novel plotline. The problem lies with the execution of the book. Alternating short chapters between Georgia and Mandy (second person with Georgia, first with Mandy) distracted me more than it created suspense.

The largest problem is that the characters are one-dimensional. Georgia isn't believable. I didn't become invested in her fear or grief. Mandy felt just as cardboard, and the two of them just magically having a "twin bond" after a five-minute meeting? Completely unbelievable. The mother is a caricature of a cliche, and the majority of the side characters don't come across as real at all. It makes it difficult to be invested in anyone as the suspect of a thriller, and that caused the entire story to drag along.

Although the atmosphere, the mental hospital unit,is spooky and suspenseful, it wasn't quite enough to redeem the novel. I waited and waited for some kind of plot twist or epiphany that would cause me to gasp. It never happened. Instead, I ended up eye-rolling at the obvious plot and one-dimensional characterizations.

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Confusing Plot and Missed Opportunities

The story was written to be very messy and confusing. You've got a murder suspicion against Georgia, a twin who suddenly befriends her magically, a psych ward, and plotlines that go nowhere. The book tries to spring surprises on the reader, but most of them either come predictably or not at all. Some of it is actually comedic by accident because it is so over the top or ridiculous.

For example, the psych ward setup doesn’t hold up. Georgia is supposedly in a dissociative state, yet she’s talking to her lawyer and asking for visitors, and no one notices? That doesn’t make sense. And Mandy and Georgia instantly forming a perfect twin bond? Eye-roll city. The story drags for 350 pages with mini subplots that never resolve. It’s the kind of book that could have been told in a long email and still covered the main points.

The pacing is also a problem. The chapters were brief, which generally makes thrillers sound speedy, but it just made the book feel choppy instead. Instead of tension mounting, it seemed the author leapt from one scene to the next without ever bringing suspense into the mix. The "thrills" on the story level were skin-deep, and the psych element barely scraped the surface.

Even the murder plot is unimpressive. You're meant to be questioning if Georgia committed it or not, but the book doesn't provide any true clues or plot twists that count. The wrongly accused plotline is also resolved with no grand payoff. And if you're the type of reader who enjoys the type of psychological thrillers that have unreliable narrators, the book may come across as shallow and frustrating.

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Final Thoughts

To be fair, the book has some redeeming features. The psych ward backstory is unsettling and creates a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. I could almost taste the walls closing in on me when I was reading the chapters by Georgia. And if you like stories of privileged, powerful people behaving poorly, there's some drama there.

However, the small victories don't quite amount to saving the book. The characters are uninteresting and selfish, the plot is uninteresting, and the plot twists come across as contrived. It was not possible to sympathize with anyone, which is necessary in a thriller where the reader is expected to be supportive of the main character if nothing else than be curious about the main character. By the end of it, I was spent and looking forward to being finished with it.

I can see where the book would be popular on BookTok or with readers of shallow thrillers, but where the avid reader of a good, solidly written psychological thriller is going to be disappointed? The book had potential, the premise is wonderful and the setting is descriptive, but the writing disappoints on almost every level.

Overall, The Locked Ward promised a suspenseful, twisty thriller with depth of psychology and intriguing characters. It turned out to be a shallow, predictable, and tiring book. If you want a fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled book that will have you on the edge of your seat, don't bother with this one. On my scale, it receives 1 star dropped mainly because it attempted the creepy atmosphere thing, but that ends the praise.

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