A very accomplished debut novel which on the whole held my attention throughout.

That said I did work out the plot twists fairly well in advance so it is a credit to the author that I remained fully engaged. At times it is a disturbing novel, especially when highlighting the abuse happening in a supposedly safe environment. As a medical professional I'd like to shake my head and say that would never happen but, from the news we all know things can and do.

Some suspension of belief is required around some of the more procedural actions but I've no problem with this in novels. If everything were purely factual books would be both very long and often very boring.

I reccomend this as a well written psychological thriller ( there may be some emotional triggers for individuals due to the subject matter) and thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.

I noticed sone reviews for this seemed to follow a pattern of ‘having to finish it in a day’, I have to add myself to that but got to say I almost, almost had it as a DNF, I couldn’t see where the book was going and then it went and once it had got to that point it really was ( anno its a cliche but… ) pretty impossible to put down, it’s only when it all makes sense you can look back and think ‘right, I get it now’

Am so glad carried on reading it and not going to say anything else except it is a mind game of a book and will lead you round to where you think you know, but you don’t……

The Woman in Ward 9 is the kind of psychological thriller that sneaks up on you, wraps around your brain, and doesn’t let go until the final page—and even then, it lingers. Naomi Williams delivers a deeply unsettling and utterly absorbing debut that had me questioning everyone, including the narrator.
The story kicks off with a bang: Laura is found drenched in someone else’s blood, completely disoriented, and with zero memory of what happened. That alone was enough to reel me in. She’s placed in a secure psychiatric facility, where Dr. Emma is assigned to unravel the truth hiding in Laura’s fractured mind. So far, so chilling—but it gets better.
As Laura begins to talk about her past, especially her charming and “perfect” boyfriend, something clicks in Emma’s mind… because the man Laura is describing? Sounds exactly like her own husband. Cue the goosebumps.
I loved how this story plays with perception—who’s telling the truth, who’s manipulating whom, and how easy it is to blur the lines between victim, witness, and perpetrator. The dual unravelling of both Laura’s and Emma’s realities was cleverly done, and I found myself constantly second-guessing what I thought I knew. The writing is sharp and immersive, and the pacing? Perfectly tense, with just enough time to breathe before diving deeper into the psychological shadows.
By the end, I was torn between awe and horror. Williams crafts a climax that is both satisfying and haunting—a twist that had me rethinking earlier chapters and mentally screaming, “How did I miss that?!”
If you enjoy twisty, dark, psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators and a touch of domestic suspense, The Woman in Ward 9 is a must-read. Just be warned: once you start, you will binge it.

The storyline of this reminded me of the plot of Shutter Island bur with extra twists. I found the start a little slow and it took me a while to get into it. Once there I was hooked and had to read the last 80% in one go. Loved the characters, who were very individual in their own ways. I really enjoyed it and was amazed at the psychological research to produce such a plausible storyline.

This was such a good thriller, it had me gripped right away and I knew I just had to find out the truth!

THE WOMAN IN WARD 9 BY NAOMI WILLIAMS.
For those who enjoy a slow paced book this one is for you.
There's plenty of twists and turns in this story that will keep you guessing.
This is the authors thriller debut and she did a cracking job.

This is a fast paced read that will keep you engaged and wanting to know more.
I must admit that I worked out one of the twists pretty early on in the book and as I continued to read you could tell all the clever ways the author was telling you, but not! I think I’m just really suspicious after reading lots of other books with similar twists. If you don’t pick this up while reading through, it will come as a surprise later on and have you questioning what you have read and how you interpreted it!

I must say the ending was a little disappointing, after another twist (which helps to explain a few more things!) it just didn’t give the character the justice I would have liked, I don’t want to give anything away so won’t say more than that.

It was well written and the scenes described well, I just didn’t find I connected with any of the characters, I didn’t find myself routing for anyone or really caring that greatly for them.

3.5 stars

A strong debut thriller, quite slow in parts but a good read, u enjoyed the psychology aspect of the story and didn’t see the twist coming at all!! Thank you for the opportunity to re read this prior to release

Emma is a psychologist who has been asked to work with Laura, a woman who has recently been admitted to a high security unit after she was found covered in blood but with no memory of how this came about. Emma begins to unravel the truth and soon draws chilling parallels to her own life and husband.

I was drawn into the synopsis of this one as it sounded like it would be an intriguing, dark mystery. After finishing I can say it definitely fitted that description and it ended up being an entertaining read. I did find a lot of the story quite slow and sometimes repetitive, however there was a very strong mystery at the centre of this which kept the story interesting. The twist at the end was very good and got me, making my rating higher. This was a clever, atmospheric and well written story overall. I would pick up more by this author. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

The woman in ward 9 sees Laura in a psychiatric facility after being bought in covered in blood with no memory as of how she got there. Psychologist Emma is bought in to help unlock her memories after Laura refuses to talk to anyone else.

This book is expertly crafted with a well woven plot. I really enjoyed the psychology used within this book.

Dark, clever and suspenseful this will definitely have you hooked!

Laura is taken to a high security psychiatric unit after being found covered in blood and no memory of what happened. With nobody to witness who the blood belonged to, Heaton Place brings in psychologist Emma, the only person that Laura will speak to, to try and work out what happened but, as she begins to unpick the story that is conveyed to her about Laura's wonderful life with her perfect boyfriend Daniel, some things seem all too familiar to Emma, in fact it would seem like Laura is talking about Emma's husband, Connor. Does Laura know more than she's letting on and can Emma work it all out in the five days she's been given?

The Woman in Ward 9 is a dual timeline thriller told in the present and past, intertwined with a backstory that I interpreted to be Laura's. It's a fast paced, multi layered read with short chapters (my favourite) and throughout the book those layers are gradually stripped back until we arrive at the truth of what really happened. This is a well wriitten, descriptive story with an intriguing plot that had me hooked from the start with some great twists and, just when I thought I had figured it out, Williams comes along with a sucker punch of an ending that completely floored me and left me wanting more for a certain character. This is a new to me author in my favourite genre and I can't wait to read more of her work!

I'd like to thank Headline and NetGalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

The Woman in Ward 9 is avertised as "A completely addictive psychological thriller with a heart-pounding twist" and you know what, it is exactly that... and more!

Wow, I don't say this often, but wow!

Absolutely recommend this one if you're up for a rollecoaster ride.

This is a book that grew on me. Set in a psychiatric hospital, it explores the personalities of patient and psychologist. I found it a book that grew increasingly menacing. A lost lanyard, and other small mysterious things that built the story into its climax. The twist in the story at the end was completely unexpected. Excellent storytelling.

The Woman In Ward 9 by Naomi Williams

AD/PR @headlinebooks

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️✨

Synopsis:

VICTIM. WITNESS. KILLER?

Laura is found covered in blood that is not her own. With no memory of what happened, she is admitted to a high security psychiatric facility. With no body and no other witnesses, it is down to psychologist Emma to gain Laura’s trust and understand her disturbed mind.

As she listens to Laura’s story, she begins to draw chilling parallels between her patient’s life and her own. The man Laura describes sounds uncannily similar to Emma’s own husband...

Is she entering the mind of a victim, a witness - or a killer?

Thoughts :

A strong thriller debut! Whilst I did find this one a little slow paced in places -(I did find myself skim reading some parts) - I did enjoy the descriptive writing, and I loved how addictive the book was! I also liked the mystery (even though it annoyed me slightly 😂) that you didn’t know whose POV it was in the ‘Past’ chapters. It certainly made the book more gripping, and I liked that it really picked up the pace towards the end😍

In terms of the twist, I honestly had no idea where this book was going. It was shocking and unexpected! You’ll think that it’s revealed everything, but it doesn’t stop there! I loved the satisfying ending and the last line of the book too, which left me feeling fulfilled ☺️🥲

Although I only gave this one a 3.5, I do still recommend this one. It was a gripping thriller with a shocker of a twist!

I’ll certainly be checking out more thrillers from this author if she decides to write any more under this pen name. 😍

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Out 15th April as e-book, and 17th July in paperback.

Woah! I had to take a minute to catch my breath at the end of this tension-packed read!

Psychologist Emma is asked to work with a client in a secure facility who has refused to speak to anyone but her. The client, Laura, is a psychologist herself and was found covered in blood with no memory of what happened. As Emma attempts to guide Laura to recover her lost memory, she begins to see similarities between her own personal life and Laura's, and some concerning events at the facility start to make Emma feel trapped.

Sinister and chilling, this book is superbly written with a well thought out plot that after planting a haunting sense of dread, gradually starts to drip feed hints at the truth, peeling back the layers slowly with lots of twists along the way.

Brilliant!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Naomi Williams and Headine for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is what I might term an airport novel. You could pick it up if you have some hours to kill and find it engrossing enough. I don't think it's the most brilliant thriller out there but not the worst either, somewhere in the middle. The mental health unit setting gives it a chilling and tense atmosphere straight away and there are enough twists to keep your brain guessing. It's not particularly long and for me that's about right. It's the kind of book that others might have tried to stretch out but I think it's about the right length. If your 'to read' list is growing a bit thin then this will keep you occupied well enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.

Laura Winters wakes up in her home, covered in blood that isn't her own, with no recollection of what happened or whose blood it is. So she is taken to a secure mental health unit called Heaton Place where psychologist Emma Best and her supervisor Melanie Coldwell get six days to unlock her memory.

This tense and fast-paced psychological thriller is told in the first person POV of Emma, but can we trust her narration? What is real memory and what is delusion? Emma specialises in treating abused women because she lost her sister Sarah to suicide due to domestic violence, and during examination of Laura's relationship to boyfriend Daniel, Emma's own relationship with husband Connor comes under the microscope. There seem to be disturbing similarities but who is manipulating who, and also, why is he not answering his phone?

For a long time I was sure I knew what was happening until I wasn't anymore, then I thought I was on solid ground again until another twist pulled the rug out from under me. It takes a lot of skill to dumbfound a reader so thoroughly and I couldn't put this down. This book cost me several hours of sleep! Even now while writing this review I have to remind myself what really happened because the twists are so outlandish. I'm not going to spoiler but there is an entire paragraph with what really happened on my Notes app so I don't still get confused in my own mind.

So if you want a brilliantly written psychological thriller with an intriguing premise that destabilises you until you don't remember which way is up and that takes places in a creepy mental health unit with questionable staff, this is for you. Thoroughly recommended.

The woman in ward 9

I loved this fast paced thriller. Read it in a day!
All throughout the book i thought i had it figured out until the last chapter from Laura!
It gives shutter island vibes but with a twist.

Would love to read more from this author.

Thanks as always to netgalley, the author and the publisher

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Headline and the author Naomi Williams for an early copy of her book to read.

My first read from this author. A slow start and soon got interesting. Laura was covered in blood she had no idea what happened to her she finds help with a psychologist Emma will she discover the answers...plenty twists and turns keeps you guessing...my rating is 3.5 rounded to 4 as would liked it to be a faster pace...

Will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon.

Thank you Netgalley and Headline for this ARC!

I am not sure why I like thrillers/ stories taking place in psychiatric facilities. Like, I surely would not want to be locked up in one of those places myself for whatever reason!

Anyway, we are following Laura - who is found covered in blood with no memory whatsoever of what has happened to her - and psychologist Emma, trusted to be able to find out what has happened to Laura. And that is when things do bascially take an unexpected turn...

I have to admit, I have no idea if this was the first book of Naomi Williams, but I basically inhaled it. And now I am tired because I got no sleep.... so many wild twists and turns that do keep you hooked all the time, making it impossible to put the book down. Definitely recommended!