The Glass Key

Paperback Published on: 19/11/2026
Price: £9.99
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Published 19/11/2026
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Coming soon
Published 19/11/2026
No stock available in any shop.

Synopsis

The Glass Key is a breathtaking, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love, loss and secrets from the bestselling author of the Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Midnight House.

'I just loved this sweeping, layered, and deeply moving book full of complex characters and dark secrets' SANTA MONTEFIORE

'A gorgeous novel. Beautifully written, layered and twisty. I loved it' EVE CHASE

In Ireland, Maggie has grown up hearing her mother tell her the bedtime story of The Glass Key. It's a Nordic fairytale passed down by Maggie's grandmother Anna Swan, who mysteriously left her home one stormy night years ago, never to return. Now Maggie's grandfather has died and going through his things, Maggie is shocked to discover a faded wartime letter, asking him to take in a baby. In that moment she realises that Anna Swan was a woman of many secrets.

Only by travelling to Norway and discovering the story of four brave young women whose lives were forever changed by the occupation of their tiny islands, can Maggie uncover the shocking truth about her family - and finally unlock the mystery of the glass key...

As epic as the Norwegian landscape it so vividly describes, The Glass Key is a sweeping journey of a novel that will stay with you for ever.

'An old school epic that will have readers turning the pages long into the night' SINÉAD CROWLEY

'Mesmerising... the characters will sweep you away to a distant island, and leave their imprint long after you turn the last page' HAZEL GAYNOR

'I was on the edge of my seat, trying to guess how the mystery would unravel... Amanda Geard has fast become one of my favourite authors' JENNY ASHCROFT

'A magnificent story beautifully told and I can't stop thinking about it' LIZ FENWICK

'Brimming with mystery, family secrets and heart... this story will be loved by fiction readers everywhere' MADELINE MARTIN

'A tale of family secrets through the decades and a community grappling with the encroaching war, a compelling story that I looked forward to every night until I'd read the final page' HEATHER WEBB

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
  • ISBN: 9781035413607
  • Number of pages: 432
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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The Glass Key
A Stay-Up-All-Night Saga Set Between Ireland and Wartime Norway
Sweeping, Nostalgic, and Deeply Human: Why 'The Glass Key' Will Linger Long After the Final Page Thank you so much to NetGalley, Headline, and Amanda Ge... READ MORE
Aisha Faisal
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Moving and Emotional
Told between two timelines - 1940 and 2005 - The Glass Key is a story about a long kept secret and how is is gradually revealed. Maggie is desperately sad ... READ MORE
Alyson Hilbourne
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
The glass key
My first book by Amanda Geard and I just loved it. A beautiful and mysterious story that had my full attention the whole way through.
Olivia Chase
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Unlocking Secrets
This book has a dual timeline where we read about Maggie in current times and the times of her grandmother and her friends in the past timeline.   Maggie ... READ MORE
RM Foster
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
not just a mystery, but a story of identity
Moving seamlessly between 1940 and 2005, The Glass Key is a beautifully written and emotionally book that blends mystery, love story, and historical drama ... READ MORE
Swade
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
A tale of family secrets, loss and love.
The Glass Key is a tale of family secrets, loss and love set across two timelines: WW2 Norway and contemporary Ireland. It is gently paced but immersive, a... READ MORE
Jane Hunt
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
An endearing story
What an endearing story this is. Its telling begins during the 2nd World War and moves between that time and the early 21st century, as our characters sear... READ MORE
Gillian Frost
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
An involved dual timeline read
A dual timeline story that brings back the hardships of the second world war. A family mystery that spans decades and takes a great deal of unraveling. Won... READ MORE
Pamela B
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
I loved this book
I had never read a title by this author but was quite interested in The Glass Key, based on both the book description and the cover. It was a terrific rea... READ MORE
joyce nussbaum
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Summer reading
the Glass Key is an absolutely amazing read! A little slow to start with, so please do not give up. Told as a dual time line, a missing mother and a sear... READ MORE
Jen1010
The Glass Key
Sweeping, emotional tale which I highly recommend
Set between 2005 and wartime Norway, The Glass Key follows Maggie whose search for answers about her family's past uncovers long buried secrets stretching ... READ MORE
Stephanie Bull
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Another beautiful novel from Amanda Geard!
County Kerry, Ireland. 2005. With a broken marriage, and failed gardening business, in her wake, Maggie Swan has returned home for the funeral of her belov... READ MORE
Sue Thomas
The Glass Key
History, mystery, intrigue, brilliant
Wow, where do I start. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s set in 2005 in Ireland and the early/mid 1040’s Norway during World War 2.Maggie is looking int... READ MORE
Rachel Quinlan
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Well written
Dual timeline namely early 1940's and 2005 and dual location Ireland and Norway. A well written, well researched book read in two sittings. Thanks to the p... READ MORE
Richard Angrave
The Glass Key
Excellent story about WW2 Norway.
As the author says in her Acknowledgements, Norway is under-represented in WW2 fiction. This book certainly helps to redress that balance. It's got an exce... READ MORE
Sharyn Farnaby
The Glass Key
Outstanding Norwegian Saga
Outstanding Norwegian Saga This book has it all, double timeline, fairy tales, unrequited love, an abandoned child and a mystery which spans generations. ... READ MORE
Margaret Moore
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
An intriguing family mystery
This is a fantastic story, it starts gently with an intriguing mystery and puzzle to be solved, then builds up to a crescendo of gripping, page-turning dra... READ MORE
Judith at Galmpton
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Superb!
County Kerry, Ireland. 2005. With a broken marriage, and failed gardening business, in her wake, Maggie Swan has returned home for the funeral of her belov... READ MORE
Sue Thomas
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Enjoyable dual timeline read
An enjoyable, gripping and suspenseful read. The story weaves seamlessly between Ireland 2005 and Nazi occupied Norway in 1942-3 with the main character Ma... READ MORE
Clare Trend
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
unforgettable story that will stay with you ?✨
I found The Glass Key by Amanda Geard to be an absolutely stunning and deeply emotional read. This was a beautifully layered historical mystery that combin... READ MORE
Keeley Hodgman
The Glass Key
An amazing novel -
Hellebore House holds many secrets - of love, loss, separations and war. A superb read that is difficult to put down. Vivid descriptions hold the reader ... READ MORE
Janet Honnoraty
The Glass Key
Captivating links between Ireland and Norway
I loved the links between the family in Ireland and the mysterious story of the Glass Key which drew Maggie to Norway. She unearths a remarkable story of h... READ MORE
GemB
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Well written book
Dual timeline namely early 1940's and 2005 and dual location Ireland and Norway. A well written, well researched book read in two sittings. Thanks to the p... READ MORE
Richard Angrave
The Glass Key
Good book
This story was told through dual timelines. It’s a beautifully descriptive book. You can imagine yourself there. I did feel like it was a little drawn out.... READ MORE
Annette Johnson
The Glass Key
An endearing story
What an endearing story this is. Its telling begins during the 2nd World War and moves between that time and the early 21st century, as our characters sear... READ MORE
Gillian Frost
The Glass Key
A good story
A good story set between Norway and Ireland using two timelines. The story is a little slow and overly long, not helped by jumping between 2005 and the ea... READ MORE
Douglas Howell
The Glass Key
Beautiful
A beautiful, moving read about love, family and secrets. Five stars. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.
Emma Renshaw
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Loved it
A beautiful story set on islands north of Norway during the 2nd World War and Ireland in 2005. An enthralling tale of strong women resisting the German i... READ MORE
Trina Dixon
The Glass Key
Very enjoyable
I have really enjoyed this dual timeline story of a group of heroic women in World War 2 in Norway, alongside the tale of Maggie, whose grandmother disappe... READ MORE
Nicola Mackenzie-Smaller
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
An emotional story of family and belonging
In 1959, Norwegian-born Anna Swan goes missing from her home in County Kerry, leaving behind her husband and daughter. Forty six years later, her granddaug... READ MORE
Laura
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Glass Key
Set in Norway and Ireland
Beautifully descriptive of both places where the story is set - Norway and Ireland. I enjoyed the short chapters and the start of what appeared to be a ver... READ MORE
Mary Urquhart
The Glass Key
Strong female characters
I read this book courtesy of NetGalley. A moving and emotional read set covering two time lines, the early years of WW2 and 2005 as long held secrets unra... READ MORE
Grey Lady
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.