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The Glass Key: The Magnificent, Epic Novel of Love, War and a Long-Kept Secret from the Bestselling Author
Not yet published
Expected 18 Jun 26The 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 and deeply moving book full of dark secrets' SANTA MONTEFIORE
'A page-turning mystery, richly layered and irresistible' CARMEL HARRINGTON
'A gorgeous novel. Beautifully written, layered and twisty. I loved it' EVE CHASE
'An old school epic that will have readers turning the pages long into the night' SINÉAD CROWLEY
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.
'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
'I just loved this sweeping and deeply moving book full of dark secrets' SANTA MONTEFIORE
'A page-turning mystery, richly layered and irresistible' CARMEL HARRINGTON
'A gorgeous novel. Beautifully written, layered and twisty. I loved it' EVE CHASE
'An old school epic that will have readers turning the pages long into the night' SINÉAD CROWLEY
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.
'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
Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 18, 2026
2 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Geard
7 books231 followersAmanda Geard is the bestselling author of THE MOON GATE and Richard & Judy Book Club pick THE MIDNIGHT HOUSE which was a UK Heatseeker and a top 10 kindle bestseller. Both novels are translated into ten languages. Her new book, THE GLASS KEY, will be published in May 2026 and has already sold across the world.
She has always loved novels with multiple timelines, ones which weave a complex web that resolve as the reader turns the final page, where secrets lie just beneath the surface if only the characters know where to look. She’s also a geologist who explores and maps the earth’s remote places. She splits her time between Ireland, Norway and ‘the field’.
“The inspiration for my first novel, THE MIDNIGHT HOUSE, appeared in the rafters of our Irish home, a two-hundred-year-old stone building perched on the edge of the Atlantic. Hidden there was a message, scratched into wood: 'When this comes down, pray for me. Tim O’Shea 1911'. As I held that piece of timber in my hands, dust clinging to my paint-stained clothes, I was humbled that a person’s fingerprint could, in a thousand ways, transcend time, and I wanted nothing more than to capture that feeling of discovery on the page.
My second novel, THE MOON GATE, is set across three locations: Tasmania (the place I grew up), London (where I lived for years in a houseboat on Paddington Canal) and County Kerry, Ireland (my home). Each of these places is special to me and I hope the settings, as much as the characters, will reach out from the page and reassure you that – in this world – you are not alone.
Finally, THE GLASS KEY is coming in May 2026 and I couldn’t be more excited! The inspiration for this novel began in April 2011. As Kate and Wills walked down the aisle, my soon-to-be husband and I walked onto an isle, a 52-acre Norwegian one, one hundred kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.
It was for sale.
It was love at first sight.
We were 29.
We bought the island, learned to live. The Glass Key pays homage to this, weaving in the struggles of four women in Occupied Norway and the lengths they’ll go to to survive. Expect love and sacrifice. Expect tears. Expect hope. I can’t wait to share this book with you soon!”
You can find more information about Amanda Geard and her books on Instagram (@amandageard) or contact her at www.amandageard.com – where you can also join her mailing list for updates on books, events and giveaways.
She has always loved novels with multiple timelines, ones which weave a complex web that resolve as the reader turns the final page, where secrets lie just beneath the surface if only the characters know where to look. She’s also a geologist who explores and maps the earth’s remote places. She splits her time between Ireland, Norway and ‘the field’.
“The inspiration for my first novel, THE MIDNIGHT HOUSE, appeared in the rafters of our Irish home, a two-hundred-year-old stone building perched on the edge of the Atlantic. Hidden there was a message, scratched into wood: 'When this comes down, pray for me. Tim O’Shea 1911'. As I held that piece of timber in my hands, dust clinging to my paint-stained clothes, I was humbled that a person’s fingerprint could, in a thousand ways, transcend time, and I wanted nothing more than to capture that feeling of discovery on the page.
My second novel, THE MOON GATE, is set across three locations: Tasmania (the place I grew up), London (where I lived for years in a houseboat on Paddington Canal) and County Kerry, Ireland (my home). Each of these places is special to me and I hope the settings, as much as the characters, will reach out from the page and reassure you that – in this world – you are not alone.
Finally, THE GLASS KEY is coming in May 2026 and I couldn’t be more excited! The inspiration for this novel began in April 2011. As Kate and Wills walked down the aisle, my soon-to-be husband and I walked onto an isle, a 52-acre Norwegian one, one hundred kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.
It was for sale.
It was love at first sight.
We were 29.
We bought the island, learned to live. The Glass Key pays homage to this, weaving in the struggles of four women in Occupied Norway and the lengths they’ll go to to survive. Expect love and sacrifice. Expect tears. Expect hope. I can’t wait to share this book with you soon!”
You can find more information about Amanda Geard and her books on Instagram (@amandageard) or contact her at www.amandageard.com – where you can also join her mailing list for updates on books, events and giveaways.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 17, 2025
The Glass Key is beautifully written and brimming with mystery, family secrets, and heart. Geard’s evocative prose unlocks the past with striking detail, taking readers to wartime Norway through vivid landscapes that are utterly transportive. With richly drawn characters and the poignant exploration of love, loss, and legacy, this story will be loved by fiction readers everywhere.
I was lucky to get an advanced read of this book and loved it!
I was lucky to get an advanced read of this book and loved it!
September 29, 2025
I have been a huge Amanda Geard fan ever since falling in love with her debut, The Midnight House, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting her third novel, The Glass Key. Like both her other novels, this is a book to sink into, to be transported and moved by. Geard always creates such an incredible sense of place and this was no exception. Her descriptions of both Ireland and Northern Norway are so vivid, I was there, walking alongside her beautifully drawn characters. This is a novel full of intrigue and mystery; of love, loss, war and adventure. I lived every page and there were tears at those emotive last scenes. I loved this book and savoured every sentence. I will be recommending it to everyone.
December 19, 2025
The Glass Key – Amanda Geard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Thank you so much to Amanda for my super early copy of this book - I’m incredibly honoured.
The Glass Key is everything I’ve come to expect from Amanda Geard: sweeping, emotional, and utterly immersive. A story steeped in love, loss, and long-buried secrets, it moves between Ireland and wartime Norway with such care and depth that I found myself completely absorbed from the very first page.
As someone from a Scandinavian country, this book gave me an unexpected and powerful sense of nostalgia. The customs, traditions, and rhythms of life felt deeply familiar, and I could draw so many parallels that made the connection to the story even stronger. If there’s one thing Amanda does unbelievably well, it’s creating settings so vivid you can smell the sea, feel the breeze, and hear the echoes of the past woven into the landscape.
The mystery surrounding Anna Swan and the fairytale of The Glass Key unfolds beautifully, blending historical fiction with family secrets in a way that feels both intimate and epic. It’s emotional without ever feeling manipulative, and every revelation lands exactly where it should.
A breathtaking, stay-up-all-night read that will linger long after the final page. Amanda Geard has done it again - a truly unforgettable novel.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Thank you so much to Amanda for my super early copy of this book - I’m incredibly honoured.
The Glass Key is everything I’ve come to expect from Amanda Geard: sweeping, emotional, and utterly immersive. A story steeped in love, loss, and long-buried secrets, it moves between Ireland and wartime Norway with such care and depth that I found myself completely absorbed from the very first page.
As someone from a Scandinavian country, this book gave me an unexpected and powerful sense of nostalgia. The customs, traditions, and rhythms of life felt deeply familiar, and I could draw so many parallels that made the connection to the story even stronger. If there’s one thing Amanda does unbelievably well, it’s creating settings so vivid you can smell the sea, feel the breeze, and hear the echoes of the past woven into the landscape.
The mystery surrounding Anna Swan and the fairytale of The Glass Key unfolds beautifully, blending historical fiction with family secrets in a way that feels both intimate and epic. It’s emotional without ever feeling manipulative, and every revelation lands exactly where it should.
A breathtaking, stay-up-all-night read that will linger long after the final page. Amanda Geard has done it again - a truly unforgettable novel.
February 6, 2026
A story written in a dual timeline:
- WWII in Einevaer (Norway)
- 2005 in Kerry (Ireland)
There generations of women are portrayed in those years: a grandmother, a mother and her daughter.
As her grandfather past away, the granddaughter begins her quest for truth. The truth behind her grandmother’s disappearance forty years ago.
Her mother was a teenager, and she had a great bond with her mother. Yet one night she’d vanished from their Irish home.
This journey will take you through rough times, yet in an unbelievable setting up in the arctic where a heart shaped island lies.
The women who lived there were already brave to cope into such an environment, and the war only put them further to the test.
The author depicts different kinds of love made of sisterhood, womanhood, friendships and more. The kind of unconditional loyalty,
anyone could only dream of. And that’s the true essence of feeling whole and at home.
I adored this story and recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.
- WWII in Einevaer (Norway)
- 2005 in Kerry (Ireland)
There generations of women are portrayed in those years: a grandmother, a mother and her daughter.
As her grandfather past away, the granddaughter begins her quest for truth. The truth behind her grandmother’s disappearance forty years ago.
Her mother was a teenager, and she had a great bond with her mother. Yet one night she’d vanished from their Irish home.
This journey will take you through rough times, yet in an unbelievable setting up in the arctic where a heart shaped island lies.
The women who lived there were already brave to cope into such an environment, and the war only put them further to the test.
The author depicts different kinds of love made of sisterhood, womanhood, friendships and more. The kind of unconditional loyalty,
anyone could only dream of. And that’s the true essence of feeling whole and at home.
I adored this story and recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A very emotional dual timeline novel! How hard it must be to have see your mum walk away when you are sixteen; how hard must it be when you start doubting about the biological family bonds? Secrets started in desperate situations during the Second World War in North Norway will follow Anna and her daughter Freja to Ireland... I enjoyed the descriptions of the Norwegian wild sea and learning about those numerous islands and their inhabitants.
The characters were convincing and I felt for them. However, the more modern timeline with its typical romantic touch was for me totally irrelevant as it is very often the case in dual timelines novels. But still, I enjoyed the rest of this emotional and thrilling novel very much.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.
The characters were convincing and I felt for them. However, the more modern timeline with its typical romantic touch was for me totally irrelevant as it is very often the case in dual timelines novels. But still, I enjoyed the rest of this emotional and thrilling novel very much.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.
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September 8, 2025I loved this book. In fact more than that I lived this beautiful story of love, loss and hope. Simply superb and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This isn't your standard wartime drama that leans on cheap melodrama to move the needle. Amanda Geard manages to balance a fragile, Nordic folklore vibe with the cold reality of occupied Norway. The story follows Maggie, who finds a wartime letter after her grandfather passes away, forcing her to realize her grandmother, Anna, was a woman defined by a very specific kind of silence. The journey moves from Ireland to the isolated islands of Norway, pulling back the curtain on a history far more complicated than the bedtime stories Maggie grew up with.
The heart of the book belongs to the women, particularly Nina and Anna. Their experiences during the occupation provide the necessary weight; their lives are a study in the stamina required to survive. Maggie acts as our proxy, and her growth comes from the uncomfortable realization that the people we love are often strangers with hidden depths. Then there is Liv, who remains an ethereal, fleeting figure, almost like a Nordic fairy. While she adds a mythic layer, the connection between her and Maggie’s grandfather felt too brief. I wanted more substance there to anchor the emotional stakes, but their bond remains as elusive as Liv herself.
The atmosphere captures that specific trauma where survival and betrayal occupy the same room. It forces us to look at how we package family histories into neat myths to avoid the jagged edges of the truth. We still do this today, curating our lives and burying the parts that don't fit the narrative. Geard’s writing is steady and direct, though the pacing loses some steam toward the end.
What sets this apart is the refusal to rely on forced sentimentality. The cruelty of the occupation is presented with a minimalism that hits harder because it lacks fluff. It isn’t a story of polished heroes; it’s about how people break and how they mend in ways that leave them looking completely different. The mythic element of the glass key adds beauty to a grim setting, functioning as a survival mechanism for characters who find reality too much to bear.
It is a solid, honest read that stays with you. It makes you wonder what your own family left out of their stories just to keep the peace. If you appreciate a book that values atmosphere and the complexity of human choices over easy answers, it is worth the time. Just be prepared for a slow burn that prioritizes the internal landscape of its characters over high-speed plot twists.
The heart of the book belongs to the women, particularly Nina and Anna. Their experiences during the occupation provide the necessary weight; their lives are a study in the stamina required to survive. Maggie acts as our proxy, and her growth comes from the uncomfortable realization that the people we love are often strangers with hidden depths. Then there is Liv, who remains an ethereal, fleeting figure, almost like a Nordic fairy. While she adds a mythic layer, the connection between her and Maggie’s grandfather felt too brief. I wanted more substance there to anchor the emotional stakes, but their bond remains as elusive as Liv herself.
The atmosphere captures that specific trauma where survival and betrayal occupy the same room. It forces us to look at how we package family histories into neat myths to avoid the jagged edges of the truth. We still do this today, curating our lives and burying the parts that don't fit the narrative. Geard’s writing is steady and direct, though the pacing loses some steam toward the end.
What sets this apart is the refusal to rely on forced sentimentality. The cruelty of the occupation is presented with a minimalism that hits harder because it lacks fluff. It isn’t a story of polished heroes; it’s about how people break and how they mend in ways that leave them looking completely different. The mythic element of the glass key adds beauty to a grim setting, functioning as a survival mechanism for characters who find reality too much to bear.
It is a solid, honest read that stays with you. It makes you wonder what your own family left out of their stories just to keep the peace. If you appreciate a book that values atmosphere and the complexity of human choices over easy answers, it is worth the time. Just be prepared for a slow burn that prioritizes the internal landscape of its characters over high-speed plot twists.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"There's a vast difference between being lonely, and being alone."
The Glass Key is breathtaking, in every sense of the word. Set in two timelines and two locations, it's a search for a mother who disappeared more than 45 years ago. One timeline is set in the Norwegian archipelago above the Arctic Circle during World War II, sparsely populated with people proud of their heritage and ability to thrive in the remote islands. The second timeline is set in the beautiful County Kerry, Ireland, in 2005, where people grapple with 21st-century problems, including divorce, career failures, and grief.
"Is it better to make peace with a mystery, or to risk the pain of truth?" This story is a mystery, beautifully written about vibrant women who risked everything to find love and to protect their island community under Nazi occupation. One of those women will leave the islands, arriving in County Kerry with a baby girl. The author skillfully picks up clues she dropped throughout the story, some seemingly minor at the time, and weaves them into a complete tapestry at the end. It's all there, the Nordic fairy tales and resistance, along with characters from both timelines, in exquisite symmetry. And, along the way, different women reach out to help with finding the missing mother, because that's an ache we all understand. Reading The Glass Key, I laughed. I cried, and I cheered. When you are an avid reader, it doesn't get any better.
My thanks to NetGalley and Headline Review for fulfilling my wish to read this ARC. The review and all opinions are entirely my own.
The Glass Key is breathtaking, in every sense of the word. Set in two timelines and two locations, it's a search for a mother who disappeared more than 45 years ago. One timeline is set in the Norwegian archipelago above the Arctic Circle during World War II, sparsely populated with people proud of their heritage and ability to thrive in the remote islands. The second timeline is set in the beautiful County Kerry, Ireland, in 2005, where people grapple with 21st-century problems, including divorce, career failures, and grief.
"Is it better to make peace with a mystery, or to risk the pain of truth?" This story is a mystery, beautifully written about vibrant women who risked everything to find love and to protect their island community under Nazi occupation. One of those women will leave the islands, arriving in County Kerry with a baby girl. The author skillfully picks up clues she dropped throughout the story, some seemingly minor at the time, and weaves them into a complete tapestry at the end. It's all there, the Nordic fairy tales and resistance, along with characters from both timelines, in exquisite symmetry. And, along the way, different women reach out to help with finding the missing mother, because that's an ache we all understand. Reading The Glass Key, I laughed. I cried, and I cheered. When you are an avid reader, it doesn't get any better.
My thanks to NetGalley and Headline Review for fulfilling my wish to read this ARC. The review and all opinions are entirely my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Amanda Geard's next novel. I was so excited to read an early copy. I both wanted to devour this book and gobble it up and make it last longer by slowly turning the pages. Amanda is a very talented writer, I am always in awe of the detailed and complex layering of her stories and in this one, the meticulous research is obvious. The story was a little personal for me too as I travelled to both Ireland and Norway last year and the places the novel is set provide vivid imagery and recollections of my trip. I loved the story and cannot recommend it more highly.
February 12, 2026
⭐️BOOK REVIEW⭐️
The Glass Key @amandageard @headlinebooks
‘’Is it better to make peace with a mystery, or to risk the pain of truth?”
There aren’t many books that can take you and consume you completely… this is how I would describe reading this one, all consuming.
The characters were so full, well rounded, intriguing, relatable and emotionally charged. I found their stories impactful, interesting and heartbreaking. The duel timeline flowed seamlessly while the multiple POV kept the pace and narrative flowing.
The fairytale backdrop waved throughout the narrative struck right into my bookish heart. I loved how the war was a present factor but not the sole focus of the book; how the locations so harsh and unforgiving were turned into places of wonder and desire.
I have read all of AG books, all are great but this one is definitely my favourite (so far! Write more please 🙏)
With thanks to author #AmandaGeard #headlinebooks and @netgalley for allowing us to read this one early ❤️
RELEASING: June 18th
-Emily @the_book_girls_1
The Glass Key @amandageard @headlinebooks
‘’Is it better to make peace with a mystery, or to risk the pain of truth?”
There aren’t many books that can take you and consume you completely… this is how I would describe reading this one, all consuming.
The characters were so full, well rounded, intriguing, relatable and emotionally charged. I found their stories impactful, interesting and heartbreaking. The duel timeline flowed seamlessly while the multiple POV kept the pace and narrative flowing.
The fairytale backdrop waved throughout the narrative struck right into my bookish heart. I loved how the war was a present factor but not the sole focus of the book; how the locations so harsh and unforgiving were turned into places of wonder and desire.
I have read all of AG books, all are great but this one is definitely my favourite (so far! Write more please 🙏)
With thanks to author #AmandaGeard #headlinebooks and @netgalley for allowing us to read this one early ❤️
RELEASING: June 18th
-Emily @the_book_girls_1
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews