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Throw Away the Key: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jul 26A former CIA locksmith turned glorified janitor is haunted by a botched Cold War operation with ramifications that extend to the present day.
New York Times bestselling author Jason M. Hough pens a fast paced thriller packed full of action, perfect for fans of Alma Katsu and David McCloskey.
Lars Bergman is no ordinary janitor. He’s the CIA’s locksmith.
Formerly part of the CIA’s infamous Surreptitious Entry Team, Lars is now responsible for every padlock, safe, and secure door across the CIA headquarters. He’s never met a lock he couldn’t pick… except one, which he tried and failed to open during a botched mission in Warsaw at the end of the Cold War.
Cruising towards retirement, Lars’s life is upended when a senior CIA official dies and he’s called upon to open the safe in her office. Inside the safe is a clue only Lars would notice, left by someone he’d worked with in his heyday. As he investigates, Lars soon realizes that his failed Warsaw operation has come back to haunt him, and perhaps give him another chance at picking the one lock that’s ever eluded him.
What Lars doesn’t realize is that what the lock is protecting could have dire ramifications for the organization he has spent his whole adult life safekeeping.
New York Times bestselling author Jason M. Hough pens a fast paced thriller packed full of action, perfect for fans of Alma Katsu and David McCloskey.
Lars Bergman is no ordinary janitor. He’s the CIA’s locksmith.
Formerly part of the CIA’s infamous Surreptitious Entry Team, Lars is now responsible for every padlock, safe, and secure door across the CIA headquarters. He’s never met a lock he couldn’t pick… except one, which he tried and failed to open during a botched mission in Warsaw at the end of the Cold War.
Cruising towards retirement, Lars’s life is upended when a senior CIA official dies and he’s called upon to open the safe in her office. Inside the safe is a clue only Lars would notice, left by someone he’d worked with in his heyday. As he investigates, Lars soon realizes that his failed Warsaw operation has come back to haunt him, and perhaps give him another chance at picking the one lock that’s ever eluded him.
What Lars doesn’t realize is that what the lock is protecting could have dire ramifications for the organization he has spent his whole adult life safekeeping.
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 14, 2026
About the author
Jason M. Hough
26 books580 followersJason M. Hough (pronounced 'Huff') is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dire Earth Cycle and the near-future spy thriller Zero World. In a former life he was a 3D artist, animator, and game designer (Metal Fatigue, Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction, and many others). He has also worked in the fields of high-performance cluster computing and machine learning.
The Darwin Elevator began life in 2008 as a project for National Novel Writing Month. The book released on July 30th, 2013 and reached the New York Times Bestseller list the following week. Darwin was Jason’s first published fiction. The subsequent books in that trilogy were released that same summer, along with a prequel novella, The Dire Earth, in 2014.
Jason's latest novel, Zero World, released on August 18th, 2015 from Del Rey Spectra (US) and Titan Books (AUS/NZ). Publishers Weekly called it “a thrilling action rampage that confirms Hough as an important new voice in genre fiction.”
He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, two young sons, and a dog named Missbuster.
The Darwin Elevator began life in 2008 as a project for National Novel Writing Month. The book released on July 30th, 2013 and reached the New York Times Bestseller list the following week. Darwin was Jason’s first published fiction. The subsequent books in that trilogy were released that same summer, along with a prequel novella, The Dire Earth, in 2014.
Jason's latest novel, Zero World, released on August 18th, 2015 from Del Rey Spectra (US) and Titan Books (AUS/NZ). Publishers Weekly called it “a thrilling action rampage that confirms Hough as an important new voice in genre fiction.”
He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, two young sons, and a dog named Missbuster.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 15, 2026
Lars Bergman looks like your average CIA janitor, but his past is anything but ordinary. You get pulled straight into a world of secrets, old mistakes, and high-stakes espionage, and you feel every bit of Lars’s regret and obsession.
The action is fast and the suspense never lets up. It’s one of those thrillers where it’s not just about guns and chases. It’s about clever minds, old secrets, and one man finally facing the lock that haunted him for years.
Honestly it was a good read just not something I’d usually pick up
The action is fast and the suspense never lets up. It’s one of those thrillers where it’s not just about guns and chases. It’s about clever minds, old secrets, and one man finally facing the lock that haunted him for years.
Honestly it was a good read just not something I’d usually pick up
June 5, 2026
Very enjoyable. An interesting take on the spy novel — some classic elements/tropes included, but the protagonist offers some alternative twists on them. Plot really picked up about 1/4 of the way in. Ending good, but maybe a bit predictable? Nevertheless, if you like spy novels, I’d recommend you give this a try.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Lars Bergman is a quiet man who enjoys his status as the CIA’s locksmith. Formerly part of the CIA’s infamous Surreptitious Entry Team, Lars is now responsible for every padlock, safe, and secure door across the CIA headquarters. He has never met a lock he couldn’t pick, except for one, which he tried and failed to open during a botched mission in Warsaw at the end of the Cold War. New technology, led by his daughter, is making him increasingly redundant, and Lars is cruising toward retirement. That all changes, however, when a senior CIA official dies and Lars is called upon to open the safe in her office. Inside the safe is a clue only Lars would notice, left by someone he had worked with in his heyday. As he investigates, Lars soon realizes that his failed Warsaw operation has come back to haunt him and perhaps give him another chance at picking the one lock that eluded him. What Lars doesn’t realise is that what the lock is protecting could have dire ramifications for the organisation he has spent his whole adult life safekeeping.
It is an intriguing set-up, and the rest of the plot flows very smoothly with Hough judiciously mixing the contemporary storyline with flashbacks to the Warsaw operation. There are good twists and turns, although some are predictable, and the book moves at a very good pace. Lars’ search for the truth takes him on an exciting journey outside of America and there are some well executed set-pieces, including a tense one in a Swiss bank. Lars and the other characters are nicely etched, especially the enigmatic Miss Thorne, who has an unique and interesting job.
Adding to the enjoyment is plenty of fascinating background on locks and lockpicking, including some amusing scenes at a lockpicking conference called Lockcon. There is also the usual convincing spycraft and skillful escapes, and interesting reflections on the changing nature of espionage.
In short, Throw Away The Key is a fast paced and very exciting spy thriller, with enough quirks to raise it above most of the crowd. Put it on your ‘books to watch out for’ list.
4.5 rounded up to 5 for enjoyment value
It is an intriguing set-up, and the rest of the plot flows very smoothly with Hough judiciously mixing the contemporary storyline with flashbacks to the Warsaw operation. There are good twists and turns, although some are predictable, and the book moves at a very good pace. Lars’ search for the truth takes him on an exciting journey outside of America and there are some well executed set-pieces, including a tense one in a Swiss bank. Lars and the other characters are nicely etched, especially the enigmatic Miss Thorne, who has an unique and interesting job.
Adding to the enjoyment is plenty of fascinating background on locks and lockpicking, including some amusing scenes at a lockpicking conference called Lockcon. There is also the usual convincing spycraft and skillful escapes, and interesting reflections on the changing nature of espionage.
In short, Throw Away The Key is a fast paced and very exciting spy thriller, with enough quirks to raise it above most of the crowd. Put it on your ‘books to watch out for’ list.
4.5 rounded up to 5 for enjoyment value
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to @crookedlanebooks and @netgalley for the advanced reader copy.
I enjoyed diving into the world of locksmiths with an international mystery. Lars leverages his “janitor” status to investigate the clues left for him. He flexes skills that he hasn’t used in years and calls in favors throughout the agency.
It was fun to watch Lars figure out the next steps and uncover the mystery - using limited technology and just basic sleuthing skills.
Overall this book is a solid mystery/thriller and one that will keep you reading to the end.
What underrated skill do you have?
I enjoyed diving into the world of locksmiths with an international mystery. Lars leverages his “janitor” status to investigate the clues left for him. He flexes skills that he hasn’t used in years and calls in favors throughout the agency.
It was fun to watch Lars figure out the next steps and uncover the mystery - using limited technology and just basic sleuthing skills.
Overall this book is a solid mystery/thriller and one that will keep you reading to the end.
What underrated skill do you have?
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Clever, very entertaining thriller. Sortvof Smiley's People meets Mission Impossible. Full review to follow
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews