'A heartbreakingly powerful read'The SunonThe Key

'You will be thinking of this book long after you've finished it' A reader onThe Key

From the #1 bestselling author of the international phenomenon The Letter Kathryn Hughes comesThe Key, an unforgettable story of a heartbreaking secret that will stay with you for ever.

'A wonderful, enthralling story; one that I didn't want to end' Lesley Pearse onThe Key

'Oh wow! This story broke my heart then filled it with joy then broke it all over again! I adored The Letter and The Secret but this I have to say was my favourite. Heartfelt and poignant an absolute joy' A reader onThe Key

TurnThe Keyand unlock the past...

1956It's Ellen Crosby's first day as a student nurse at Ambergate County Lunatic Asylum. When she meets a young woman committed by her father, and a pioneering physician keen to try out the various 'cures' for mental illness, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change all their lives for ever...

2006Sarah is drawn to the abandoned Ambergate Asylum. Whilst exploring the old corridors she discovers a suitcase belonging to a female patient who was admitted fifty years earlier. The shocking contents lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy, lost love and an old wrong that only she may have the power to put right . . .

It's time to discover what a million readers already know. No one grips your heart like Kathryn Hughes . . .

'I cried buckets of tears reading it'

'You cannot fail to fall for this story'

'I went through every emotion under the sun'

'One of the finest stories I have ever read'

'I have finished this book with tears in my eyes but a smile on my face'

'I feel like I'm a better person for reading it'

'I just envy anyone that gets to read her books for the first time'