The Key: The most gripping, heartbreaking book of the year

* THE MEMORY BOX, THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM KATHRYN HUGHES, IS AVAILABLE NOW * A hidden note. A lost love. A second chance... 'A wonderful, enthralling story; one that I didn't want to end' Lesley Pearse on The Key 'A heartbreakingly powerful read' The Sun on The Key From the #1 bestselling author of The Letter, Kathryn Hughes, comes The Key, an unforgettable story of a heartbreaking secret that will stay with you for ever. 1956 It's Ellen Crosby's first day as a student nurse at Ambergate Hospital. When she meets a young woman admitted by her father, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change both their lives for ever... 2006 Sarah is drawn to the now abandoned Ambergate. Whilst exploring the old corridors she discovers a suitcase belonging to a female patient who entered Ambergate fifty years earlier. The shocking contents, untouched for half a century, will lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy and lost love, and the chance to make an old wrong right . . . '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 on The Key It's time to discover what a million readers already know. No one grips your heart like Kathryn Hughes . . . 'You will find it hard to put down. I cried buckets of tears reading it' 'A beautifully told, tragic tale . . . restoring your faith in the kindness of strangers and the strength of the human spirit' 'From start to finish, a lovely, sometimes heartbreaking read' 'A sheer joy to read . . . Wonderfully romantic with beautiful characters' 'I have finished this book with tears in my eyes but a smile on my face' 'I couldn't put it down. So beautifully written. I feel like I'm a better person for reading it' 'I cried with this book - it tugged at the heart all the way through' 'This must be one of the best books I have ever read' 'You will be thinking of this book long after you've finished it' From the #1 bestselling author of The Letter Kathryn Hughes comes The Key, an unforgettable story of a heartbreaking secret that will stay with you for ever. 'Riveting' Lesley Pearse on The Letter. 'Gripping' Good Housekeeping on The Secret . 1956 It's Ellen Crosby's first day at work as a student nurse at Ambergate County Lunatic Asylum. When she meets a young girl committed by her father, and a pioneering physician keen to try out the various 'cures' available for mental illness, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change all their lives for ever... 2006 Sarah is drawn to the abandoned Ambergate Asylum and whilst exploring the old corridors she discovers a suitcase in an attic belonging to a female patient who was admitted to the asylum fifty years earlier. The shocking contents of the suitcase lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy, lost love and an old wrong that only Sarah may have the power to put right. Join the hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide who have lost their hearts to Kathryn Hughes' novels: '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'