Throw Away the Key
- Author
- Jason M. Hough
- Narrator
- Stefan Rudnicki
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 24 November 2026
- Run Time
- 9 hours 39 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
A 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 toward 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.
Critics Review
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“[A] well-oiled espionage thriller…calls to mind the best of James Grady.”
Publishers Weekly
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“This amiable thriller unfolds humorously as Hough doles out the plot, through both past and present, in tiny revelations that gradually build to a dangerous situation.”
Kirkus Reviews
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“Rarely have I had so much fun! Hough’s flawed locksmith—possessed of no special strength or martial prowess—is far more plausible than the average thriller protagonist, and it makes for a very relatable and entertaining read. Should Lars Bergman get in more trouble in the future, as seems likely, I will happily devour each and every adventure.”
Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author
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“Jason Hough once again gives us a taut, clever thriller with a fantastic hero, showing us how any skill becomes a superpower when you’re the best there is at it.”
Peter Clines, New York Times bestselling author
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Jason M. Hough
- Narrator
- Stefan Rudnicki
- Duration
- 9 hours 39 minutes
- Release Date
- 24 November 2026
- ISBN
- 9798236014564
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Espionage and spy thriller, Thriller / suspense fiction, Crime and mystery fiction, Crime and mystery fiction
Synopsis
<p><strong>A former CIA locksmith turned glorified janitor is haunted by a botched Cold War operation with ramifications that extend to the present day.</strong></p><p><strong><em>New York Times </em>bestselling author Jason M. Hough pens a fast-paced thriller packed full of action, perfect for fans of Alma Katsu and David McCloskey.</strong></p><p>Lars Bergman is no ordinary janitor. He’s the CIA’s locksmith. </p><p>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. </p><p>Cruising toward 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. </p><p>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.</p>
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