Immensely successful, utterly ruthless
The Spectator
A.J. Cronin was perhaps the most successful novelist of the 1930s … probably as significant a figure as J.B. Priestley
The English Historical Review
One of the most popular authors in the English speaking world
New York Times
The Keys of the Kingdom is the unforgettable story of the Reverend Francis Chisholm and his fight against the snares of the world he has given up . . . his forbidden attraction to women . . . his struggle with his superiors . . .
One of Cronin’s most famous characters, we follow Chisholm from Scotland to China over the course of six decades as he tries to find the true path for himself and the church. Guided by humility and strength, courage and kindness, Chisholm must overcome the famine, plague and war his journey presents to him.
From the pen of the author of The Citadel, Hatter’s Castle, The Stars Look Down, Shannon’s Way and The Spanish Gardener comes this compelling tale of an ordinary man of the people.