From international bestselling author Susanna Kearsley comes a historical tale of intrigue and revolution in Scotland, where the exile of King James brought plots, machinations, suspicion and untold bravery to light. An investigation of a young widow's secrets by a man who's far from objective, leads to a multi-layered tale of adventure, endurance, romance...and the courage to hope.
In the autumn of 1707, old enemies from the Highlands to the Borders are finding common ground as they join to protest the new Union with England. At the same time, the French are preparing to launch an invasion to bring the young exiled Jacobite king back to Scotland to reclaim his throne, and in Edinburgh the streets are filled with discontent and danger.
Queen Anne's commissioners, seeking to calm the situation, have begun paying out money sent up from London to settle the losses and wages owed to those Scots who took part in the disastrous Darien expedition eight years earlier—an ill-fated venture that left Scotland all but bankrupt.
When the young widow of a Darien sailor comes forward to collect her husband's wages, her claim is challenged. One of the men assigned to investigate has only days to decide if she's honest, or if his own feelings are blinding him to the truth.
The Vanished Days is a prequel and companion novel to The Winter Sea, with action that overlaps some of the action in that book. The Vanished Days goes back in time to the 1680s and introduces the reader to the Moray and Graeme families.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.
I read The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley in 2017, and I liked it. I gave it 4 stars. The Vanished Days is a semi-prequel to that book, because it has three timelines in it. One of the timelines takes place in the 1680s-1690s when Lily is a young girl. It shows her relationship with best friend Jamie and then her life with foster family, the Brownes. The second timeline (happening at about the same time as The Winter Sea) takes place in the early 1700s when Lily is trying to prove she and Jamie were married so she, as his widow, can get money owed to those who died while trying to establish a failed Scottish colony. The third timeline takes place years later, I don't think an exact amount of years is established, where a man named Adam, one of the men tasked with investigating her marriage claim, is recounting his memories.
There are a lot of characters in The Vanished Days. Keeping a list of them is a good idea. The family tree in the beginning helped a little too. And the book has lots of historical detail. I never knew the Presbyterians and Episcopalians kept fighting for power or that, whichever religion was in power at the time, wouldn't allow the other to legally practice. I never knew the Scots tried to establish a colony, either. Anyone who is interested in lesser known Scottish history will enjoy The Vanished Days.
Throughout the investigation my opinion on what was true kept changing. My opinion on characters kept changing, too, and I liked how the book kept me guessing. Susanna got me to care about Lily, and Jamie, and Adam, and some of the Brownes. I wanted good things to happen to them.
By the end, my mind was totally blown. One twist I did see coming, another one had me stop reading for the longest time, trying to remember hints and connect dots. I will definitely have to read The Vanished Days a second and probably a third time to see the hints and have remaining questions answered. I liked the twist too. I haven't been this surprised by something in a long time. Plus, I liked how it resolved (and I think it was the only way to resolve) what I considered to be what went beyond a love triangle into a love square.
For people who are fans of Susanna and fans of the Moray and Graeme families, The Vanished Days will be enjoyed.