I've loved every one of Susanna's books! Bedrock research and a butterfly's delicate touch with characters--historical fiction that sucks you in and won't let go!--DIANA GABALDON, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Outlander 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. Praise for Susanna Kearsley: Susanna Kearsley deftly conjures both historical intrigue and a contemporary heroine as unique as she is memorable.--Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author, for A Desperate Fortune Thrilling, haunting and deeply romantic.--Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author, for The Rose Garden Sometimes an author catches lightning in a bottle, and Susanna Kearsley has done just that. The idea behind the plot is ingenious.-- New York Journal of Books for The Winter Sea A wonderful tale featuring remarkable characters and a colorful historical backdrop; the kind of story that picks you up and sweeps you away.-- Romantic Times for The Winter Sea