The Vanished Days
Set during the aftermath of the 1707 Act of Union between Scotland and England, a young woman's claim on her dead husband's wages is investigated.
Themes & atmosphere
Also by Susanna Kearsley
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What you might want to know about The Vanished Days
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
In 1707 Edinburgh, in the months around the Act of Union, former Jacobite soldier Adam Williamson is hired to investigate widow Lily Aitcheson's claim on a dead sailor's wages from the failed Darien colony. As Adam interviews her, the novel moves back through Lily's life from the early 1680s on.
The Vanished Days (2021) is set in the same world as Susanna Kearsley's earlier The Winter Sea and A Desperate Fortune. Each can be read on its own, but The Vanished Days deepens for readers familiar with the earlier novels.
Yes. The Vanished Days is set in 1707 Edinburgh, around the Acts of Union between Scotland and England. Susanna Kearsley researches her historical settings extensively, drawing on documented archives.
The Vanished Days was written by Susanna Kearsley, published in 2021.
The Vanished Days is 480 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Vanished Days takes most readers 7 to 10 hours to finish.
The Vanished Days is a standalone novel by Susanna Kearsley, not part of a series.
The Vanished Days is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.