The Vanished Days

by Susanna Kearsley (£14.99, HB, Simon & Schuster) This tender love story of Sergeant Adam Williamson and Lily Aitcheson unfolds against the background of the Jacobite rebellion. For readers unfamiliar with the twists, turns and conflicting loyalties of this turbulent period in 18th-century Scottish history, Susanna Kearsley helpfully provides a map of the territory in which the drama is set, along with rich details of her novel’s main protagonists. The courage this period evoked lay not in acts of heroic daring but in a steadfast pursuit of truth and justice. The perfect book for fans of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.