Susanna Kearsley Books in Order: The Slains Series, Standalone Novels, and Reading Guide
Susanna Kearsley is known for stories that move between different periods, connecting modern characters with hidden family histories, long-buried secrets, and romances shaped by the past. Her novels often combine historical research with a mysterious atmosphere, making them a natural fit for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a little suspense and a supernatural twist.
If you are looking for Susanna Kearsley books in order, the main thing to know is that her bibliography is not made up of one continuous series. The Slains novels share historical connections and recurring characters, while books such as Mariana, The Rose Garden, Bellewether, and The King’s Messenger tell separate stories. This guide covers the Slains reading order, her standalone novels, her collaborative anthology, and her announced next book.
1. Slains Series in Order
The Slains books are Susanna Kearsley’s best-known connected novels. They weave together Scottish history, Jacobite intrigue, romance, and contemporary characters investigating the past.
Although readers often group these three books as a trilogy, Kearsley has explained that The Winter Sea and The Firebird were written as companion novels rather than as installments that must be read in sequence. Each has its own central story, but reading them in publication order makes the historical connections easier to appreciate.
1. The Winter Sea (2008)
Also published in some markets as Sophia’s Secret, The Winter Sea follows Carrie McClelland, a historical novelist who travels to Scotland to research a novel about the Jacobite uprising of 1708. While writing, she begins to experience an unusually vivid connection to her historical heroine, Sophia Paterson, whose story unfolds amid political danger, divided loyalties, and forbidden love.
The novel brings together two timelines, using Carrie’s modern research to reveal the experiences of people caught up in Scotland’s turbulent past. It is the recommended starting point for readers who want to experience the Slains books in publication order.
2. The Firebird (2013)
In The Firebird, art researcher Nicola Marter has a rare ability to recognize the history surrounding certain objects. When she encounters a small carved bird associated with the Russian royal family, she becomes involved in a search that leads back through centuries of history.
The investigation connects Nicola with the story of Anna Moray, a Scottish woman whose life becomes intertwined with the Jacobite cause and the fate of the mysterious carving. Like The Winter Sea, the novel moves between past and present, but its Russian and Scottish historical threads give it a distinct identity.
3. The Vanished Days (2021)
Set in Scotland in 1707, The Vanished Days follows Lily Aitcheson, a young woman whose account of a secret marriage becomes the subject of an investigation. As questions arise about her husband’s identity and the events surrounding their relationship, the inquiry reveals a complicated story of loyalty, love, and political uncertainty.
The book takes place before the events of The Winter Sea and explores the historical world that connects to the earlier novels. For readers who prefer the story’s internal chronology, it can be read first. For a first-time reader, publication order is a useful way to encounter the series and its connections gradually.
Best reading order: The Winter Sea → The Firebird → The Vanished Days.
Chronological note: The Vanished Days is the earliest of the three in historical setting. The novels can be read independently, so there is no need to treat them as a strict continuous trilogy.
2. Susanna Kearsley Standalone Books in Publication Order
Most of Kearsley’s novels are standalones. They share her interest in the way the past shapes the present, but they do not require readers to complete another book first.
The following list puts her major standalone novels in approximate original publication order. Publication years can differ between UK and North American editions, and The Winter Sea has also appeared under an alternate title.
1. Undertow (1993)
One of Kearsley’s earliest published novels, Undertow belongs to the beginning of her writing career. Readers exploring her complete bibliography can start here to see the early roots of her interest in suspense, atmosphere, and complicated personal histories.
2. The Gemini Game (1994)
Another early novel, The Gemini Game is part of Kearsley’s early bibliography. It is a useful addition for readers who want to work through her books from the beginning rather than starting with the later historical romances for which she became better known.
3. Mariana (1994/1995)
Mariana follows Julia Beckett, who returns to the English village where she spent part of her childhood. At Greywethers, a historic house that has always held a powerful attraction for her, Julia begins to experience vivid connections to the life of a young woman who lived there centuries earlier.
The novel combines romance, mystery, and a subtle paranormal element as Julia tries to understand whether her experiences are memories, visions, or something more. It is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy the emotional and supernatural side of Kearsley’s writing.
4. The Splendour Falls (1995/1996)
In The Splendour Falls, a woman travels to a historic European setting and finds herself drawn into a mystery that reaches beyond the immediate events of her visit. The novel combines travel, romantic suspense, and the sense that a place can preserve secrets long after the people who created them have disappeared.
It offers an early example of Kearsley’s interest in atmosphere and in the way the past can intrude upon an apparently ordinary present.
5. The Shadowy Horses (1997/1999)
Archaeologist Verity Grey travels to Scotland to work on an excavation at a Roman site. Her employer, Peter Quinnell, is convinced that the ruins conceal something extraordinary, but the project is complicated by local stories, strange occurrences, and a young boy who seems to know more than he should.
The result is a blend of archaeological mystery, romance, and paranormal suspense. Readers who enjoy the Scottish setting of the Slains novels may also appreciate this earlier standalone.
6. Named of the Dragon (1998/1999)
Named of the Dragon takes readers to Wales, where Lyn Ravenshaw arrives for a Christmas visit that becomes increasingly unsettling. A house full of complicated relationships, an unusual child, and a sense of impending danger create a mystery that draws on Welsh legends and the atmosphere of a traditional gothic novel.
This is a good choice for readers who prefer a darker, more mysterious setting alongside Kearsley’s characteristic romantic elements.
7. Season of Storms (2001)
In Season of Storms, a young woman becomes involved with an old Italian estate and the legacy of a celebrated actress whose life ended under mysterious circumstances. As the heroine uncovers the story behind the estate and its former inhabitants, she discovers that the past is far from settled.
The book blends historical mystery, romance, family secrets, and an atmospheric setting. It is a strong standalone option for readers who like a story built around an old house and the history hidden within it.
8. Every Secret Thing (2006/2007)
Originally published under the name Emma Cole in some editions, Every Secret Thing is a mystery involving journalist Kate Murray and a crime whose roots reach back to wartime Europe. When Kate is drawn into an investigation connected to her family’s hidden history, she discovers that the truth has been protected by secrets, betrayals, and dangerous loyalties.
The novel has a stronger thriller and espionage focus than many of Kearsley’s historical romances. Readers who enjoy family mysteries and stories connected to the Second World War should consider adding it to their list.
9. The Rose Garden (2011)
In The Rose Garden, Eva Ward returns to Cornwall after the death of her sister. While staying in the familiar landscape of her childhood, she begins to experience strange shifts between the present and the past, where she encounters a man whose life belongs to another century.
The story blends grief, romance, time slip, and the enduring pull of place. It is a particularly good entry point for readers who enjoy the feeling that an old landscape can connect two lives across time.
10. A Desperate Fortune (2015)
A Desperate Fortune follows Sara Thomas, an autistic codebreaker who is asked to decipher the journal of a Jacobite woman named Mary Dundas. As Sara works through the historical document, Mary’s story emerges from the world of eighteenth-century Scotland and France, where political uncertainty and personal loyalties make every decision dangerous.
The novel alternates between the historical and contemporary narratives, connecting two women separated by centuries through secrets, trust, and love. Readers who enjoy The Winter Sea may appreciate the Jacobite history, though this is a standalone story rather than a direct sequel.
11. Bellewether (2018)
Set on Long Island in 1759, Bellewether follows a French Canadian lieutenant who is captured during wartime and billeted with an English family. As he becomes part of the household, a complicated bond develops between him and Lydia Wilde, the daughter of the house.
Centuries later, the family’s history and the legend of a forbidden love continue to shape the story of the old home. The novel is an atmospheric historical romance about war, divided loyalties, and the secrets that families preserve.
12. The King’s Messenger (2025)
Set in 1613, The King’s Messenger begins after the sudden death of Prince Henry, the eldest son of King James. Andrew Logan is sent on a secret mission to arrest a man suspected of involvement in the prince’s death. Phoebe Westaway, whose father is drawn into the assignment, must accompany the journey despite her distrust of Logan.
As the group travels north, political rivalries, conflicting loyalties, and questions of justice complicate the mission. This historical novel combines intrigue and romance in a period when Scotland and England have come under one crown.
3. The Deadly Hours: A Collaborative Historical Mystery
The Deadly Hours (2020)
The Deadly Hours is a collaborative historical mystery anthology featuring stories by four authors, including Susanna Kearsley. The book connects several historical mysteries through a watch with a dangerous past.
It is worth including in a broader Susanna Kearsley reading guide, but it is not a solo novel or a continuation of the Slains series. Readers can enjoy Kearsley’s contribution alongside the other authors’ stories without having read her other books first.
4. Susanna Kearsley’s Upcoming Book
The Light of Lost Stars (2027)
The Light of Lost Stars is announced as Kearsley’s next novel, with publication planned for 2027. The author has described it as a story set in 1920s Brussels after the First World War, featuring a garden, a small cat, and a stubborn Scottish ghost.
The book is expected to include familiar Kearsley elements: history, mystery, romance, and a connection between different times. Since it is a forthcoming title, readers should treat 2027 as the announced publication year rather than assume that the book is already available.
5. What Is the Best Order to Read Susanna Kearsley?
You do not have to read every Susanna Kearsley novel in publication order. If you want to explore her books by mood or subject, these are practical starting points:
- For Scottish history and Jacobite romance: Start with The Winter Sea.
- For a historical story involving art and a mysterious object: Try The Firebird.
- For time slip and romance: Read Mariana or The Rose Garden.
- For archaeological mystery and paranormal suspense: Choose The Shadowy Horses.
- For gothic atmosphere and Welsh legends: Try Named of the Dragon.
- For a contemporary thriller with wartime secrets: Start with Every Secret Thing.
- For a standalone historical romance: Read Bellewether.
- For seventeenth-century political intrigue: Try The King’s Messenger.
If you are unsure where to begin, The Winter Sea is a strong first choice because it captures several of the elements that define Kearsley’s fiction: carefully researched history, a modern character drawn into the past, romantic tension, and a mystery that unfolds across generations.
Frequently Asked Questions About Susanna Kearsley Books
Do Susanna Kearsley’s books need to be read in order?
Most of her novels can be read independently. The Slains books are connected through historical characters and settings, but Kearsley has said that The Winter Sea and The Firebird were intended as companion novels rather than a strict sequence. Publication order is still a useful way to experience the connections.
What is the first book in the Slains series?
The Winter Sea, also published as Sophia’s Secret, is the first Slains book by publication order. The Vanished Days takes place earlier in the historical timeline, so readers who prefer internal chronology can start there instead.
Is The Vanished Days a prequel to The Winter Sea?
Yes, in terms of its historical setting. The Vanished Days is set in Scotland in 1707, before the events of The Winter Sea. However, it is also a companion novel that tells its own story, so reading The Winter Sea first remains a good option for new readers.
Are The Winter Sea and Sophia’s Secret the same book?
Yes. Sophia’s Secret is an alternate title used for The Winter Sea in some editions and markets. Readers should check the author and edition details to avoid accidentally buying the same novel twice.
What is Susanna Kearsley’s most popular book?
The Winter Sea is among her best-known novels and is a common starting point for readers discovering her work. The Firebird, Mariana, and The Rose Garden are also good introductions, depending on whether a reader prefers historical intrigue, paranormal elements, or time-slip romance.
Does Susanna Kearsley write historical romance?
Yes. Historical romance is an important part of her work, often combined with mystery, suspense, family history, and contemporary storylines. Her novels frequently move between a modern character’s experiences and the life of someone from an earlier period.
Is Every Secret Thing part of a series?
It is generally treated as a standalone mystery. The book was originally published under the name Emma Cole in some markets before being reissued under Susanna Kearsley’s name. It does not need to be read after another Kearsley novel.
What is Susanna Kearsley’s latest published novel?
The King’s Messenger is her latest published solo novel listed on her official book page, with publication in 2025. The Light of Lost Stars is announced for 2027 and should be treated as forthcoming until it is released.
About Susanna Kearsley
Susanna Kearsley is a Canadian bestselling author and former museum curator. Her background in museum work and historical research informs her fiction, which often brings forgotten people, real places, and historical events back to life through stories of romance and mystery.
Her novels have been published internationally and are known for interweaving past and present. Rather than treating history as a backdrop, Kearsley uses it to shape her characters’ relationships, choices, and discoveries.
Final Note
For the clearest reading path, begin with The Winter Sea, continue with The Firebird, and then read The Vanished Days to explore the earlier history behind the connected novels. After that, choose any standalone that appeals to you, whether it is the time-slip romance of Mariana, the gothic mystery of Named of the Dragon, or the historical intrigue of The King’s Messenger.
Susanna Kearsley’s books share a recognizable atmosphere, but each novel offers a different setting and mystery. You can enjoy them one at a time without needing to complete her entire bibliography.
Leave a Reply