The Vermilion Sea

A Novel

by Megan Chance

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Pub Date Feb 03 2026 | Archive Date Feb 17 2026

Lake Union Publishing

General Fiction (Adult) | Women's Fiction

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Description

From the author of Glamorous Notions comes a harrowing tale set aboard a yacht in the 1920s, where luxury borders on lunacy and mysteries of the deep blur the lines between science and the occult.

The Great War may be over, but brilliant scientist Billie McKennan continues the fight to be taken seriously. When a deliberate omission wins her a marine biologist position aboard an expedition funded by a wealthy eccentric, she quickly discovers she’s not the only one keeping secrets.

The opulent Eurybia sets sail for the Gulf of California with a handful of well-to-do passengers and talented scientists on board. To Billie’s surprise, her ex-husband counts among them. The true mission of the voyage comes into question when a mysterious specimen is captured. And then science unexpectedly gives way to wild rumors and superstition.

Soon, a sinister force takes hold of the vessel—and everyone on it. Billie must reconcile her beliefs with the reality of what she encounters in the vermilion sea. But how much is she willing to sacrifice in order to survive?

The...

A Note From the Publisher

Megan Chance is the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of more than twenty novels, including Glamorous Notions, A Dangerous Education, A Splendid Ruin, Bone River, and An Inconvenient Wife. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest with their two grown daughters nearby. For more information about Megan and her books, please visit www.meganchance.com.

Advance Praise

For Glamorous Notions

“The plot is intense and dramatic, and it is always edifying to experience Chance’s scene-setting where she revels in minute detail to embed her characters firmly in time and place. The author writes superbly and never fails to weave a powerful story.”

—Historical Novels Review (Editors’ Choice)

For A Dangerous Education

“Long-buried secrets, agonizing choices, dangerous obsessions: This thought-provoking historical mystery is destined to become a book-club favorite. Its timely emphasis on women’s autonomy (or lack thereof!), not to mention its twists and turns, will keep you reading all the way to its unpredictable, but fully earned, ending.”

—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train

“Chance’s knack of introducing quiet menace into her novels pulls the story along at break-neck speed. I couldn’t let go! Highly recommended.”

—Historical Novels Review

“A powerful and thought-provoking story that is impossible to put down.”

—Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds and The Nightingale

For A Splendid Ruin

“A thoroughly enjoyable read highly recommended for fans of Suzanne Rindell, Melanie Benjamin, and Greer Macallister.”

—Library Journal (starred review)

“This is a spellbinding page-turner of a book.”

—Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds and The Nightingale

“A wonderful sense of menace: duplicitous characters, family secrets, and cliff-hanger chapter endings.”

—Historical Novels Review

For Glamorous Notions

“The plot is intense and dramatic, and it is always edifying to experience Chance’s scene-setting where she revels in minute detail to embed her characters firmly in time and...