Seething Lane
Jack Jewers
Hardback
3 September 2026
ISBN: 9781916678095
RRP: £18.99
Kindle
3 September 2026
RRP: £6.99
Audiobook
3 September 2026
RRP: £16.99
Paperback cover
January 1670. London is enduring its worst winter in decades.
But for Samuel Pepys, the darkest days are yet to come.
When a strange young man turns up at his office on Seething Lane asking for help, Samuel Pepys is too distracted to take him seriously. Nell Gwyn is about to make her scandalous return to the stage and he wouldn’t miss it for all the world.
But in the cold of a winter’s dawn, tragedy strikes. Called upon to investigate the brutal murder of a libertine aristocrat, Pepys discovers that the dead man is connected to his mysterious visitor in the most shocking way possible.
A trail of secrets leads Pepys from the backstreets of London to the glamorous world of the theatre, where nothing is quite as it seems. But whatever the dangers, he may find that the deadliest threat lies closer to home…
Reimagining one of Britain’s greatest historical figures through a 21st century lens, Seething Lane sees the return of infamous diarist Samuel Pepys, complete with his trademark audacious wit, keen eye for observation and gripping historical adventure.
The Samuel Pepys Mysteries
Hardback
Reviews of the Samuel Pepys series
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“An impressive debut.”
The Times
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“Swashbuckling action-packed drama.”
Woman and Home
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“Book of the month… A zestful imagining of the lost late memoirs of one of Britain's great historical chronicles.”
The Independent
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“One of the best historical fiction novels of the year.”
The Sunday Times
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“Debuts don’t come better than this… a page-turning crime thriller. Jewers, like the best historical novelists, has done his research. He recreates the world of 1669 in a vivid, realistic and natural way.”
The Sunday Independent
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“A gorgeously-written, intriguing mystery, packed with meticulous period detail and many wonderful turns of phrase - a brilliant jewel of a book.”
Emma Haughton, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Dark
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“Jack Jewers has no scruples. He revels in such phrases as 'bull's pizzle' and delves into as many décolletés as are to hand... His rip-roaring yarn is also a bodice-ripper… Something for everyone.”
The Irish Examiner
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“The sheer pleasure of sinking back into Pepys's world so long after his last diary was an unexpected treat. Even readers who wouldn't consider themselves historical fiction fans will find something to love in this book."
C.S. Quinn, bestselling author of The Thieftaker series
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“Every bit as lively, witty and entertaining as the inspiration but with added intrigue and swashbuckling. A proper treat that would no doubt delight Mr Pepys himself.”
Cass Green, Sunday Times bestselling author of In a Cottage, In a Wood
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“One of the best novels that I have read in the last decade… In the absence of a time machine currently existing, worry not, Jewers’ literary talents are the next best thing. Absolutely outstanding.”
Julian Evan-Hart, Treasure Hunting Magazine
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“A page-turning adventure with historical detail that will make you feel as though you are really there.”
Alexandra Walsh, author of The Marquess House Trilogy
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“The Lost Diary fits the zeitgeist and offers a likeable hero in the flawed, kind and courageous Pepys: an engaging summer read.”
Country Life Magazine
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“An action-packed, thoroughly entertaining read, full of adventure and amazing historical detail.”
My Weekly
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"A swashbuckling period drama that reimagines “what happened next” in the extraordinary life of Samuel Pepys.”
This England
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