The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys
Jack Jewers
Paperback cover
Paperback cover
Kindle
4 August 2022
RRP: £6.99
Paperback
11 May 2023
ISBN: 9781919618760
RRP: £8.99
Hardback
4 August 2022
ISBN: 9781919618739
RRP: £18.99
Audiobook
4 August 2022
RRP: £16.99
SUNDAY TIMES BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS 2022
The diaries of Samuel Pepys have enthralled readers for centuries with their audacious wit, gripping detail, and racy assignations. Pepys stopped writing at the age of 36. Or did he? This action-packed historical thriller imagines what might have happened next.
It is the summer of 1669 and England is in dire straits. The treasury’s coffers are bare and tensions with the powerful Dutch Republic are boiling over. And now, an investigator sent by the King to look into corruption at the Royal Navy has been brutally murdered.
Loathe to leave the pleasures of London, Samuel Pepys is sent dragging his feet to Portsmouth to find the truth about what happened. Aided by his faithful assistant, Will Hewer, he soon exposes the plot as the work of a Dutch spy. But has he got the right man? The truth may be much more sinister. And if the real killer isn’t found in time, then England could be thrown into a war that would have devastating consequences…
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys reimagines one of Britain’s greatest historical figures through a 21st century lens. Readers will love how Pepys not only has to turn detective, but confront his own prejudices along the way. What better allies for one of history’s greatest womanizers than a secret society of dangerous outlaws, made up entirely of women?
The Samuel Pepys Mysteries
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Reviews of the Samuel Pepys series
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“Excellent... A lively tale of adventure and intrigue, rich in period detail.”
The Times
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“Hard to imagine Samuel Pepys being any more interesting than he already was, but Jack Jewers has done it for him, imaginatively, brilliantly, convincingly, in the now plural (praise be!) Samuel Pepys Mysteries.”
Rev. Richard Coles
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“Jewers' reimagining of Pepys as sleuth in the heady days of the Restoration is a blinder - what's not to like? Palace intrigue, the roar of the greasepaint and our Samuel's eye for detail. A wonderful combo artfully reimagined.”
Jasper Fforde
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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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“Outstanding. Wonderfully researched and rich in period detail, Seething Lane is absorbing and moving, as both a crime novel and as a portrait of the times.”
Philip Gwynne Jones
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“One of the best historical fiction novels of the year.”
The Sunday Times
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“This is all-thriller... The memory of experiencing this work will sit jaggedly in the reader’s mind for a long, long time. I’d be surprised if Seething Lane is not featured in the key literary awards for 2026.”
Shots Magazine
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“A thrilling and atmospheric historical adventure which brilliantly reimagines infamous diarist Samuel Pepys and conjures up the world of London theatre in 1670. Hugely entertaining.”
Anna Mazzola
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“Brutal, addictive and rich, [Seething Lane] feels alive and vivid... truly thrilling, an utter page turner throughout.”
All That Dazzles
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“Swashbuckling action-packed drama.”
Woman and Home
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“There is a palpable sense of dynamism to the rapidly changing city of 1670, yet the danger and deceit remains lurking menacingly in the shadows. A joy - compelling, exciting, moving and like all the best murder-mysteries, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing to the very end.”
James Holland
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“Combines historical depth with dazzling story-telling and introduces the reader to a rich tapestry of actors, beggars, nobility - and Mr Samuel Pepys. All-absorbing.”
Fiona Forsyth
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“Impressive.”
The 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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“The genius of Samuel Pepys brilliantly channeled by the genius of Jack Jewers in an exciting, heartfelt 17th century adventure.”
Greg Mosse, author of Murder at Church Lodge
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“Rarely has historical fiction become as thrilling as this... judiciously researched period detail striated into a truly ‘edge-of-the-seat’ narrative. Essential.”
Shots Magazine
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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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“An action-packed, thoroughly entertaining read, full of adventure and amazing historical detail.”
My Weekly
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