📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ Seething Lane by Jack Jewers

Moonflower
3 September 2026

My thanks to Moonflower for my copy of this book

January 1670. London is enduring its worst winter in decades. 

But for Samuel Pepys, the darkest days are yet to come. 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. 

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…

📖 My Review

For nine years during the start of the Stuart restoration Samuel Pepys wrote his now infamous diary. His wry observations on life are regarded as one of the most remarkable first hand experiences of life in London between 1660 and 1669. 

This clever series of historical novels takes up the pen in 1670 and uses this as a starting point to bring to us Samuel Pepys in his role as an investigator looking into the curious and rather gory death of two people, one victim is known to be a friend of King Charles II’s illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth and the other is a mysterious young person who initially came to Pepys to ask for his help. In being drawn into this complex murder investigation Pepys and his assistant, Will Hewer, become increasingly involved in a dark and dangerous world, from clandestine business meetings with shady characters, to back stage shenanigans at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Pepys and Hewer get drawn into a complicated subterfuge which proves to be both dangerous and exhilarating. 

The author has a real skill for recreating this decadent and rather shadowy world, a world which is lavishly opulent, as in dining on fine fare in the King’s room at Whitehall, or alive with theatre gossip and the creeping unease of the actors’ dressing room of the Theatre Royal. There is much to discover amongst the great and the not so good of restoration London and I have thoroughly enjoyed walking in Samuel Pepys’s footsteps, he’s an agreeable raconteur, a proficient intelligencer working on behalf of the King and as entertaining a character as he is diarist. Cleverly written and alive with intrigue Seething Lane is a fascinating addition to this historical mystery series.

About the Author

Jack Jewers is a filmmaker and writer. His 2022 debut, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, was named one of the Sunday Times’ historical fiction books of the year, and a book of the month by The Independent and Financial Times. His career has been spent telling stories across multiple media formats and his work includes film, TV, and digital media. 

His films have been shown at international film festivals, including Cannes, New York, Marseille, Dublin, and London’s FrightFest, garnering multiple accolades, including an award from the Royal Television Society and a nomination from BAFTA Wales for Best Short Film. Jack’s passion for history has led him to many unexpected places, from uncovering hidden love stories in 3000-year-old poetry, to sending a portrait of Shakespeare into space. 

Seething Lane is Jack’s second novel.

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