Speculation

by Jeremy Cook

The Seventh Novel Jane Austen never wrote

Literary Excellence & Author Spotlight Award – The European Book Club, 2026
Readers' Choice Award – Secret Society of Good Stories Book Club, Paris, 2026
More Than a Classic Book Club – Certificate of Literary Recognition, 2026

Highest-rated novel in its category on Goodreads – 4.99 average from 100 plus readers

Speculation is a love story, set in an England dependent for its luxuries on slave labour, and where idle young men gamble away fortunes, and expect to marry heiresses.
Clear-eyed Susan has no intention of accepting Mr Wakefield, the wastrel everyone expects her to marry – whilst he plans to elope with her new friend, Isabella, a mulatto heiress.
Susan is attracted by Isabella’s cousin, Mr Jarvis, an ambitious speculator. She’s delighted his latest scheme is a plantation to be worked for pay by former slaves; he admires her insight that land is a business not a privilege. They seem made for each other, until he confesses to being married to a former slave, who’s improvably drowned. Though shocked, Susan understands.
Her fortune the target of every idler, Isabella is more intrigued by eloping with Mr Wakefield than entering the ‘cattle market’ of conventional marriage. She’s also attracted to Susan’s brother, George, but repelled by his gaming which has depleted Susan’s inheritance.
Can Susan save her friend from folly, and marry the man she loves? Can either of them put a stop to George’s gaming?

393 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2025

About the author

Jeremy Cook came to Jane Austen as an adult. It was love at first read. Convinced that readers wanted more than the six novels she wrote, he decided to write them for her. It’s taken eight years and the relative calm of retirement to master her vocabulary and syntax, her interweaving of plot with sub-plots and her humorous blend of romance with realism. The result is Speculation with Courtship & Court Martial in its final edit. The Widow & The Mistress is in planning. Born in Liverpool, an Oxford graduate, and senior partner in a London marketing consultancy for over twenty-five years, he brings to his fiction the same precision, intelligence, and clarity of prose that defined his professional career. He lives in Notting Hill, London, with his wife, to whom he has been married since 1967. They have two grown-up children and one grandson. Speculation’s rating is the highest of any novel on one of Goodread's most competitive historical fiction lists.

Reviews

[Isabella Andrea]

Speculation is an accomplished historical novel that captures the social insight and elegance associated with Jane Austen while introducing deeper themes of class, inheritance, slavery, and ambition. The characters are intelligently written, particularly Susan, whose independence and moral complexity give the story real depth. Thoughtful, engaging, and beautifully composed, this is a compelling read for admirers of literary historical fiction.

[Lailey]

This book surprised me in the best way. It feels like a Regency romance, but with more depth and thought than I expected. The characters are strong-willed, flawed, and believable, and I especially appreciated how the author explores love, friendship, and difficult choices within the limits of the time.
What stood out most was how the story gently challenges social conventions without losing its emotional heart. It’s not rushed, and the relationships feel earned rather than convenient. I finished the book feeling satisfied and thoughtful, which doesn’t always happen with historical romance.
If you enjoy character-driven stories with moral tension and a quieter, more intelligent kind of romance, this is well worth reading.

[Mide]

Speculation by Jeremy Cook feels like discovering a lost Regency story with a modern conscience. In our discussions at More Than a Classic Book Club, we admired how the novel blends romance with deeper social commentary. Susan’s determination to resist a marriage of convenience is refreshing, while Isabella’s complicated background adds emotional depth.
It’s a thoughtful read that echoes the spirit of classic literature while raising questions about morality, wealth, and freedom.

[Jen B]

Some of this just made me laugh from the get go: starting with an introduction ala William Goldman by William Goldman and a few chapters in Susan channelling her inner Christopher Hitchens in a milder Ricky Gervais manner.
And then, despite the high ratings here I found my attention drifting again and again. Perhaps I am not in the right frame of mind for it. I'll just place in on my DNF - to be returned to pile.