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The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys
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 killer. But has he got the right person? The truth may be much more sinister. And if the mystery isn't solved in time, then England could be thrown into a war that would have devastating consequences . . .
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, described as "Bridgerton meets Sherlock" imagines what might have happened next.
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 killer. But has he got the right person? The truth may be much more sinister. And if the mystery isn't solved in time, then England could be thrown into a war that would have devastating consequences . . .
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, described as "Bridgerton meets Sherlock" imagines what might have happened next.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 4, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 5, 2022
A thrilling adventure. History and fiction interwoven to make a rollicking read with unforgettable characters that you can't resist rooting for. Charlotte de Vere is now one of my all-time favorite female characters.
October 7, 2022
*Thank you Moonflower for sending me a copy of this book to review!*
I honestly had no idea what to expect from this, I’ve heard the name ‘Samuel Pepys’ many times in passing but I actually have no clue who he really is or anything about his life. I went into this completely blind, and I had a great time.
Though this book is a new release set in the past, it read like a classic somehow. Jewers just had an almost rustic (?) air to his writing that really made me feel like I was reading an old piece of literature. I have no idea if that makes sense, but it genuinely enhanced the reading experience for me. I was kind of transported back in time and really taken somewhere else when I was reading.
Whatever you think this book will entail, you’ll probably guess wrong. It’s part comedy, part adventure, part mystery with a whole lot of tragedy thrown in. It was ridiculously fun to read, and the writing was so engaging. It was fast paced, with a plot that will keep you guessing. It has a million twists along the way, and some great banter. If you love a ridiculous duo trying their best, this one is for you. The characters in here were amazing.
I really enjoyed this one.
I honestly had no idea what to expect from this, I’ve heard the name ‘Samuel Pepys’ many times in passing but I actually have no clue who he really is or anything about his life. I went into this completely blind, and I had a great time.
Though this book is a new release set in the past, it read like a classic somehow. Jewers just had an almost rustic (?) air to his writing that really made me feel like I was reading an old piece of literature. I have no idea if that makes sense, but it genuinely enhanced the reading experience for me. I was kind of transported back in time and really taken somewhere else when I was reading.
Whatever you think this book will entail, you’ll probably guess wrong. It’s part comedy, part adventure, part mystery with a whole lot of tragedy thrown in. It was ridiculously fun to read, and the writing was so engaging. It was fast paced, with a plot that will keep you guessing. It has a million twists along the way, and some great banter. If you love a ridiculous duo trying their best, this one is for you. The characters in here were amazing.
I really enjoyed this one.
November 23, 2022
I have been a fan of Samuel Pepys for many years, having read the Claire Tomalin biography and several volumes of Pepys’ diaries. Jack Jewers does a marvelous job of using Pepys as a main character in well written historic mystery novel. Great read, great fun.
April 21, 2023
As the author explains in the Historical Notes, Samuel Pepys kept a diary for almost ten years but then suddenly stopped for reasons that can only be speculated upon. The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys imagines what events in Pepys’ life he might have recorded in his diaries had he continued. As a result we have the author to thank for giving us an insight into an unsettled period in English history following the Restoration of Charles II, a time when war with the Dutch was a real fear and whose side you had been on in the Civil War still mattered. The author cleverly incorporates elements of this into a plot that involves murder, conspiracy, treachery and political intrigue whilst at the same time being a rip-roaring adventure.
As imagined by the author, Samuel Pepys is not only a diligent diarist but an intrepid investigator, a faithful friend and someone who, in the course of the book, discovers a perhaps surprising taste for adventure. He also has a high pain threshold. If you don’t believe me, look up the word ‘lithotomy’ and then think ‘without anaesthetic’. He’s a less than faithful husband unfortunately with the result that his relationship with his wife Elisabeth is fraught, at least when the book opens.
The book immerses the reader in the London and Portsmouth of the period in all their grimy and fetid detail. The streets and alleyways are a place of danger and poverty is rife. For many it’s a miserable existence, enlivened only by attending cock-fights or watching a hanging. Or in Pepys’ case frequenting whorehouses, which gives rise to a terrific scene at the start of the book. There are plenty of action scenes as well depicted in a way which perhaps reflect the author’s experience as a filmmaker. Pepys ascending the stern of a ship via a rope ladder or the tactical use of a trail of gunpowder are scenes that spring to mind.
The book includes some great characters, some of whom are based on real individuals, such as Pepys’ longtime assistant Will Hewer. There are some fantastically feisty female characters, notably a sisterhood who in their resistance to a male hegemony in which ‘the law is an instrument of men’ prove themselves able to give just as good as they get, if not better. The plot has plenty of twists and turns leaving Pepys to observe ruefully at one point that ‘for every answer, another question’.
By the end of the book, it’s clear that not everything was as it seemed, things that seemed connected were perhaps not and that, for reasons of state, there are things that must be kept under wraps. With still some time to go between the end of the book and our hero’s demise in 1703, perhaps Jack Jewers may treat us to further adventures for Samuel and Will?
With its combination of intriguing plot, interesting characters and great period atmosphere, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys will definitely appeal to fans of historical crime mysteries.
As imagined by the author, Samuel Pepys is not only a diligent diarist but an intrepid investigator, a faithful friend and someone who, in the course of the book, discovers a perhaps surprising taste for adventure. He also has a high pain threshold. If you don’t believe me, look up the word ‘lithotomy’ and then think ‘without anaesthetic’. He’s a less than faithful husband unfortunately with the result that his relationship with his wife Elisabeth is fraught, at least when the book opens.
The book immerses the reader in the London and Portsmouth of the period in all their grimy and fetid detail. The streets and alleyways are a place of danger and poverty is rife. For many it’s a miserable existence, enlivened only by attending cock-fights or watching a hanging. Or in Pepys’ case frequenting whorehouses, which gives rise to a terrific scene at the start of the book. There are plenty of action scenes as well depicted in a way which perhaps reflect the author’s experience as a filmmaker. Pepys ascending the stern of a ship via a rope ladder or the tactical use of a trail of gunpowder are scenes that spring to mind.
The book includes some great characters, some of whom are based on real individuals, such as Pepys’ longtime assistant Will Hewer. There are some fantastically feisty female characters, notably a sisterhood who in their resistance to a male hegemony in which ‘the law is an instrument of men’ prove themselves able to give just as good as they get, if not better. The plot has plenty of twists and turns leaving Pepys to observe ruefully at one point that ‘for every answer, another question’.
By the end of the book, it’s clear that not everything was as it seemed, things that seemed connected were perhaps not and that, for reasons of state, there are things that must be kept under wraps. With still some time to go between the end of the book and our hero’s demise in 1703, perhaps Jack Jewers may treat us to further adventures for Samuel and Will?
With its combination of intriguing plot, interesting characters and great period atmosphere, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys will definitely appeal to fans of historical crime mysteries.
August 26, 2022
Summer, 1699: Samuel Pepys is a man who knows how to enjoy himself - as his illuminating diaries can confirm. But he is considering whether he should continue recording his adventures for posterity now his wife Elisabeth has discovered not only their existence, but also the details of what he has been up to.
His personal and professional lives are proving to be a little stressful, and to top it all he finds he has been selected by his boss at the Navy Office, The Duke of Albemarle, for a mission that will require all of his ingenuity to complete. He must drag himself away from the pleasures of London to investigate the death of a Crown Agent who was looking into corruption in the Royal Navy in Portsmouth.
With England on the brink of war with the Dutch, it is vital that Pepys gets to the bottom of what is going on in Portsmouth, and he drags along his faithful assistant Will Hewer to help him in his investigation. What they are about to discover will embroil them in a deadly plot that involves espionage, secret societies and double dealing that reaches higher than they can imagine - and of course, he can't help himself from writing it all down, in a brand new diary...
In The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys Jack Jewers reimagines all new adventures for one of the most famous diarists of them all, Samuel Pepys. The story picks up one week after Pepys' final known volume and details his secret mission in Portsmouth to get to the bottom of murderous shenanigans and apparent attempts to drag England into an ill-advised war with the Dutch.
The story starts as it means to go on, with a bawdy bang and rumours of intrigue, and develops into a fun-filled caper involving drama, passion, and competing secret societies with unfathomable loyalties in the streets of Portsmouth, London and on the high seas. Pepys takes on the role of somewhat of a bumbling Sherlock Holmes to Hewer's Dr Watson as they try to get to the bottom of the mystery here, while continuing Pepys' well-earned reputation as a diarist recording all sorts of fascinating information about the times in which he lived. There is so much lovely period detail, all mixed up with vivid characters from all levels of society, and more swashbuckling fun than you can poke a quill at. I really enjoyed how Jewers has Pepys not only casting his observant eye at those all around him, but makes him question what he thinks he knows about himself too.
This is such an immersive and entertaining debut novel that has the feel of the first part of a new series. It serves to establish an excellent cast of characters around Pepys that it would be delightful to see cropping up in further tales of more of Pepys' escapades - and there is a nice little hook at the end that promises a lot more dangerous missions to come!
His personal and professional lives are proving to be a little stressful, and to top it all he finds he has been selected by his boss at the Navy Office, The Duke of Albemarle, for a mission that will require all of his ingenuity to complete. He must drag himself away from the pleasures of London to investigate the death of a Crown Agent who was looking into corruption in the Royal Navy in Portsmouth.
With England on the brink of war with the Dutch, it is vital that Pepys gets to the bottom of what is going on in Portsmouth, and he drags along his faithful assistant Will Hewer to help him in his investigation. What they are about to discover will embroil them in a deadly plot that involves espionage, secret societies and double dealing that reaches higher than they can imagine - and of course, he can't help himself from writing it all down, in a brand new diary...
In The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys Jack Jewers reimagines all new adventures for one of the most famous diarists of them all, Samuel Pepys. The story picks up one week after Pepys' final known volume and details his secret mission in Portsmouth to get to the bottom of murderous shenanigans and apparent attempts to drag England into an ill-advised war with the Dutch.
The story starts as it means to go on, with a bawdy bang and rumours of intrigue, and develops into a fun-filled caper involving drama, passion, and competing secret societies with unfathomable loyalties in the streets of Portsmouth, London and on the high seas. Pepys takes on the role of somewhat of a bumbling Sherlock Holmes to Hewer's Dr Watson as they try to get to the bottom of the mystery here, while continuing Pepys' well-earned reputation as a diarist recording all sorts of fascinating information about the times in which he lived. There is so much lovely period detail, all mixed up with vivid characters from all levels of society, and more swashbuckling fun than you can poke a quill at. I really enjoyed how Jewers has Pepys not only casting his observant eye at those all around him, but makes him question what he thinks he knows about himself too.
This is such an immersive and entertaining debut novel that has the feel of the first part of a new series. It serves to establish an excellent cast of characters around Pepys that it would be delightful to see cropping up in further tales of more of Pepys' escapades - and there is a nice little hook at the end that promises a lot more dangerous missions to come!
May 11, 2023
Most people will have heard of the diarist Samuel Pepys most likely because of his diary entries on The Great Fire of London. For almost ten years between 1660 and 1669, Samuel kept a diary and then suddenly stopped, or did he?
In this work of fiction based on the life of Samuel Pepys, author Jack Jewers has Samuel still writing his diary between June 1669 and August 1669 whilst he is in Portsmouth trying to find out who is stealing from the Navy and why a young man sent undercover to find out the truth was brutally murdered.
Jack and his loyal friend Will Hewer are in Portsmouth to investigate, quietly, both of these circumstances but the truth is never an easy thing to come by and can be more deadly than first thought.
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys begins on 8th June 1669 with a serious, frightening, and yet amusing fire at a ladies of the night house where highly thought of men in government and senior positions are running naked into the street to save themselves, Jack included (though not quite so naked).
Throughout the next few diary entries, we discover Samuel’s love for women, other than his wife. His work, Clerk to the Acts to the Navy Board, and his friendship with Will. We also witness what a great communicator he is.
The story then moves on to Portsmouth and Samuel’s job as an investigator and this is where the book became unputdownable and gripping. The pace quickened and from the gentler earlier diary entries, we are now fully in historical thriller mode.
The reader not only gets to see what a brilliant investigator Samuel is, with his quick thinking and smart mind, but also to feel how London and Portsmouth felt to those who lived in the 17th Century, with their smelly, grimy, streets and thieves and vagabonds everywhere it sure didn’t come across as a nice period to have live through.
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys was truly enthralling and I didn’t want to put it down. The characterisation of not only Samuel but all of the other vast cast (there is a list at the front of the book telling you who is who), was spot on. The atmosphere that fills your head whilst reading was immense and the historical and political scenes came across strongly.
Overall, this is a must-read. It is a fabulous debut novel by author Jack Jewers and is thrilling, exciting, suspenseful, and had me on the edge of my seat in places. I loved it!
In this work of fiction based on the life of Samuel Pepys, author Jack Jewers has Samuel still writing his diary between June 1669 and August 1669 whilst he is in Portsmouth trying to find out who is stealing from the Navy and why a young man sent undercover to find out the truth was brutally murdered.
Jack and his loyal friend Will Hewer are in Portsmouth to investigate, quietly, both of these circumstances but the truth is never an easy thing to come by and can be more deadly than first thought.
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys begins on 8th June 1669 with a serious, frightening, and yet amusing fire at a ladies of the night house where highly thought of men in government and senior positions are running naked into the street to save themselves, Jack included (though not quite so naked).
Throughout the next few diary entries, we discover Samuel’s love for women, other than his wife. His work, Clerk to the Acts to the Navy Board, and his friendship with Will. We also witness what a great communicator he is.
The story then moves on to Portsmouth and Samuel’s job as an investigator and this is where the book became unputdownable and gripping. The pace quickened and from the gentler earlier diary entries, we are now fully in historical thriller mode.
The reader not only gets to see what a brilliant investigator Samuel is, with his quick thinking and smart mind, but also to feel how London and Portsmouth felt to those who lived in the 17th Century, with their smelly, grimy, streets and thieves and vagabonds everywhere it sure didn’t come across as a nice period to have live through.
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys was truly enthralling and I didn’t want to put it down. The characterisation of not only Samuel but all of the other vast cast (there is a list at the front of the book telling you who is who), was spot on. The atmosphere that fills your head whilst reading was immense and the historical and political scenes came across strongly.
Overall, this is a must-read. It is a fabulous debut novel by author Jack Jewers and is thrilling, exciting, suspenseful, and had me on the edge of my seat in places. I loved it!
August 18, 2022
Although the name Samuel Pepys sounded familiar, I didn’t know much about him or his role in history, but then I read the blurb for The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys and I was drawn to this intriguing character and this historical thriller described as “Bridgerton meets Sherlock”.
In the 17th century, Samuel Pepys was an administrator of the Royal Navy and a member of Parliament, but he is most famous for the diaries he kept from 1660 to 1669 which have become an important historical source as he witnessed and recounted great historical events such as the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London. In The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, Jack Jewers reimagines the diarist as he is asked to find out what happened to an investigator looking into the administration of Portsmouth who made claims about a conspiracy to defraud the Crown. His loyal assistant and friend, Will Hewers, accompanies him, and as the threat of the Dutch war looms, they find out that the truth is much more complicated than they thought.
I really enjoyed reading The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys. The characters are well-drawn and I really liked the female characters that the author depicts as strong and feisty. Samuel Pepys is a fascinating protagonist. In his diary, he recounts the historical and political events of the time, but we also get a glimpse into his personal life as he reports his infidelities and his worries about his health. He is really a diligent diarist and a scrupulous detective.
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys is a fast-paced, suspenseful, and riveting historical thriller full of political intrigue, suspense, and fantastic characters, the perfect read for all fans of historical mysteries!
In the 17th century, Samuel Pepys was an administrator of the Royal Navy and a member of Parliament, but he is most famous for the diaries he kept from 1660 to 1669 which have become an important historical source as he witnessed and recounted great historical events such as the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London. In The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, Jack Jewers reimagines the diarist as he is asked to find out what happened to an investigator looking into the administration of Portsmouth who made claims about a conspiracy to defraud the Crown. His loyal assistant and friend, Will Hewers, accompanies him, and as the threat of the Dutch war looms, they find out that the truth is much more complicated than they thought.
I really enjoyed reading The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys. The characters are well-drawn and I really liked the female characters that the author depicts as strong and feisty. Samuel Pepys is a fascinating protagonist. In his diary, he recounts the historical and political events of the time, but we also get a glimpse into his personal life as he reports his infidelities and his worries about his health. He is really a diligent diarist and a scrupulous detective.
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys is a fast-paced, suspenseful, and riveting historical thriller full of political intrigue, suspense, and fantastic characters, the perfect read for all fans of historical mysteries!
May 5, 2023
May 6th 2023 sees the Coronation of King Charles III and as we enter this new Carolean age this clever historical mystery takes us back to the time of King Charles II and to the secretive world of the diarist, Samuel Pepys. I have read tiny snippets of his famous diary so it has been fascinating to imagine, along with the author, just could have happened to Pepys after he wrote his last diary entry in 1669.
The Restoration period was a time of great change for England with the King newly restored to his throne it should have been a time of stability and growth however, a series of catastrophic disasters which started with the Great Fire in 1665, followed by the devastation wrought by the plague in 1666, decimated the country. We enter into the novel during the Anglo-Dutch conflict and it is this world which the author captures in such interesting detail as Samuel Pepys is sent undercover to Portsmouth to discover what trouble lurks within the confines of the Royal Navy.
Pepys is a great raconteur, witty and sardonic and yet has a meticulous eye for the minutiae of detail which lends itself perfectly to this shadowy tale of danger and deadly intrigue. The mystery at the heart of this historical novel brings an interesting perspective which opens up a world of crime and leads Pepys and his trusted companion, Will Hewer, into a very different world to the one they have left behind in London.
Nicely recreating the Restoration age, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys is a well written debut and the start, should the author so choose, of what could be an interesting series with Pepys and Will at the center of the adventure.
The Restoration period was a time of great change for England with the King newly restored to his throne it should have been a time of stability and growth however, a series of catastrophic disasters which started with the Great Fire in 1665, followed by the devastation wrought by the plague in 1666, decimated the country. We enter into the novel during the Anglo-Dutch conflict and it is this world which the author captures in such interesting detail as Samuel Pepys is sent undercover to Portsmouth to discover what trouble lurks within the confines of the Royal Navy.
Pepys is a great raconteur, witty and sardonic and yet has a meticulous eye for the minutiae of detail which lends itself perfectly to this shadowy tale of danger and deadly intrigue. The mystery at the heart of this historical novel brings an interesting perspective which opens up a world of crime and leads Pepys and his trusted companion, Will Hewer, into a very different world to the one they have left behind in London.
Nicely recreating the Restoration age, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys is a well written debut and the start, should the author so choose, of what could be an interesting series with Pepys and Will at the center of the adventure.
September 2, 2022
Hurrah! Another excellent historical fiction debut and one must surely be the start of a series…please say it is Jack Jewers and Moonflower books!
Samuel Pepys wrote one of the most famous diaries in the world, covering the plague and the Great Fire of London amongst other things. He abruptly stopped writing at the age of 36. But what if he didn’t?
This story imagines just that. It is 1669, Englands coffers are bare and tensions with the Dutch Republic are flaring. An investigator of the King sent to Portsmouth to look into corruption is murdered. Pepys is sent to find out along with his friend Will Hewer. He finds so much more than he bargained for, more murder, conspiracy and adventure on the high seas.
This is down right brilliant, I felt like I was running pell-mell from one tension filled scene to the next. Samuel Pepys is brought vividly to life, I loved the characterisations so much. Some of these people really existed so I as usual spent time reading about their real lives too, including the gruesome procedure that Pepys endures for bladder stones. This gave me vibes of the Shardlake series of books, and is so well realised it surely deserves a series of its own. Full of high stakes adventure, sword fighting, detection, grit, grime and some kick ass women to boot it is a debut not to be missed!
Samuel Pepys wrote one of the most famous diaries in the world, covering the plague and the Great Fire of London amongst other things. He abruptly stopped writing at the age of 36. But what if he didn’t?
This story imagines just that. It is 1669, Englands coffers are bare and tensions with the Dutch Republic are flaring. An investigator of the King sent to Portsmouth to look into corruption is murdered. Pepys is sent to find out along with his friend Will Hewer. He finds so much more than he bargained for, more murder, conspiracy and adventure on the high seas.
This is down right brilliant, I felt like I was running pell-mell from one tension filled scene to the next. Samuel Pepys is brought vividly to life, I loved the characterisations so much. Some of these people really existed so I as usual spent time reading about their real lives too, including the gruesome procedure that Pepys endures for bladder stones. This gave me vibes of the Shardlake series of books, and is so well realised it surely deserves a series of its own. Full of high stakes adventure, sword fighting, detection, grit, grime and some kick ass women to boot it is a debut not to be missed!
August 21, 2023
This novel is told in the voice of Samuel Pepys who is tasked with investigating the murder of a Royal Navy investigator in 1669 and ends up involved with a mysterious women's league amid other murders, political intrigue and, of course, personal danger. I'm not sure, at the end, I fully grasped who did what to whom and why - I'm sure it was perfectly clear but I was worn down by all the plots and discoveries. This is the first novel by a successful filmmaker and that's interesting: on the whole it doesn't explore its characters' internal lives but is full of action and drama. I particularly noticed (not in a good way) the fight scenes which I imagine the author has choreographed in his head and then describes moment by moment. This isn't a bad novel - there's clearly been a lot of research into the period and others have liked its swashbuckling nature - but it's not a style that worked for me.
February 8, 2024
The idea of a lost diary of Samuel Pepys is a brilliant premise for a novel. Pepys recorded momentous events in London’s past (plague, the fire of 1666, the Commonwealth and Restoration) rising to an influential position in the Admiralty. His diaries are fascinating, shining a light on history and on the man himself and his wanton ways.
With the opening sentence, “It was an hour after midnight and the whorehouse was on fire” my attention was grabbed. Here was a book I was happy to borrow from my library.
The band of rebel women commanded by Charlotte de Vere will go down well with female readers today, and the melding of real and fictitious characters worked.
And yet. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. Balancing the conceit of pretend diary, where the writer would be expected to gloss over details, and writing a detailed thrilling narrative with dialogue and developed characters is tricky. I didn’t always feel the author pulled this off and began to lose interest.
With the opening sentence, “It was an hour after midnight and the whorehouse was on fire” my attention was grabbed. Here was a book I was happy to borrow from my library.
The band of rebel women commanded by Charlotte de Vere will go down well with female readers today, and the melding of real and fictitious characters worked.
And yet. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. Balancing the conceit of pretend diary, where the writer would be expected to gloss over details, and writing a detailed thrilling narrative with dialogue and developed characters is tricky. I didn’t always feel the author pulled this off and began to lose interest.
November 23, 2022
Thank you to Moonflower, the publishers, for my signed copy of this book, won in a competition in The Times.
I had high hopes for this book, based on the title alone, but I feel it didn’t live up to it. It took a long time to really get going and then it took a long time to come to a conclusion. There were parts in it which really did not add anything to the plot e.g. Pepys’s bladder stone, which I felt came over as a bit ‘Look what I found out about him!’, just to show the author had done his research. I loved the part about the feminists nevertheless and wished the book had been about them and their backgrounds, as opposed to Pepys. I appreciate that I’m in the minority in this respect though.
I had high hopes for this book, based on the title alone, but I feel it didn’t live up to it. It took a long time to really get going and then it took a long time to come to a conclusion. There were parts in it which really did not add anything to the plot e.g. Pepys’s bladder stone, which I felt came over as a bit ‘Look what I found out about him!’, just to show the author had done his research. I loved the part about the feminists nevertheless and wished the book had been about them and their backgrounds, as opposed to Pepys. I appreciate that I’m in the minority in this respect though.
August 20, 2022
Devoured this brilliant book!
If you like historical fiction about a true historic person then you will love this book.
Absolutely enthralled with this well-written story of Samuel Pepys who is sent to Portsmouth to solve a murder.
Things snowball and he soon has more than one death on his hands!
I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction set in 1669. Kept me amused for several hours and couldn’t put it down!
The book itself is also a beautiful piece of art!
If you like historical fiction about a true historic person then you will love this book.
Absolutely enthralled with this well-written story of Samuel Pepys who is sent to Portsmouth to solve a murder.
Things snowball and he soon has more than one death on his hands!
I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction set in 1669. Kept me amused for several hours and couldn’t put it down!
The book itself is also a beautiful piece of art!
May 1, 2023
I enjoyed this book. The plot was gripping. It is written in a fairly simple style. I think the idea behind it was good although it was quite far fetched from the diarist. I enjoyed reading the author’s notes at the end explaining how the book came about and his sources. It brought some depth to the process of putting the book together.
August 12, 2023
This is a book about adventure and international intrigue. It reminds me a lot of the Shardlake books by C. J. Sansom and has the breezy historical simplicity of that collection. A good diversion, rather filmic in tone and a little too drawn out.
January 21, 2023
Started slow and then picked up a pace, some surprises, enjoyed it .
August 12, 2023
Very good
This is a really good read. Fast paced with interesting characters. I hope the author continues the adventures of Pepys and friends.
This is a really good read. Fast paced with interesting characters. I hope the author continues the adventures of Pepys and friends.
March 10, 2024
Samuel Pepys wrote his diaries, mysteriously, stopping abruptly in 1669. Or did he??? Excellent thriller I rattled through this book almost as quickly as the Eurostar to Cologne!
February 18, 2025
Brilliant debut novel
May 1, 2025
Samuel Pepys is a brilliant, swashbuckling tale.
As historical fiction goes, this stands with my very favourites.
As historical fiction goes, this stands with my very favourites.
September 15, 2022
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys by Jack Jewers is not something I’d typically pick up but the comparisons to Bridgerton and Sherlock had me intrigued 🤩 Although I was sent this book, my review is completely honest!
I’m going to start off by having a little rant! This book’s title and cover do the book absolutely no justice at all! 😩 To me the cover says boring historical fiction with wordy Shakespearean writing! This wasn’t the case at all! This book was full of action, was so exciting and had wonderful characters✨
Okay two words. Highway WOmen 😍 The book started following a bunch of noble men treating their wives badly and then the main character sent to investigate some crimes. Although I enjoyed the writing, the plot didn’t seem like it had much different to offer. But then boom! We’re thrown into a conspiracy of lies and deception and meet a group of women who are fed up of being denied the justice they deserve! So, in typical female style, they have to get the job done themselves! This was bloody brilliant! 😍
The characters themselves were so well built and grew fantastically as the book progressed! Samuel himself was a brilliantly planned character who address his faults as he experienced new things, making him so likeable! Charlotte De Vere was a particular favourite of mine! Stylish and strong. Compassionate but fierce. Just such a well rounded character! 🌸
Lastly the overall accuracy of the time period was done well! The author explains his research at the end and I must say I admired the attention to detail in making the book shocking and gritty- right down to 1600s surgical procedures 🤮😂
Really glad I gave this book a chance and I would definitely read other work by the author! ☺️
I’m going to start off by having a little rant! This book’s title and cover do the book absolutely no justice at all! 😩 To me the cover says boring historical fiction with wordy Shakespearean writing! This wasn’t the case at all! This book was full of action, was so exciting and had wonderful characters✨
Okay two words. Highway WOmen 😍 The book started following a bunch of noble men treating their wives badly and then the main character sent to investigate some crimes. Although I enjoyed the writing, the plot didn’t seem like it had much different to offer. But then boom! We’re thrown into a conspiracy of lies and deception and meet a group of women who are fed up of being denied the justice they deserve! So, in typical female style, they have to get the job done themselves! This was bloody brilliant! 😍
The characters themselves were so well built and grew fantastically as the book progressed! Samuel himself was a brilliantly planned character who address his faults as he experienced new things, making him so likeable! Charlotte De Vere was a particular favourite of mine! Stylish and strong. Compassionate but fierce. Just such a well rounded character! 🌸
Lastly the overall accuracy of the time period was done well! The author explains his research at the end and I must say I admired the attention to detail in making the book shocking and gritty- right down to 1600s surgical procedures 🤮😂
Really glad I gave this book a chance and I would definitely read other work by the author! ☺️
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