The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys

JACK JEWERS

SUNDAY TIMES BEST HISTORICAL FICTION 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?

Reviews

"An impressive debut."

The Times

“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

“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

"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

"Swashbuckling action-packed drama."

Woman and Home

"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

"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

"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

"A swashbuckling period drama that reimagines “what happened next” in the extraordinary life of Samuel Pepys."

This England

"Book of the month… A zestful imagining of the lost late memoirs of one of Britain's great historical chronicles."

The Independent

"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

"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

"An action-packed, thoroughly entertaining read, full of adventure and amazing historical detail."

My Weekly

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