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chrisscorkscrew's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. History, intrigue and something a bit different. A proper adventure set in a time period I didn’t know too much about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
bookxbutterfly's review against another edition
4.0
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
brownflopsy's review against another edition
4.0
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!
travelsalongmybookshelf's review
5.0
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!
whatbritreads's review
4.0
*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.