Seething Lane

During the course of the novel, one of the author’s characters states “I ain’t being no drudge. All I want is a bit of adventure in my life.” To which the fictionalised Sam Pepys replies with a smile “Oh, my dear girl. You have no Idea.” This exchange sums up this glorious narrative perfectly. Seething Lane is an immersive experience for the reader in which A.D. 1670 London never felt so evocatively menacing. When contrasted against the political machinations of contemporary times, this deftly researched historical narrative is as cautionary as it is prescient about the dark side of human nature. The link between humanity, and how [in some quarters] the inherent cruelty in seeking [or protecting] power leads to unthinkable acts [and consequences] is ‘same as it ever was’.

Though a follow-up to Jewers’ debut novel The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, which introduced the famous [or infamous] diarist from 1600s London as a fictional character – Seething Lane is its own novel. The narrative is split into the traditional three act structure of the Setup, the Confrontation, and closing with the Resolution. This is of little surprise as the novel’s middle section relies heavily on the theatrical machinations of the Stage.

Jewers provides maps and a concise cast list that opens the novel, and at its close a comprehensive set of historical notes and bibliography. These prove useful and interesting for the reader as they breathe life into the events and people that traverse the narrative.  

The novel opens shortly after the death of the Duke of Albemarle of the Navy Board. Samuel Pepys has become a secret investigator working for Thomas Marshall [the late Duke’s secretary]. But Pepys’ ultimate boss is King Charles II having been sworn into a secret society [whose goal is to protect the monarchy] - The Royal Order of the Oak.

Following the English Civil War, and the end of the puritanical reign of Oliver Cromwell – the monarchy has been reinstated with the return of King Charles back on British soil. Though there are hidden shadows in the backstreets and palaces of London that pose threats to the re-instated Monarchy and United Kingdom. Pepys [and his assistant William Hewer] become embroiled in a tricky investigation into a firebrand preacher from Lancashire - Inigo Wrath. The Cleric is protected by the mysterious psychopath Mr Kitts. There is talk of sedition hidden in Wrath’s sermons.

Will Hewer tells Sam Pepys that a young lad named Cesario has been lurking around his home in Seething Lane [East London], asking for an audience with him.

When Cesario’s mutilated body is discovered in an abandoned house close to Pepys’ abode [and offices], together with the corpse of Henry Fitzwilliam, a close friend of James Scott [the Duke of Monmouth] – Samuel Pepys [as a sworn member of The Order of the Royal Oak] is diverted from his investigation [into the seditious preacher Inigo Wrath]. The Duke of Monmouth is in direct line to the throne, as he is King Charles’ eldest Son [though illegitimate]. The murder of his closest friend Henry Fitzwilliam appears a threat to the Monarchy [or is it?].

The word Astraea and its origins in Greek Mythology become a clue that could link Samuel Pepys’ investigations into the murders of Cesario and Henry Fitzwilliam to the seditious ministry of the preacher Inigo Wrath.

Soon the trail leads Samuel Pepys and his assistant Will Hewer to Drury Lane’s recently reopened Theatre Royal. In order to further Pepy’s investigation, a ‘front’ is required for our diarist-cum-amateur detective. William Shakespeare’s AS YOU LIKE IT is to be staged by Royal Command Performance. The production is to be sponsored by King Charles himself with Samuel Pepys tasked with managing the funded patronage.  This provides cover for the undercover investigation into Astraea and the trail that leads to Drury Lane.

The three dimensional and weird supporting characters in the narrative are a true delight. We have Elisabeth Pepys, our hero’s long suffering wife struggling with her health. The mysterious ‘Searcher of the Dead’, Mistress Abby a Moor by heritage but from Clerkenwell by birth together with the actors and staff of the Theatre Royal and the Royal Mistresses stand upright on the page with deft brushstrokes from the author’s pen – however it is the presence of King Charles’ mistress Nell [Eleanor] Gwyn that steals the show [pun intended].

Part-detective story, part-swashbuckling adventure and part-historical psychodrama - this sophomore work by Jack Jewers is All-Thriller, especially as defined by Ian Fleming “one simply has to turn the pages”. Seething Lane is penned in a hypnotic style that traps the reader within its elaborate story provoking much thought. Like its theatrical base, there is criminal horror, there is adventure, there is pathos [and regret] culminating in an exploration of what striates human nature – like the melancholic opening monologue from William Shakespeare's pastoral comedy As You Like It – the theatrical production of which acts metaphysically as the tent-pole that supports Jewer’s extraordinary narrative.

“All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women are merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts.”

The memory of experiencing this work will sit jaggedly in the reader’s mind for a long, long time.

I’d be surprised if Seething Lane is not featured in the key literary awards for 2026.