January 1670. London is freezing in its coldest winter in decades, but beneath the ice, a volatile mix of religious tension, dirty politics, and theatrical glamour is reaching a boiling point. When a mysterious young stranger is brutally murdered alongside a high-ranking aristocrat, Samuel Pepys is thrust into an investigation where the deadliest threat might just be the one closest to home.
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| Jack Jewers. Photo by Lorna Roach. |
We are thrilled to sit down today with Jack Jewers, the brilliant mind behind Seething Lane—the gripping new historical mystery that reimagines one of Britain’s most famous real-life observers through a sharp, 21st-century lens. Following his critically acclaimed debut, Jack returns to breathe vivid, dangerous life into the Restoration era, complete with royal spies, infamous mistresses, and Pepys' own trademark audacity.
What can you tell me about the inspiration behind you writing Seething Lane?
A few years ago I read the diaries of Samuel Pepys and couldn’t believe how modern they felt – funny, dramatic, indiscreet, and absolutely packed with incredible historical detail. But then, in the summer of 1669, at the age of 36, he just stopped. But Pepys lived for over 30 years after that, and the things we know about his life afterwards hint at a man whose adventures (and misadventures) were only just getting started. My first novel, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, was an imagined to the diaries, in which my fictional version of Pepys became a reluctant investigator for the crown. In Seething Lane I send him into the dazzling world of London theatres to hunt down a brutal killer. I’m the son of two actors, and essentially grew up in theatres during the 80s and 90s, so the theatre was an inspiring place for me to explore. There’s a real timelessness to the theatre world, even though the playhouses I was writing about were 350 years old. The ghosts of centuries past can seem much closer in the shadowy reaches of a theatre’s backstage, that not-quite-real space where it feels like anything could happen.
A few years ago I read the diaries of Samuel Pepys and couldn’t believe how modern they felt – funny, dramatic, indiscreet, and absolutely packed with incredible historical detail. But then, in the summer of 1669, at the age of 36, he just stopped. But Pepys lived for over 30 years after that, and the things we know about his life afterwards hint at a man whose adventures (and misadventures) were only just getting started. My first novel, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, was an imagined to the diaries, in which my fictional version of Pepys became a reluctant investigator for the crown. In Seething Lane I send him into the dazzling world of London theatres to hunt down a brutal killer. I’m the son of two actors, and essentially grew up in theatres during the 80s and 90s, so the theatre was an inspiring place for me to explore. There’s a real timelessness to the theatre world, even though the playhouses I was writing about were 350 years old. The ghosts of centuries past can seem much closer in the shadowy reaches of a theatre’s backstage, that not-quite-real space where it feels like anything could happen.
The Theatre Royal Drury Lane has survived four rebuilds and a massive modern restoration, yet it still holds secrets from the 1660s. In your research, what was the most surprising physical or cultural difference between the theatre of Pepys’s day and the one we know today?
The mechanics of how theatre operated in the 1660s are enough to bring actors out in stress hives. For example, most theatres worked on a repertory system, with the next day’s show not announced until the day before, giving the cast startlingly little time to prepare. There were exceptions for high-profile productions, but for the most part, the idea of proper rehearsal periods was an impossible luxury. Fun though that stuff is, however, what really made an impression on me during my research for Seething Lane was just how new and exciting theatre in the Restoration period must have seemed. The book takes place in 1670, nearly ten years after the ban on theatre was lifted in England. For sixteen years, it had been forbidden outright, first during the Civil War and then during a period of ultra-conservative government under Oliver Cromwell. And while I knew all that on a basic, factual level, I don’t think I fully appreciated just what an enormous cultural moment the reopening of the playhouses was. For a start, theatre itself had evolved into something that would be much more familiar to us now than it had been prior to the ban. There were such things as stage sets, for example, and a new, more naturalistic style of acting became fashionable. If we could somehow go and watch a play in 1670, the acting would no doubt seem quite stilted to us, but back then it was radically fresh and modern. And most exciting of all, women were allowed on the stage – until 1661, it was the law that all female parts had to be played by men – which created huge celebrities out of actresses like Margaret Hughes, Mary Saunderson, and, of course, Nell Gwyn.
The mechanics of how theatre operated in the 1660s are enough to bring actors out in stress hives. For example, most theatres worked on a repertory system, with the next day’s show not announced until the day before, giving the cast startlingly little time to prepare. There were exceptions for high-profile productions, but for the most part, the idea of proper rehearsal periods was an impossible luxury. Fun though that stuff is, however, what really made an impression on me during my research for Seething Lane was just how new and exciting theatre in the Restoration period must have seemed. The book takes place in 1670, nearly ten years after the ban on theatre was lifted in England. For sixteen years, it had been forbidden outright, first during the Civil War and then during a period of ultra-conservative government under Oliver Cromwell. And while I knew all that on a basic, factual level, I don’t think I fully appreciated just what an enormous cultural moment the reopening of the playhouses was. For a start, theatre itself had evolved into something that would be much more familiar to us now than it had been prior to the ban. There were such things as stage sets, for example, and a new, more naturalistic style of acting became fashionable. If we could somehow go and watch a play in 1670, the acting would no doubt seem quite stilted to us, but back then it was radically fresh and modern. And most exciting of all, women were allowed on the stage – until 1661, it was the law that all female parts had to be played by men – which created huge celebrities out of actresses like Margaret Hughes, Mary Saunderson, and, of course, Nell Gwyn.
Nell Gwyn is such a legendary figure. How does Seething Lane explore her transition from selling oranges to becoming the most famous comedic star—and royal mistress—of her era?
By the time Seething Lane takes place, in January 1670, Nell had already been famous for several years. In fact, she had already retired as an actress – as an official mistress of the king, it was considered highly improper that she should perform for a paying crowd. This is what makes her introduction in my book, on the night of her grand comeback in John Dryden’s bawdy satire, The Mock Astrologer, such a scandalous event. So I was dealing with Nell at a time when she was already at the pinnacle of her fame. The interesting part was how to portray that on a character level. I imagined how her fellow actors would have related to her, particularly those who had known her before she was famous – that tense mixture of admiration, envy and resentment that has often followed the career of a successful artiste, then as now.
By the time Seething Lane takes place, in January 1670, Nell had already been famous for several years. In fact, she had already retired as an actress – as an official mistress of the king, it was considered highly improper that she should perform for a paying crowd. This is what makes her introduction in my book, on the night of her grand comeback in John Dryden’s bawdy satire, The Mock Astrologer, such a scandalous event. So I was dealing with Nell at a time when she was already at the pinnacle of her fame. The interesting part was how to portray that on a character level. I imagined how her fellow actors would have related to her, particularly those who had known her before she was famous – that tense mixture of admiration, envy and resentment that has often followed the career of a successful artiste, then as now.
You mention that the original theatre was open to the weather. How do you capture that raw, chaotic, and unpredictable atmosphere of Restoration theatre in your fiction?
The original Drury Lane Theatre was indeed open to the elements, but by the time Seething Lane takes place, it had recently acquired a glass roof, of which they were very proud – though, I suspect, it was not a very watertight one. But the raw and unpredictable nature of Restoration Theatre is part of what makes it so thrilling to write about. Take the behaviour of audiences, for example. A lot has been written in recent years about poor behaviour by theatregoers in the West End and on Broadway, but drunken singalongs at Mamma Mia have absolutely nothing on what audiences in Restoration times got up to. Rowdy, lewd, and frequently more interested in each other than what was happening on the stage, it was a far cry from the polite ideal of audience behaviour that we have today.
The original Drury Lane Theatre was indeed open to the elements, but by the time Seething Lane takes place, it had recently acquired a glass roof, of which they were very proud – though, I suspect, it was not a very watertight one. But the raw and unpredictable nature of Restoration Theatre is part of what makes it so thrilling to write about. Take the behaviour of audiences, for example. A lot has been written in recent years about poor behaviour by theatregoers in the West End and on Broadway, but drunken singalongs at Mamma Mia have absolutely nothing on what audiences in Restoration times got up to. Rowdy, lewd, and frequently more interested in each other than what was happening on the stage, it was a far cry from the polite ideal of audience behaviour that we have today.
We often view royal mistresses through a lens of scandal, but your book highlights how they shaped the actual physical fabric of London. How did women like Nell Gwyn and Barbara Villiers wield architectural and societal power in a world completely dominated by men?
That’s such a good question. The status of a royal mistress was always, by definition, going to depend on the king’s patronage – literally as well as figuratively. They could be discarded as arbitrarily as they were taken into his favour, and the consequences of that varied greatly according to their existing status. Seething Lane is set during the reign of Charles II – the so-called ‘merrie monarch,’ who had a long and exceptionally colourful string of mistresses, including, of course, Nell Gwyn. Most of these women were well established at court; one or two were even already married. But Nell came from nothing, and while she earned good money as an actress, her stage career was never going to be a long one. So remaining in the king’s favour long enough to be granted an income, a home, and even a title, was not only a means of achieving social status, for her it was a lifeline. It was not for nothing that Charles’ last words were reputed to be ‘Let not poor Nellie starve.’ Similarly, through the long-term favour of King Charles, Barbara Villiers became the Lady Castlemaine, and eventually the much grander-sounding Baroness Nonsuch, a title which carried serious caché – although, in Seething Lane, I delve into how it also became a double-edged sword for her. Unlike some of her fellow mistresses, Barbara genuinely loved Charles, and was heartbroken when he began to lose interest in her.
That’s such a good question. The status of a royal mistress was always, by definition, going to depend on the king’s patronage – literally as well as figuratively. They could be discarded as arbitrarily as they were taken into his favour, and the consequences of that varied greatly according to their existing status. Seething Lane is set during the reign of Charles II – the so-called ‘merrie monarch,’ who had a long and exceptionally colourful string of mistresses, including, of course, Nell Gwyn. Most of these women were well established at court; one or two were even already married. But Nell came from nothing, and while she earned good money as an actress, her stage career was never going to be a long one. So remaining in the king’s favour long enough to be granted an income, a home, and even a title, was not only a means of achieving social status, for her it was a lifeline. It was not for nothing that Charles’ last words were reputed to be ‘Let not poor Nellie starve.’ Similarly, through the long-term favour of King Charles, Barbara Villiers became the Lady Castlemaine, and eventually the much grander-sounding Baroness Nonsuch, a title which carried serious caché – although, in Seething Lane, I delve into how it also became a double-edged sword for her. Unlike some of her fellow mistresses, Barbara genuinely loved Charles, and was heartbroken when he began to lose interest in her.
If you were to draw a line from the Restoration mistresses of Charles II to the modern British monarchy, what do you think is their lasting legacy on how the public views the intersection of royal romance and politics?
I think it’s still quite a complicated relationship. The whole subject of royal mistresses has always been inseparable from scandal – which stands to reason, doesn’t it? It’s the perfect storm of sex, power and royalty. But of course they were all real people, individuals with real emotions, beliefs, hopes and fears. Their ambitions often went beyond a mere desire for status and power. Two of Charles II’s royal mistresses appear as characters in Seething Lane, Nell Gwyn and Lady Castlemaine, and it was essential to me that I didn’t lean into the easy caricatures of them as women whose primary characteristics were that they were sexually aggressive, money-grabbing, or, even worse, empty-headed. Whether they were educated or merely street smart, what united them all is that they were survivors.
I think it’s still quite a complicated relationship. The whole subject of royal mistresses has always been inseparable from scandal – which stands to reason, doesn’t it? It’s the perfect storm of sex, power and royalty. But of course they were all real people, individuals with real emotions, beliefs, hopes and fears. Their ambitions often went beyond a mere desire for status and power. Two of Charles II’s royal mistresses appear as characters in Seething Lane, Nell Gwyn and Lady Castlemaine, and it was essential to me that I didn’t lean into the easy caricatures of them as women whose primary characteristics were that they were sexually aggressive, money-grabbing, or, even worse, empty-headed. Whether they were educated or merely street smart, what united them all is that they were survivors.
Houses like Marble Hill and Walpole House became monuments to these relationships. How does the concept of "space and property" play into the power dynamics of the characters in Seething Lane?
Property was security, and for a woman like Nell Gwyn, that was everything. Nell rose from abject poverty – she was abandoned by her parents on the streets of Covent Garden as a little girl, and had to fend entirely for herself until she was lucky (and talented) enough to be offered a job as an actress at Drury Lane. That was no mean feat. Meanwhile, Barbara Villiers, the Lady Castlemaine, had a very different story. Charles had to buy off her husband with a title in order to clear the way for their relationship, which at one point, almost saw her become queen. (The fact that it didn’t was due to the unexpected recovery of his wife, Queen Catherine, who had been gravely ill – but not until Charles had performed a cruel bait-and-switch that saw him announce another of his mistresses as his next wife, despite already having told Barbara it would be her). Lady Castlemaine’s acquisition of Nonsuch, the Surrey palace built by Henry VIII, forms part of her story in Seething Lane.
Burying parmesan cheese during the Great Fire and keeping a pet lion are such brilliantly bizarre details. How do you balance Pepys the serious Navy official with Pepys the quirky, lion-keeping Londoner in your novel?
It was actually quite easy to be true to life in this respect, because the real Pepys did a fairly good job of keeping his personal and professional lives separate. The exception, of course, was when he saw an opportunity to advance his career – he was a social climber who was keen to establish himself in powerful circles. Boozy dinners and nights at the theatre were a good way of doing that. But one of the more interesting aspects of his personality is how insecure he was. For example, in his real diaries, Pepys expresses real anxiety over fashion, on one occasion being unable to face leaving his house because some new cuffs he’d ordered had been made with too much gold lace, which he thought would make him seem gauche in the eyes of his higher-status friends. Mind you, Pepys clearly didn’t mind displaying poor taste in some respects, as he also kept a nude portrait of Nell Gwyn above his desk at work. HR was really not a thing in those days.
It was actually quite easy to be true to life in this respect, because the real Pepys did a fairly good job of keeping his personal and professional lives separate. The exception, of course, was when he saw an opportunity to advance his career – he was a social climber who was keen to establish himself in powerful circles. Boozy dinners and nights at the theatre were a good way of doing that. But one of the more interesting aspects of his personality is how insecure he was. For example, in his real diaries, Pepys expresses real anxiety over fashion, on one occasion being unable to face leaving his house because some new cuffs he’d ordered had been made with too much gold lace, which he thought would make him seem gauche in the eyes of his higher-status friends. Mind you, Pepys clearly didn’t mind displaying poor taste in some respects, as he also kept a nude portrait of Nell Gwyn above his desk at work. HR was really not a thing in those days.
Seething Lane was the epicentre of Pepys's world. How does the physical location of the street act almost as a character itself in driving the plot of your murder mystery?
Seething Lane is a strange little thoroughfare, tucked away within sight of the Tower of London. Even though little remains from Pepys’ day, it’s still an atmospheric place, and smaller than you might think, although contemporary maps suggest that it was longer and also somewhat steeper than it is now. In the book, the street is the scene of a brutal double murder, for which Pepys feels partially responsible. Although the book takes place all over London, particularly the theatre on Drury Lane, it's the events on Seething Lane itself that are the catalyst – and where, ultimately, the biggest dangers of all may lie.
Seething Lane is a strange little thoroughfare, tucked away within sight of the Tower of London. Even though little remains from Pepys’ day, it’s still an atmospheric place, and smaller than you might think, although contemporary maps suggest that it was longer and also somewhat steeper than it is now. In the book, the street is the scene of a brutal double murder, for which Pepys feels partially responsible. Although the book takes place all over London, particularly the theatre on Drury Lane, it's the events on Seething Lane itself that are the catalyst – and where, ultimately, the biggest dangers of all may lie.
Pepys’s diaries give us an incredibly intimate look at 17th-century London. What is the biggest challenge for a historical novelist when taking a real, heavily documented historical figure and throwing them into a fictional murder investigation?
The biggest difficulty is staying true to the character while also writing a twenty-first century novel. It mustn’t be a pastiche, nor can it mislead. For example, the real Pepys sometimes got up to some pretty reprehensible things, particularly in his (many) adulterous relationships with women. It was important for me to find ways of addressing that without feeling forced. That was an interesting challenge. In terms of the setting, I wanted to create as vivid and real portrait of 17th-century London as I could, but as a living, breathing place in which people lived, worked – and died. The least successful kind of historical fiction is, I think, the sort where characters go around always talking about big events and commenting on things that wouldn’t bear commenting on to someone who actually lived there. History books may forever record something that happened on a particular date, but never forget that for most people it was just Wednesday.
The biggest difficulty is staying true to the character while also writing a twenty-first century novel. It mustn’t be a pastiche, nor can it mislead. For example, the real Pepys sometimes got up to some pretty reprehensible things, particularly in his (many) adulterous relationships with women. It was important for me to find ways of addressing that without feeling forced. That was an interesting challenge. In terms of the setting, I wanted to create as vivid and real portrait of 17th-century London as I could, but as a living, breathing place in which people lived, worked – and died. The least successful kind of historical fiction is, I think, the sort where characters go around always talking about big events and commenting on things that wouldn’t bear commenting on to someone who actually lived there. History books may forever record something that happened on a particular date, but never forget that for most people it was just Wednesday.
Seething Lane drops Samuel Pepys right into the middle of a cold-blooded murder in the theatre world. Without giving too much away, how does the murder mystery tie together the high politics of the King’s court and the gritty reality of London’s streets?
One of the people who is murdered on Seething Lane was a close friend of the king’s illegitimate son, James, the Duke of Monmouth. James was a highly charismatic young man, whose position as a possible heir to the throne also made him a politically sensitive figure. It’s for this reason that Pepys is called in to track down the killer. His reputation as a skilled (if reluctant) investigator was already established in my first book, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys. In Seething Lane, the trail leads him from the shadowy backstreets of London to the glamorous world of Covent Garden theatres, and beyond.
One of the people who is murdered on Seething Lane was a close friend of the king’s illegitimate son, James, the Duke of Monmouth. James was a highly charismatic young man, whose position as a possible heir to the throne also made him a politically sensitive figure. It’s for this reason that Pepys is called in to track down the killer. His reputation as a skilled (if reluctant) investigator was already established in my first book, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys. In Seething Lane, the trail leads him from the shadowy backstreets of London to the glamorous world of Covent Garden theatres, and beyond.
Your research covers everything from architecture to exotic pets. If you were writing a standalone feature based on your research, which of these rabbit holes did you find most addictive to research?
I would have to pick the ‘searchers of the dead.’ Pretty hardcore sounding job title, isn’t it? These were real people, essentially early versions of pathologists. The job was on the decline by Samuel Pepys’ day, but it had lost none of its reputation for being a distasteful and borderline unholy profession. In Seething Lane, the searcher of the dead is known as the Billingsgate Witch – and not entirely for the reasons you might think.
I would have to pick the ‘searchers of the dead.’ Pretty hardcore sounding job title, isn’t it? These were real people, essentially early versions of pathologists. The job was on the decline by Samuel Pepys’ day, but it had lost none of its reputation for being a distasteful and borderline unholy profession. In Seething Lane, the searcher of the dead is known as the Billingsgate Witch – and not entirely for the reasons you might think.
What would you hope a reader takes away from reading Seething Lane?
That Restoration London was one of the most thrilling, turbulent, tempestuous, and just plain wild times in the history of England. That we owe far more to that time than we appreciate. And, hopefully, that they’ve just read a great mystery along the way. Oh, and we do also get to meet another, extremely important figure from the history of English theatre whose name I haven’t even mentioned yet, and whose life story puts the adventures of Samuel Pepys in the shade. Want to find out who? Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, for tonight’s performance is about to begin…
That Restoration London was one of the most thrilling, turbulent, tempestuous, and just plain wild times in the history of England. That we owe far more to that time than we appreciate. And, hopefully, that they’ve just read a great mystery along the way. Oh, and we do also get to meet another, extremely important figure from the history of English theatre whose name I haven’t even mentioned yet, and whose life story puts the adventures of Samuel Pepys in the shade. Want to find out who? Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, for tonight’s performance is about to begin…
Seething Lane by Jack Jewers is published in hardback, eBook and audio on 3rd September 2026 (Moonflower, £18.99). Available online here.
Amazon link: https://amzn.eu/d/0cPbfJsj
Amazon link: https://amzn.eu/d/0cPbfJsj
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| Jack Jewers. Photo by Lorna Roach. |
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