The Lost Jewels

A Novel

By: Kirsty Manning

Narrated by: Natasha Beaumont

From the author of The Song of the Jade Lily comes a thrilling story of a family secret that leads to a legendary treasure.

Why would someone bury a bucket of precious jewels and gemstones and never return?

Present day. When respected American jewelry historian Kate Kirby receives a call about the Cheapside jewels, she knows she’s on the brink of the experience of a lifetime.

But the trip to London forces Kate to explore secrets that have long been buried by her own family. Back in Boston, Kate has uncovered a series of sketches in her great-grandmother’s papers linking her suffragette great-grandmother Essie to the Cheapside collection. Could these sketches hold the key to Essie’s secret life in Edwardian London?

In the summer of 1912, impoverished Irish immigrant Essie Murphy happens to be visiting her brother when a workman’s pickax strikes through the floor of an old tenement house in Cheapside, near St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The workmen uncover a stash of treasure - from Ottoman pendants to Elizabethan and Jacobean gems - and then the finds disappear again! Could these jewels - one in particular - change the fortunes of Essie and her sisters?

Together with photographer Marcus Holt, Kate Kirby chases the history of the Cheapside gems and jewels, especially the story of a small diamond champlevé enamel ring. Soon, everything Kate believes about her family, gemology, and herself will be threatened.

Based on a fascinating true story, The Lost Jewels is a riveting historical fiction novel that will captivate listeners from the beginning to the unforgettable, surprising end.

©2020 Kirsty Manning (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

A Reader With A Lisp?

Maybe it’s just me, but I had a really hard time getting past the speech impediment.

This is a charming story of jewels, love, history and Family

Thank you for this lovely story.
I was hooked on these ladies’ lives, and really couldn’t have predicted the ending. But loved it!

Interesting!

The story was intriguing. But it felt strange that the narrator was British when the key character was American (Kate). It was hard to stay focused on the story.

It was charming!

I really enjoyed listening to this story. No vulgarity or disturbing things. Just a pleasant story that took me to the past and made me think about how lives are intertwined across miles and years. I really liked this story!

Intriguing

It caught my attention from the beginning & continued throughout. Learned a lot of interesting things about jewels. Interesting and believable story. Will recommend to others.

Loved this

Completely disagree with review that said narrator shouldn’t have English. Disregard. Narrator was FANTASTIC. The story line perfect. And the seamless natures of going between decades was spot on. You will binge listen this book.

Not enough superlatives!

I had a VERY hard time putting this book down! Excellently written and thoroughly researched, this is a story of The Cheapside Jewels and what *might* have happened... Made me want to learn more about the facts of the mystery.

The story has some very interesting points, but it seems to drag in other areas.

I hate wasting a credit when the story is only about six hours long on a slow speed. My fault for not paying attention to how long it was.

The author has TDS

I was in the midst of listening and enjoying the story then suddenly, "I hate Trump," was said. WHY? It has nothing to do with the story and does not add to it. I like books for personal enjoyment and for a break from reality. I have no interest in the personal bias of the author.

Need sleep?

Then listen to this book and you'll drop right off. Different chronologies had me confused what was the actual plot and the drone of the narrator....zzzzzz