The Twyford Code
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-29 00:50:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Janice Hallett
- ISBN：1788165314
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
It's time to solve the murder of the century。。。
Steven Smith has just been released from prison， and he is finally free to investigate a mystery that has haunted him since childhood。 Forty years ago， he found a copy of a famous children's book， full of strange markings and annotations。 He took it to his remedial English teacher， Miss Isles， who became convinced that it was the key to solving a puzzle。 That a message in secret code ran through all Edith Twyford's novels。 Then Miss Isles disappeared， and Steven's memory won't allow him to remember what happened。 Did she sense her own imminent death？ Was she right about the code？ And is it still in use today？ Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Isles， Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood。 But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn't just a writer of forgotten children's stories。 The Twyford Code has great power， and he isn't the only one trying to solve it。。。
Steven Smith has just been released from prison， and he is finally free to investigate a mystery that has haunted him since childhood。 Forty years ago， he found a copy of a famous children's book， full of strange markings and annotations。 He took it to his remedial English teacher， Miss Isles， who became convinced that it was the key to solving a puzzle。 That a message in secret code ran through all Edith Twyford's novels。 Then Miss Isles disappeared， and Steven's memory won't allow him to remember what happened。 Did she sense her own imminent death？ Was she right about the code？ And is it still in use today？ Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Isles， Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood。 But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn't just a writer of forgotten children's stories。 The Twyford Code has great power， and he isn't the only one trying to solve it。。。
Reviews
Angela
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What a clever and intriguing book！Steven Smith has been in prison for a good number of years and on his release， sets out to unravel the mystery of a strange book and a missing teacher from his school days。 His story is told using voice recordings on an old iPhone 4 and through this we learn more about his past and hear about （and from） his friends and acquaintances。 We are drawn into the mysterious Twyford Code and， with Smithy， try to decipher its perplexing clues。It is a very different and or What a clever and intriguing book！Steven Smith has been in prison for a good number of years and on his release， sets out to unravel the mystery of a strange book and a missing teacher from his school days。 His story is told using voice recordings on an old iPhone 4 and through this we learn more about his past and hear about （and from） his friends and acquaintances。 We are drawn into the mysterious Twyford Code and， with Smithy， try to decipher its perplexing clues。It is a very different and original format and requires a little concentration along the way to keep hold of the characters and clues， but my goodness it is so clever and the ending will have you wanting to immediately read it again！Loved the twists and turns and all of the characters had great personalities and quirks。 Also enjoyed the reference to some of the books of my youth such as Lord of the Flies and Masquerade （which I spent many hours trying to decode with my friends in the 80s！）Thoroughly recommend it as an original， spellbinding， entertaining and intriguing read。 Thank you to NetGalley， Janice Hallett and Viper for a free ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Angela Moore Garden Tea Cakes and Me
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4。5 stars
liv
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[review to follow， ARC via Netgalley]
Pat
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Well that was a bit sneaky and very clever！ I really didn’t like her first book and dreaded reading this but I ended up enjoying it a lot。 Hallett doesn’t want to tell her stories in the traditional way - the first one was told through a series WhatsApp messages and didn’t work for me， but this story is told as transcripts of recorded voice messages and it works much better。This is the story of Steven Smith， a child who had a troubled upbringing。 He found a book on the bus one morning with annot Well that was a bit sneaky and very clever！ I really didn’t like her first book and dreaded reading this but I ended up enjoying it a lot。 Hallett doesn’t want to tell her stories in the traditional way - the first one was told through a series WhatsApp messages and didn’t work for me， but this story is told as transcripts of recorded voice messages and it works much better。This is the story of Steven Smith， a child who had a troubled upbringing。 He found a book on the bus one morning with annotations and comments on the margins and shows it to his remedial English （RE） teacher Miss Isles。 The book is is a children’s story set during or just after WWII， a bit like the Famous Five。 Miss Isles reads it to the class despite telling them book is now banned because of its outdated views on sexism， racism and the like。 Miss Isles seems to think there is a secret code buried in the book and takes her five RE students on a field trip to Bournemouth where Edith Twyford used to live。 Miss Isles disappears on this trip and Steve can’t bring himself to remember what happened。In 2019， after an 11 year stint in prison， he contacts his son that he never knew about before and sets about discovering what happened to Miss Isles and maybe cracking the Twyford code。 His son doesn’t want to know the old con just yet but gives him an old iPhone for when he does。 This is what Steve uses to record his story。 And what a story it is - covering his teen years and times in between to the present where he is in his mid-fifties。 His search for Miss Isles sees him reconnecting with the other 4 members of his RE class， befriending a young librarian， Lucy， who becomes invested in his quest and potentially painting a target on his back from the criminal gang he worked for until his latest stint in prison。 He follows the clues and tries to crack the code which is figuratively and literally constantly changing shape。This story is constantly shape shifting as every time something is re-visited there is more to it。 You get to really relate to Steve， he’s not a bad bloke， he just had a difficult start in life。 He’s quite a loveable old chap really。 There are twists here you won’t see coming。 The ending is slightly ambiguous but perfect for the book。 Steve may have dropped out of school early and he may not be very literate but he is nevertheless pretty darn smart and when you finally realise what he has done you feel like applauding him。 I seriously recommend this book to all mystery lovers， it’s very cleverly done。 Many thanks to Netgalley and Viper Books for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly。 。。。more
Sally
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Janice Hallet is the queen of the alternative format and I absolutely loved the uniqueness of The Appeal revealing its story in letters and emails。 I was extremely excited to read her second book。 The Twyford Code once again employs an original narrative device - tape recordings of conversations and memos。 We don’t know initially who these belong to or who has got them but they are being reviewed to build a picture。 The picture revealed appears to be the story of Smithy and some school friends w Janice Hallet is the queen of the alternative format and I absolutely loved the uniqueness of The Appeal revealing its story in letters and emails。 I was extremely excited to read her second book。 The Twyford Code once again employs an original narrative device - tape recordings of conversations and memos。 We don’t know initially who these belong to or who has got them but they are being reviewed to build a picture。 The picture revealed appears to be the story of Smithy and some school friends who went on a school trip with one teacher who never returned - the school friends， now adults， are seeking to piece together what happened。 This is without doubt extremely clever， highly imaginative and inventive。 I was fascinated by the idea of an author - a little Enid Blyton like - embedding codes into her novels and at some stages her books became more fascinating than the one I was reading - how bizarre is that！ Smithy is a character full of pathos and one of life’s eternal victims。 I was desperate to find out what had happened to Miss Isles or ‘Missiles’。 This is a book of smoke and mirrors， twists and turns， puzzling puzzles and twisty twists， code after code。。if you like that kind of thing you are in for a treat。 Unfortunately around 40% in I got lost， desperately lost and I never really understood what was going on after that point。 I think also for me this was in part due to the format - the recording device started to irritate me and added to the fog as to what was actually happen and to whom。 I think that this will really appeal to the reader who loves a bit of sleuthing and puzzling， reading between the lines and being spun around…but for some this may be too confusing。 I think that the recording format might just work much better in an audiobook format。 Thank you very much to Netgalley and Viper books for my digital copy of this very inventive book。 。。。more
Kate Henderson
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Janice Hallett's previous book 'the Appeal' was such a huge hit， and was definitely one of my fav books of 2021， so i was super excited to read an early review copy of Hallett's next book。 I purposely didn't look up a synopsis of this book before reading， as I wanted to go in with an open mind。 After reading the Appeal， the style of this book came as no surprise。 I thought that Hallett would do something different with the narrative and style of the Twyford code。 I must admit that it took a litt Janice Hallett's previous book 'the Appeal' was such a huge hit， and was definitely one of my fav books of 2021， so i was super excited to read an early review copy of Hallett's next book。 I purposely didn't look up a synopsis of this book before reading， as I wanted to go in with an open mind。 After reading the Appeal， the style of this book came as no surprise。 I thought that Hallett would do something different with the narrative and style of the Twyford code。 I must admit that it took a little while to get used to this style at first。 However， it became easier the more it went on。 It also didn't feel all that necessary either。 I think it didn't need to be told through 'audio files'Overal， I really didn't enjoy this book。 I hate comparing books， but after absolutely loving Janice Hallett's 'the Appeal' I just feel really disappointed by this。 It was a lot slower in pace， and I wasn't as gripped with this book at all。 I just couldn't connect to the characters， and it all got a bit monotonous and repetitive。I hope Hallett's next novel is more on par with the Appeal - just going to forget this one。 。。。more
Laura
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Book reviews on www。snazzybooks。comThe Twyford Code is the much anticipated follow up to The Appeal， one of my favourite reads of 2021。 The Twyford Code once again uses an original format to relay the story to the reader - this time， it's told largely through transcriptions of audio files， which main character Steven records on the iPhone his son gives him。 We know there is something to investigate concerning Steven， as a professor is asked to read through the transcripts to help with a mysterio Book reviews on www。snazzybooks。comThe Twyford Code is the much anticipated follow up to The Appeal， one of my favourite reads of 2021。 The Twyford Code once again uses an original format to relay the story to the reader - this time， it's told largely through transcriptions of audio files， which main character Steven records on the iPhone his son gives him。 We know there is something to investigate concerning Steven， as a professor is asked to read through the transcripts to help with a mysterious case right at the start of the novel。 From then on， we delve into the various voice notes as we learn more about Steve， complete with lots of wrong words as the transcription software picks up on some words incorrectly （something which is flagged at the start of the book as part of the story， and which I found really amusing！）This novel， although also using an original format like The Appeal， feels completely different from Hallett's first novel。 We don't have a small town， with gossiping amdram members; instead， we're thrown into a shady world of dodgy dealing and codes hidden within children's storybooks！ I have to say， I found this novel much harder to follow than The Appeal… the first quarter was fine but then after that， I found that I often lost the thread of what was actually going on。 There's a lot of details and conversations which we're not sure are relevant or not （but if I've learnt anything from the first book， it's to assume there will be lots of secret clues littered in the text - and there was again here， which is always satisfying！） and then， towards the end of the novel， a LOT of occurring as the action ramps up more towards the end。 It honestly felt like I was in some kind of parallel universe at times as I tried to work out what was happening！ Steve's rambling recounting of his story definitely left me bemused， but I think that was sort of the point at times。 At others， hey - I think I just got lost！ However， if I'm honest， I just accepted that I wasn't going to 'get' it all and instead relaxed and enjoy it。I'd definitely recommend this novel for a fun， crazy read！ It's entertaining， fun and clever - but then， I'd expect nothing less from this author！ 。。。more
Daren Kearl
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Packed with audacious twists and red herrings， this is such a clever book and a different and fresh approach to a mystery novel。 The story centres around a hidden message within the book Six on Goldtop Hill by childrens author Edith Twyman， a thinly disguised Enid Blyton。 The narrator tells his story via recorded messages on an iPhone to his probation officer; due to his dyslexia， and the software that transforms the voice messages to text doesn’t always accurately translate， providing phonetic Packed with audacious twists and red herrings， this is such a clever book and a different and fresh approach to a mystery novel。 The story centres around a hidden message within the book Six on Goldtop Hill by childrens author Edith Twyman， a thinly disguised Enid Blyton。 The narrator tells his story via recorded messages on an iPhone to his probation officer; due to his dyslexia， and the software that transforms the voice messages to text doesn’t always accurately translate， providing phonetic replacements。 For example， the teacher who’s edition of the book the narrator discovers on a bus and returns to her is called missiles。。 Miss Iles。 Miss Iles disappeared on an unauthorised school trip to Edith Twyman’s home and the narrator is determined to find out what happened。 We also gradually learn about his past and why he was in prison。 The code， the gradual revelations and unreliable narration all add up to an intriguing and gripping read。 。。。more
Hayley
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I was excited to be approved for a review copy of this book as the author’s previous book was a five star read for me。 I didn’t enjoy this one anywhere near as much as the last。 For me， it read too slowly and I found it a struggle to keep picking it up。 There were some good twists and the style of the book （the main character recorded his thoughts on an iPhone） was clever。 I will look out for the next one by the author and hope I enjoy it as much as the first。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publ I was excited to be approved for a review copy of this book as the author’s previous book was a five star read for me。 I didn’t enjoy this one anywhere near as much as the last。 For me， it read too slowly and I found it a struggle to keep picking it up。 There were some good twists and the style of the book （the main character recorded his thoughts on an iPhone） was clever。 I will look out for the next one by the author and hope I enjoy it as much as the first。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Lynda
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An unusual read。 The story is excellent， really well constructed。 However， it written as though it has been dictated onto an iPhone 4 and during conversations you read voice 1， voice 2 etc。 I found this really disconcerting and more than once had to reread parts to stop myself loosing the thread of the story。 As a result it took me a lot longer to read than it should have。 I have since had a look at other readers views and I appear to be in the minority here so don’t let me put you off reading i An unusual read。 The story is excellent， really well constructed。 However， it written as though it has been dictated onto an iPhone 4 and during conversations you read voice 1， voice 2 etc。 I found this really disconcerting and more than once had to reread parts to stop myself loosing the thread of the story。 As a result it took me a lot longer to read than it should have。 I have since had a look at other readers views and I appear to be in the minority here so don’t let me put you off reading it。 Briefly， when he was a child Steven Smith found a book written by Edith Twyford and gave it to Miss Isles， his teacher。 Then， on a school trip to Bournemouth Miss Isles disappeared。 Steven later become involved with a criminal gang and ends up in prison。 On his release he finds out that he has a son and the newfound feelings he has for his son seem to spur him on to do what he does next; search for his missing teacher and try to discover the secrets of the Twyford Code。 I read this on kindle and maybe it would have been easier to follow in a paper format。 The story itself is brilliantly written and is very clever。 The characters are well portrayed and I couldn’t help but get behind Steven who was a product of his upbringing and I felt sad for how his life had been。 You should read this and decide for yourself。 For me it’s a 4 for the story but 3 for the layout so 3。5⭐️ 。。。more
Alison
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Three and a half stars。Steven Smith gets out of prison after spending eleven years inside for armed robbery and murder。 Determined to go straight after a lifetime working for a London gang he tries to reconnect with his son， a maths professor at Brunel University without success。 Dyslexic and practically illiterate， he uses an old iPhone his son gave him to record a sort of diary and also interviews with other people。 These audio files have been retrieved and transcribed by a computer which some Three and a half stars。Steven Smith gets out of prison after spending eleven years inside for armed robbery and murder。 Determined to go straight after a lifetime working for a London gang he tries to reconnect with his son， a maths professor at Brunel University without success。 Dyslexic and practically illiterate， he uses an old iPhone his son gave him to record a sort of diary and also interviews with other people。 These audio files have been retrieved and transcribed by a computer which sometimes mistakes Steven's London accent so that the words 'must have' is transcribed as 'mustard'。Steven's criminal life began forty years earlier， he found an old children's book on a bus and took it with him to school， hoping he could sell it and buy some fish and chips。 His Remedial English teacher Miss Iles catches him with the book and reads it aloud to the class。 The book's author Edith Twyford was an Enid Blytonesque character， her books were beloved of children but loathed by academics as being elitist， racist， sexist， xenophobic and pretty much every other label you care to mention。 One day Miss Iles took the Remedial English class on a school trip to visit Edith Twyford's home， Steven's memories of that day are foggy， what happened to Miss Iles？ How did five schoolchildren get home？ After that day Steven never returned to school and fell in with the notorious Harrison family。The reader goes on a journey with Steven， through reading the audio files， to discover what really happened that day with Miss Iles with the help of the four other children who were in his Remedial English class。 Along the way he discovers that there is a persistent rumour/urban myth surrounding Edith Twyford and her husband that they were variously: German spies sending coded messages in her books to Nazi Germany; English spies sending coded messages to allies; thieves who stole billions in British gold bullion which was supposed to have been shipped to Canada for safe-keeping during WW2; people trying to stop the theft of the gold bullion。I don't know how I feel about this book。 Part of me feels like I've been Keyser Söze'd （from the film The Usual Suspects） because there are so many stories within stories， stories which turn out not to be true， gotcha moments etc。 The trouble with this sort of book/film is that once it ends the （this） reader is left suspecting that if they dissected the book carefully it would all fall apart and/or it was all a waste of time。It was clever， but not for example in the same way as The Eighth Detective which was twisty and turny and made my head hurt but had a structure to it。Overall， I enjoyed reading it， but I think I would have preferred the less complicated story。I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Jon
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The idea was interesting， but the idea of transcribed audio recordings for the whole book was a bit much。 The story also came across as too 'clever' for me in ways I can't elaborate without spoiling。 If you liked the Appeal， this is definitely worth a read， but for me it wasn't as enjoyable an experience。 The idea was interesting， but the idea of transcribed audio recordings for the whole book was a bit much。 The story also came across as too 'clever' for me in ways I can't elaborate without spoiling。 If you liked the Appeal， this is definitely worth a read， but for me it wasn't as enjoyable an experience。 。。。more
Karen Bell
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I really wanted to love this book。 I like the authors previous book but struggled with this one。 The premise is interesting and pulls you into the story and I understood the idea of having pulled the dialogue from retrieved deleted phone messages。 That was different and I could have managed the 'missile's and 'mustard' but there were other parts where I had to keep rereading to understand what was actually being said and not just the audio spellchecker best guess。 This lead to a very disjointed I really wanted to love this book。 I like the authors previous book but struggled with this one。 The premise is interesting and pulls you into the story and I understood the idea of having pulled the dialogue from retrieved deleted phone messages。 That was different and I could have managed the 'missile's and 'mustard' but there were other parts where I had to keep rereading to understand what was actually being said and not just the audio spellchecker best guess。 This lead to a very disjointed reading experience and （for me） spoilt the flow of the book。 。。。more
Louise
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The Twyford Code by Janice HallettFirst off I loved this authors first book ‘The Appeal’ and like that book I devoured this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it， and like， The Appeal， this book I fear will be Marmite。 Loved or hated in equal measure。 Steven Smith is released from a long stretch in prison and while he was there he was finally taught to read， this prompts memories in him from 40 years before and the mysterious disappearance of his teacher， Miss Isles after her reading a book that had The Twyford Code by Janice HallettFirst off I loved this authors first book ‘The Appeal’ and like that book I devoured this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it， and like， The Appeal， this book I fear will be Marmite。 Loved or hated in equal measure。 Steven Smith is released from a long stretch in prison and while he was there he was finally taught to read， this prompts memories in him from 40 years before and the mysterious disappearance of his teacher， Miss Isles after her reading a book that had Steven found。。 I am not going to say more about the plot as it is tightly coiled mystery that me describing will only give it away！The book is written from the transcripts that steven records on his estranged sons phone， it takes some getting used to as some words are spelt as they are heard。。 so must of becomes mustard etc and this happens a lot。。 and I think this is another reason it will be disliked but it was do able even if I had to read some parts a few times。The book relies on memories and the fact that everyone sees/remembers things differently and that the memory lies， it manipulates and it forgets to protect。 The characters: hmm can’t say that I partially liked any of them really。。 one thing。。 they are all unreliable narrators。。 you are never sure who is right and who is wrong and this is a brilliant trick that the author has used in The Appeal and some people will hate it and others will love it （I love it – I am naive enough to believe and not question so the revel is always a shock）The story was tightly weaved and I loved it， there is a feeling of horror， of foreboding that is always there underneath， the knowledge that something bad is going to happen。 I cannot wait for Ms Halletts next book。 I cant wait to see what and where she goes next。#TheTwyfordCode #NetGalley #Contempary #England #Mystery 。。。more
Kate: The Quick and the Read
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Let me get this out here first: I loved Janice Hallett's debut novel， 'The Appeal'。 Everything about it was fantastic， from the modern epistolary style to the brilliantly relatable setting of a small-town amateur dramatics society。 The characters were immediately recognisable types and the plot was unpredictable in all the best ways。 Cosy， witty and so clever - I absolutely gulped it down and put 'The Twyford Code' at the top of my most anticipated books of 2022。Thanks to NetGalley and Viper for Let me get this out here first: I loved Janice Hallett's debut novel， 'The Appeal'。 Everything about it was fantastic， from the modern epistolary style to the brilliantly relatable setting of a small-town amateur dramatics society。 The characters were immediately recognisable types and the plot was unpredictable in all the best ways。 Cosy， witty and so clever - I absolutely gulped it down and put 'The Twyford Code' at the top of my most anticipated books of 2022。Thanks to NetGalley and Viper for my advance copy of this book， to be released in January 2022。This book uses transcripts of messages recorded by the main protagonist， Steven Smith。 He is a man with a shady past who is working to solve a mystery that has haunted him since his schooldays when his teacher， Miss Iles， disappeared on a school trip。 The key to uncovering the truth seems to lie with his remedial English class and a children's novel by now-disgraced writer Edith Twyford that holds a code。 As Steven visits the people and places from his past， it becomes obvious that the Twyford Code is bigger than he could have imagined。。。There was so much about this book that I loved， particularly the clever plotting。 As with 'The Appeal'， the significance of seemingly irrelevant details only become obvious in retrospect - I think this woud be a book better read in physical copy so that the reader can flick backwards easily to revisit clues （this is tricky in the Kindle version）。 I found the story compelling and loved the various twists and turns along the way - I literally had no clue where the story was going， even as it neared the end。I also loved the fact that the mystery centres on a writer and the clues hidden in her novels - a kind of Enid Blyton figure whose books have now been abandoned by the new generation as being outdated and containing some very dubious racial and gender ideas。 As a life-long bookworm who was raised on Blyton's books，。 there was something very relatable and vivid in this idea。However， I'd say that the transcript format was harder to read than the emails and voicemails of 'The Appeal'。 I think this is partially due to the nature of transcripts themselves with errors in transcription - Miss Iles becomes 'missiles'， etc。 - which took a while to adjust to， although I accept that this is very well done。 Also， the fact that most of the novel is told in one voice was less varied and engaging for me - especially as Steven is a highly unreliable narrator with only a tiny portion of the story available to him。So does this book match up to 'The Appeal'？The answer is - for me - not quite。 There is so much to love about 'The Twyford Code' and I found it compelling and fascinating。 However， I think I found it more far-fetched than Hallett's original book and harder to relax into - it definitely is a challenge to keep up with the plot twists and revelations and I did find myself lost a couple of times。 I'd still recommend it highly - get a paper copy， clear the diary and lose yourself in a very clever story！ 。。。more
Maria
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Thank you so much for approving my request to read The Twyford Code before publication date！As a reader and lover of The Appeal， I was so excited to read this。 After another brilliantly written， twisty， unique book by Janice Hallett， she’s easily an auto buy author of mine now！ The format， in true Janice style， is so clever， intriguing and easy to read if you want to speed to the conclusion。 Never would have seen the ending coming。I got so engrossed in The Twyford Code I forgot there was an actu Thank you so much for approving my request to read The Twyford Code before publication date！As a reader and lover of The Appeal， I was so excited to read this。 After another brilliantly written， twisty， unique book by Janice Hallett， she’s easily an auto buy author of mine now！ The format， in true Janice style， is so clever， intriguing and easy to read if you want to speed to the conclusion。 Never would have seen the ending coming。I got so engrossed in The Twyford Code I forgot there was an actual story line and LOADS of other stuff going on！ On a personal note， I read this book while struggling with LOTS of long night feeds， middle of the night anxiety attacks， and a sickness bug， and it really helped me get through them， giving my brain and imagination something so much more interesting and engrossing to focus on， rather than how tired/rubbish I felt。。 so for that， I thank you enormously。 。。。more
zoe Hitchen
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A unique mystery read！ The format of the story is different as it is mainly consists of audio file recordings onto an iPhone ， which initially takes some getting use to。 Steve Smith has been released from prison and begins to reminisce about his school days and also his life。 He reunites with his son who he had very little contact with ， his son is not keen on restarting a relationship but gives his dad a phone so he can text him。Smith then begins to record files about his early school life and A unique mystery read！ The format of the story is different as it is mainly consists of audio file recordings onto an iPhone ， which initially takes some getting use to。 Steve Smith has been released from prison and begins to reminisce about his school days and also his life。 He reunites with his son who he had very little contact with ， his son is not keen on restarting a relationship but gives his dad a phone so he can text him。Smith then begins to record files about his early school life and how he found a book The Twyford code ， and he begins to believe that this code exists and wants to solve it。 He gets in touch with old school friends and sets off to try and solve the code。Once I got used to the format I found the story very engaging and it kept me reading into the night， the writing is both clever and intriguing and I loved the ending。Highly recommended and looking forward to more from the author。Thanks to NetGalley and Viper Books。 。。。more
Alison
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What a fabulous book。 If you love puzzles and being taken on a fun， intriguing ride， you will absolutely adore it。 Through the medium of transcribed audio files， the author mixes humour and heart into a tale of secret wartime codes hidden in vintage children’s books， missing persons and rumours of treasure。 And that’s only one layer of the story。 It’s so full of twisty detail that when you reach the triumphant conclusion you want to go back to the start and read it all over again just to admire What a fabulous book。 If you love puzzles and being taken on a fun， intriguing ride， you will absolutely adore it。 Through the medium of transcribed audio files， the author mixes humour and heart into a tale of secret wartime codes hidden in vintage children’s books， missing persons and rumours of treasure。 And that’s only one layer of the story。 It’s so full of twisty detail that when you reach the triumphant conclusion you want to go back to the start and read it all over again just to admire how clever the author is。 This is a beautiful book about love and the power of stories。Janice Hallett’s previous book The Appeal has been on my wish list for ages and I will definitely be buying it now， and can’t wait for future works from this ingenious writer。 I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback。 Thanks to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books。 。。。more
Nicky Maunder
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 First of all。 Just wow！ There’s some content warning/potential spoilers （don’t worry - they’re not the FULL spoilers 😉）， check out at the end for more info。 This time round you’re following an ex con， who can’t let go of his past when， as a kid no one really cares about and likewise he about school， the only teacher he remotely cared about disappeared mysteriously on a school trip。 And there’s also the mysterious （hidden） code written into a series of childrens books。 The format of choice for th First of all。 Just wow！ There’s some content warning/potential spoilers （don’t worry - they’re not the FULL spoilers 😉）， check out at the end for more info。 This time round you’re following an ex con， who can’t let go of his past when， as a kid no one really cares about and likewise he about school， the only teacher he remotely cared about disappeared mysteriously on a school trip。 And there’s also the mysterious （hidden） code written into a series of childrens books。 The format of choice for this is transcripts （by computer software） of some audio files， as you follow the story of The Twyford Code。 I really don’t know how Hallett plucks these alternative format/ideas out of her head， but this was another genius read。 Very， very clever！ It should be said that there is a lot （a lot！） going on in this read， and the transcription of audio files format requires your attention。 There’s multiple stories to unravel as you have Steve’s investigation into the Code， his past endeavours that lead him to spend time in prison and his past。 He’s more an anti-hero as his past is revealed - but you do feel sorry for him （well I did anyway！） I really loved this one - Hallett is firm becoming one of my favourite authors and really pulls me into the crime genre （not one usually a go to read for me）。 I also loved how this was a （non romantic） love letter。 Can’t wait for book 3！ ⚠️Content warning/potential spoilers: there’s references to murder， domestic abuse， gang violence ⚠️ 。。。more
Debbie Rayner
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Another absolutely fascinating story from Ms Hallett。So clever and as with The Appeal， almost impossible to put down and equally difficult to review without spoilers。I couldn't wait to read it and wasn't disappointed。 This book will be on my 'pressies for friends and family' list this year just as The Appeal was last year。Cracking good story。Highly recommend。 Another absolutely fascinating story from Ms Hallett。So clever and as with The Appeal， almost impossible to put down and equally difficult to review without spoilers。I couldn't wait to read it and wasn't disappointed。 This book will be on my 'pressies for friends and family' list this year just as The Appeal was last year。Cracking good story。Highly recommend。 。。。more
Thesincouch
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Hallett gets better and better and she isn't afraid to try new forms to tell a story。 I loved the epistolary form of THE APPEAL but THE TWYFORD CODE goes a step further and it is so so clever。 Hallett deftly manages up to three story lines at the same time in such a satisfactory way。 I don't want to say anything more because it feels like spoiling it。 Needless to say， Hallett is an auto-buy。 Hallett gets better and better and she isn't afraid to try new forms to tell a story。 I loved the epistolary form of THE APPEAL but THE TWYFORD CODE goes a step further and it is so so clever。 Hallett deftly manages up to three story lines at the same time in such a satisfactory way。 I don't want to say anything more because it feels like spoiling it。 Needless to say， Hallett is an auto-buy。 。。。more
Bubblestarlet
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I was super excited to read this as I loved the authors previous book。 Unfortunately， I didn’t enjoy this one as much。 I’m unsure whether it was the format （audio transcripts via a voice translation app） or whether the story was too clever for me。 I almost gave up several times。However， I decided to persevere and was glad that I did as the latter half of the book really ramps up and there are a number of twists and turns （which I had both hoped and expected given previous experience of this auth I was super excited to read this as I loved the authors previous book。 Unfortunately， I didn’t enjoy this one as much。 I’m unsure whether it was the format （audio transcripts via a voice translation app） or whether the story was too clever for me。 I almost gave up several times。However， I decided to persevere and was glad that I did as the latter half of the book really ramps up and there are a number of twists and turns （which I had both hoped and expected given previous experience of this author）。It’s been really hard to rate， but I’ve decided to go with 2。5 stars It’s very skilfully written， and the plot is clever， which although I didn’t love it， I can still appreciate。 It’s a book that will get people talking for sure， and that is no bad thing。Thanks to Viper Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for this honest review 。。。more
Georgina Candy
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Thank you to NetGalley for my preview copy of this book。 I loved The Appeal and read it in one sitting。 As soon as I saw this available， I had to read it。 This book is just as good and has so many twists all the way through。 This is a story you have to read a couple of times to really get to grips with the characters and the plot ， you will definitely see more every time you read it。Can’t wait for more from this author
rosegold
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I’ve not read Hallett’s first novel， The Appeal， although it’s been on my TBR since seeing all the enthusiastic reviews。 So， when the opportunity for a proof of The Twyford Code came up I jumped at the chance。 I hadn’t read the synopsis， I just liked mysterious sounding title！I absolutely loved this book and yet I’m finding this a very difficult review to write。 This book is super original and tells a great story。 My difficulty is in explaining how wonderful the different elements are， without g I’ve not read Hallett’s first novel， The Appeal， although it’s been on my TBR since seeing all the enthusiastic reviews。 So， when the opportunity for a proof of The Twyford Code came up I jumped at the chance。 I hadn’t read the synopsis， I just liked mysterious sounding title！I absolutely loved this book and yet I’m finding this a very difficult review to write。 This book is super original and tells a great story。 My difficulty is in explaining how wonderful the different elements are， without giving anything away。 I can talk about the plot （majorly intriguing）， the characterisation （solid and believable） and the themes （important）。 But that’s not where the magic lies。 And this book is magic， not in a fantasy sense （it’s not that genre） but in how brilliantly it is conceived。 I’ve never read anything like it！Ostensibly it’s the story of Steven Smith who on release from a long prison stretch is ‘going straight’。 Part of that is trying to reconnect with the son who he didn’t knew he had， part is trying to come to terms with a childhood event。 As is often the case， Steven does not have a full recollection of his childhood trauma。 It involves him finding a book which he takes to Miss Isles the remedial English class teacher。 The class gets excited about the book because Miss Isles believes it contains a secret code and that leads to a class trip during which Miss Isles disappears。 There is， however， a lot more to the story… which I can’t discuss。The story is told in a very original format， through transcripts of recordings made by Steve onto an old iphone。 He is making these recordings after leaving prison， for Maxine his probation officer。It’s an intricate， multi-layered story which I know I’ll enjoy re-reading in the future。 I’ll be trying to spot clues and seeing if there are any bits of secret code hidden in there which I’ve missed or something。 Epic fun！Highly recommended to lovers of great mysteries everywhere！ 。。。more
Mel （CrazyforBooksandCoffee）
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I am sorry to say I have had to put this book down unfinished at 150 pages I loved the first book and was so looking forward to this one but I just coudlnt get into it its taken me ages to even manage to get this far in。 I just didn't like it at all。 I am sorry to say I have had to put this book down unfinished at 150 pages I loved the first book and was so looking forward to this one but I just coudlnt get into it its taken me ages to even manage to get this far in。 I just didn't like it at all。 。。。more
Chantelle Hazelden
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I LOVED Janice's first book， The Appeal。 It was unique in its delivery and had me guessing from start to finish。So I was more than a little excited when I was given a proof of her latest novel， The Twyford Code。And I can say hand on heart， it doesn't disappoint。This time the story is based around a set of audio files that were discovered on an iphone 4。 A mystery begins and the clues are laid out slowly。Genius。Just when I thought I had things figured out， the tale took surprising turns in variou I LOVED Janice's first book， The Appeal。 It was unique in its delivery and had me guessing from start to finish。So I was more than a little excited when I was given a proof of her latest novel， The Twyford Code。And I can say hand on heart， it doesn't disappoint。This time the story is based around a set of audio files that were discovered on an iphone 4。 A mystery begins and the clues are laid out slowly。Genius。Just when I thought I had things figured out， the tale took surprising turns in various directions。I was desperate to crack the code （spoiler， I didn't manage it）And boy oh boy the twist of all twists。I don't how Janice does it。I'm already thinking a re-read is in order to see if I can spot something that I missed first time around。Highly recommended。 。。。more
The Cookster
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Rating: 4。6/5I really enjoyed Janice Hallett's innovative debut novel， "The Appeal" and this second book is even better。 On the face of it， "The Twyford Code" is about a former prisoner， Steven Smith， looking back on a significant moment from his childhood: Steven comes across a book by the famous writer if children's fiction， Edith Twyford （based very obviously on Enid Blyton）。 The teacher of Steven's remedial English class， Miss Isles， is convinced that there is a secret code that runs through Rating: 4。6/5I really enjoyed Janice Hallett's innovative debut novel， "The Appeal" and this second book is even better。 On the face of it， "The Twyford Code" is about a former prisoner， Steven Smith， looking back on a significant moment from his childhood: Steven comes across a book by the famous writer if children's fiction， Edith Twyford （based very obviously on Enid Blyton）。 The teacher of Steven's remedial English class， Miss Isles， is convinced that there is a secret code that runs through this and other books by the same author and she even takes the class on a trip to Dorset to visit the home of Edith Twyford。 However， during the trip Miss Isles disappears， but Steven's memory won't allow him to remember the details surrounding that day。 Having been released from prison many years later， Steven starts to look into both his teacher's disappearance and the veracity of the mysterious Twyford Code。As she did in her debut， Janice Hallett takes an unconventional and original approach to constructing this novel。 This time around she makes use of the medium of voice recordings as the vehicle for the narrative。 If you are the kind of person who likes your reading material to be full of flowing prose， then this will probably not be the book for you， as you are likely to find it irritating。 However， for those who enjoy seeing a writer trying something fresh and different that both challenges and engages the reader in an unorthodox way， this is a welcome breath of fresh air。 Yes， it is likely to take you a little while to become accustomed to following the format relatively fluently， but once you have you can really begin to appreciate the degree of craft， and also the wit， that has gone into the format of the content。There is something very satisfying about a complicated mystery that （ultimately） actually makes sense。 "The Twyford Code" has been so cleverly assembled and the eventual unravelling of the mystery is an absolute joy。 This may not be one for conservative traditionalists， but that aside， if you are a keen reader of the mystery genre， then I would urge you to add this to your reading list。 I don't give out many 5-star ratings for book reviews， but "The Twyford Code" absolutely deserves that mark and I am already looking forward to book three from Janice Hallett。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Elli （Kindig Blog）
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I haven’t read Janice Hallett’s previous book ‘The Appeal’， but I can see from its reviews that it’s a sharp and clever thriller with an unusual narrative style。 It certainly seems that Hallett has found herself a niche as The Twyford Code is very similar。 The narrative style is very odd and can at first be quite jarring。 The chapters are written as audio files which have been transcribed （badly） by automated software。 We are warned at the beginning of the piece that certain words have been mis- I haven’t read Janice Hallett’s previous book ‘The Appeal’， but I can see from its reviews that it’s a sharp and clever thriller with an unusual narrative style。 It certainly seems that Hallett has found herself a niche as The Twyford Code is very similar。 The narrative style is very odd and can at first be quite jarring。 The chapters are written as audio files which have been transcribed （badly） by automated software。 We are warned at the beginning of the piece that certain words have been mis-typed （such as ‘mustard’ instead of ‘must have’ etc） and the whole book is quite a rambling point of view as Steven Smith， having escaped from prison tries to figure out a childhood mystery。 I must admit I didn’t initially get on with the style of writing， but it turned out to be a very clever narrative device。The story itself takes on many twists and turns and we get the air of a very unreliable narrator。 There are many threads to the plot and Steve flits between them constantly – telling the story that landed him in jail， memories of his childhood class field trip， trying to solve the mystery of the Twyford Code – it all seems a bit jumbled in places。 However， stick with it and the pay off is exceptional。 The last few chapters had me gasping as they slowly revealed the truth of the book I had been reading for the past few days。 My only point would be， unusually for me who loves my Kindle， that this book might perhaps be enjoyed more in paper-format as you can jump around the re-read the specific audio files that are mentioned in the denouement with new eyes。Steven Smith is an interesting main character， a man who is almost illiterate， out on parole with a drinking problem and limited prospects in life。 Although he has a shady past， we do feel some empathy for him as he tries to get his friends together and solve the mystery。 I did feel like the middle section （particularly when they visit various ‘banks’） felt very slow moving and more confusing than it needed to be in regard to the ending。Overall， The Twyford Code is a really clever thriller with an ending that you won’t see coming and will leave you gasping with shock。 Another fantastic 2022 read – thank you to NetGalley & Viper Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review。For more of my reviews， including peeks at the upcoming sure-fire bestsellers of 2022 check out www。kindig。co。uk 。。。more
Kenna
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Steve Smith， recently released from prison， is navigating life on the ‘outside’ working in a lorry park and living in a hostel。 He wants to stay on the ‘straight and narrow’ and starts recording audio-files for his Probation Officer Maxine chronicling his unstable childhood， school years and falling in with the Harrisons， a South London crime family， and his life now he’s out of prison。 He sets about making it his mission to uncover the disappearance of his inspiring English Teacher， Miss Isles， Steve Smith， recently released from prison， is navigating life on the ‘outside’ working in a lorry park and living in a hostel。 He wants to stay on the ‘straight and narrow’ and starts recording audio-files for his Probation Officer Maxine chronicling his unstable childhood， school years and falling in with the Harrisons， a South London crime family， and his life now he’s out of prison。 He sets about making it his mission to uncover the disappearance of his inspiring English Teacher， Miss Isles， who went missing on a school trip to Bournemouth。 He visits his local Library and befriends Lucy， a Librarian， who helps him with his research and book selections。 With her help he tracks down his classmates for their help in unearthing the truth of what happened that day。 Was her disappearance linked to one of Edith Twyford’s Secret Six books that he found on a bus and brought into class？ Miss Isles read the book to the class and how they’d engaged with the story， so much so Miss Isles read Twyford’s other books to the class and organised a trip to Bournemouth to see where Edith Twyford lived and wrote。 Had Miss Isles discovered a secret code in the book and was the trip to Bournemouth a rouse？ Are their lives now in danger as they try to decipher the code？ The book reads as individual transcribed audio files， which I found highly original， intriguing and engrossing。 I loved the code aspect of the book and was left genuinely surprised by the twists and turns。 I have not read Janice Hallett’s first book， but I will seek it out and will look out for other forthcoming Hallett books。 Huge thanks to Netgalley and Viper books for making this ARC available to me for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Twyford Code
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Twyford Code&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Twyford Code&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0