About the book
(via Exclusive Books)
Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. Wanting to know more, he took it to his English teacher Miss Iles, not realising the chain of events that he was setting in motion. Miss Iles became convinced that the book was the key to solving a puzzle, and that a message in secret code ran through all Twyford’s novels. Then Miss Iles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven has no memory of what happened to her. Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Iles murdered? Was she deluded? Or 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 Iles, 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… Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Alex Pavesi and S.J. Bennett, The Twyford Code will keep you up puzzling late into the night.
My thoughts:
My thoughts:The first thing I must mention is the format of the writing. Most of the book is transcripts of audio files, so it feels as if you are playing the role of detective throughout. To decipher the story line, you are to identify characters, distractions like general background noise and a fast-unfolding mystery.
I found “The Twyford Code” a very exciting read, with clues and insinuations dotted throughout and if I must be honest, the constant intrigue of “What the hell IS going on here??” It is Edith Blyton meets Dan Brown meets Agatha Christie.
You will find a couple of curve balls getting flung your way, and it is a bit challenging to write a review of this specific book without sharing any spoilers. I found “The Twyford Code” thoroughly entertaining and enjoyed the clever and innovative way the author, Janice Hallett, draws the reader into this maze of clues and puzzles.
I have seen rave reviews about “The Appeal”, this author’s previous novel, so after reading “The Twyford Code”, I’m super keen to check that out.
Thank you to Exclusive Books for this review copy.
About the author: Janice Hallett | sheil-land (sheilland.com)
RRR (Roelia Reads Rating) is 4/5!
What I read: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, by Janice Hallett
