Can you crack: The Twyford Code (by Janice Hallett)

Janice Hallett is one of the most inventive, original and distinctive (crime fiction) authors whom I have ever read. I loved her first book, The Appeal which was told entirely in documents. The Twyford Code is also a novel with its very own take on the genre.

The Twyford Code is told in a series of transcripts of voice recordings. They are made by a man, Steven “Smithy” Smith who has recently been released from prison. While there, Smithy learned to read and his life was forever changed.

Smithy has been thinking about a teacher from many years ago. Her name was Miss Isles and she taught the “slow” students, including the book’s narrator. Miss Isles may be very connected to what is called the Twyford Code. Twyford was an author of children’s books and many think that clues were embedded within them. Do these clues relate to WWII and gold or something else entirely? Smithy wants to find out mainly to know what happened to his teacher. This leads him to reconnect with old school friends and to go on an epic quest, partly helped by Lucy, a librarian.

The book takes a little while to attain full speed but it is worth it to keep going until the final pages. There are so many twists and turns. I can’t wait to see what the author does next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this title. All opinions are my own.

This novel was published in January 2023.

From the Publisher