I loved The Appeal so was expecting wonderful things from The Twyford Code.

I love the format of the book - written as a series of voice recordings and so perfectly detailing the poor quality and mis-heard words that are possible with the medium.

I found that I was confused with all of the characters and a bit of the plot throughout the middle of the book, however, I stuck it out, and I really liked the ending.

A good read if you enjoy a puzzle.

I loved The Appeal and so I was eager to continue with my catch up of books by Janice Hallett. The Twyford Code once again highlights the authors unique and completely engaging writing style. This time we are following voice recordings made by Steven Smith as he tries to get to the bottom of what happened to his English Teacher Miss Isles. For him it all stems from a book that he found by Edith Twyford.
Steven is definitely on a mission to find out what happened in his past and he is also struggling to connect with the son he doesn’t really know. Despite his lack of a proper education and his less than perfect past there is something about him that hopes that he gets to the bottom of the mystery and cracks “the code” that he and several others believe exist in Edith Twyford’s books. What the code ultimately leads to is another mystery but at times I am not sure that this was not as important as finding what happened to his old teacher.
It took me a little time to get into this book as even though you are told that words may be miss-transcribed due to the technology used to convert the voice recordings to written word when I came up against “missiles” I had a complete huh, what moment until my brain caught up and realised it was Miss Isles. Once I let myself just go with the flow I stopped noticing things like that and really got into the story.
There is something very old school mystery about this book and the fact that at the center of it is a series of books about a group of children just adds to this belief. The fact that Steven is also trying to reconnect with friends from his past who are all at different stages of their lives adds to this slightly cozy feel. I should have known better, just as I thought I knew where the book was going the author throws a bit fat spanner into my certainty and made the book into something else and more than I expected. One thing is certain, I have become a huge fan of Janice Hallets work and her different approach to telling a story and I look forward to what’s next.

WOW, what a great book! Jance is a master at creating these books and I devoured every page and LOVED the twist!

I confess I got off to a slow start with this one, and blamed it on the proof copy I received having a lot of spelling mistakes and formatting errors… well imagine my surprise when half way through the story I begin to realise my mistake! I am astounded by the intelligence of this book and how all the threads of the story were woven together so intricately to produce such a clever ending.
I absolutely loved it and have been telling everybody they HAVE to read this!

Hotly anticipated for me after the appeal.

The format whilst unique, takes a lot of patience to get used to but if you can stick with it, it's worth it!

The story itself is well woven & intriguing.

I was so disappointed by this book as I had loved the authors previous work. I felt the book was very confusing. On a positive note the ending wasn’t too bad.

After reading the author's latest ‘The Christmas Appeal’ I jumped straight into this.

I really liked the format of this – taking the form of voice notes/messages on an old iPhone 4 that doesn't have the ability to play back until the iOS is updated. And for Steven Smith this is a problem as he doesn't know how to use technology after a stretch in prison.

It's an intriguing plot where nothing is quite what it seems and it's not until the latter part of teh narrative where things start to form. And also get a little confusing.

But that's okay as the author pretty much explains everything. And it's all very clever.

there are some nice nods to classic literature in the guise of name checks from Lord of the Flies to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. And even what seems the inspiration for The Twyford Code itself – Masquerade. A book written primarily for people to pursue a prize but ultimately to deceive?

The Twyford Code Kept me hooked all the way and the ending worked in a jaw-dropping kind of way. With red herrings galore and clues explained away in that old Ted Rogers 3-2-1 quiz show kind of way – I nodded along and lied to myself that it all exactly worked out the way I had presumed it would be. If it wasn't for those pesky kids.

Actually, in reality I'm useless at working these kind of mysteries out so I was totally taken along for the ride.

Former journalist and British government speechwriter Janice Hallett burst onto the mystery writing scene during the pandemic with The Appeal, a modern take the classic ‘crossword puzzle’ style murder mysteries, with an epistolary twist. Told via letters, emails, and messages, readers were invited to try to solve the mystery alongside two young lawyers looking for ‘the real killer’ among all the documents in a case.

Hallett’s fascinating second novel, The Twyford Code, continues her ‘found documents’ approach; this time readers are given semi-accurate transcripts of audio recordings aging ex-con Steven Smith has made on an old iPhone given to him by his estranged son. Looking for redemption, or perhaps just purpose, Steven tries to find out what happened to his remedial English teacher forty years before. Miss Isles had vanished after an unauthorised field trip to visit the countryside haunts of Edith Twyford, a maligned and rather forgotten children’s author whose old-fashioned mysteries may have contained a secret code to solve a real mystery, along with their racism, sexism, and xenophobia.

Was Miss Isles disappearance linked to the Twyford Code? Shadowy figures seem determined to stop Steven, who cajoles some old classmates into the hunt, with mixed success, and is joined by young librarian Lucy for what becomes a dangerous mission entwined with wartime secrets and London gangs. But how much can we believe?

Hallett deftly keeps readers guessing throughout an entertaining tale. The error-speckled audio transcripts may take readers a while to adjust to, but overall work very well to give voice to characters and a different sheen to the suspects/clues/red herrings nature of a classic mystery. The Twyford Code is an original, intricate mystery. A few pacing issues, perhaps, and at times the conceit threatens to overwhelm the story or our connection to characters, but Hallett brings it all together brilliantly at the end. A very good read.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

After reading and enjoying The Appeal I was looking forward to The Twyford Code. Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me.

This is one of my favourite oils of the year, gifted it to others, I love it that much! Really unique story with a great twist. I was desperate to finish it and couldn’t put it down!

I really enjoyed 'The Appeal' when I read it so I was really excited to read this when I heard about it. I loved the unique way that this author writes a mystery book as it is so different from anything I have ever read before. I definitely think this book dragged a lot and was really slow at times but I did overall enjoy the story. I definitely enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book and could not guess where the plot was going to go next or how the mystery was going to be solved. Really enjoyed this one.

I loved Hallet’s first novel, so was excited to see if The Twyford Code would live up to my expectations. It 100% did. Again Halley has gone for a unique narrative structure; this time the story is told through transcripted voice notes. The characters were well-developed, plot was engaging and there were twists and turns that kept me engaged to the end. A thoroughly great read.

I was such a fan of The Appeal so i was excited to read this, and it did not dissapoint. Now i did find it harder to read and i think it required alot more concentration as i wrapped my head around what was happening. However, it was worth it. I felt like i was solving a puzzle too - like i was in there with the characters and that is what i really enjoy about Janice Halletts writing.

The Twyford code is the second book by Janice Hallett. It is as riveting and compelling as her previous book. The book is written in form of letters that needs to be decoded to understand the deeper mystery behind it. The format of the book is one of the reasons you cannot put the book down. The atmosphere created by the author will only push you to keep reading. There isn't a moment of dullness in the book.

Like her previous book, this one is also a multilayered and complex story. It will prove you wrong and no matter how much you think you know the culprit, it will show you how wrong you were.

My rating for the book is 4 stars.

“Edith Twyford was once a world-famous children's author, but now her only legacy is the rumoured existence of the Twyford Code: a series of clues hidden in her books leading to... what? No one knows - but that hasn't stopped the speculation.
Steve Smith can trace nearly all the bad things in his life back to Edith Twyford. As a child he found one of her books, covered in strange symbols. He showed it to his teacher, Miss Iles, who was convinced it held the key to the code. Within weeks Miss Iles had disappeared, and Steve has no idea if she is dead or alive - or if she was right. Now he's determined to find out.
But the Twyford Code hides secrets some would do anything to possess, and Steve isn't the only one on its trail. The race is on to solve the mystery of the century. Could you get there first?”

I finally finished The Twyford code last Saturday. Whilst I didn’t think it was quite as good as The Appeal I’d definitely recommend reading it f you love a good crime/mystery story; and it is more of a mystery imho.

Please see comments given to the publisher and Netgalley.

I am sorry I am unable to read and therefore review

I liked this book but I have to say at times it did confuse me a little and I’d have to reread a page or 2. I know the format did take me a while to get used to at first.

I think the story itself is a good one and it kept me interested. There is alot going on so it’s certainly a book that you have to be fully focused on or you might miss something. I know some parts left me a little lost and there is lots of characters so I know I was hoping not to forget someone really important.

Overall I did enjoy it but The Appeal stood out for me alot more.

it took me a while to get into this book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was quite a complicated mystery but it was a very well put together mystery. An absolute joy to read.

I couldn't put this down. Cleverly plotted and brilliantly written, I read this in one sitting. I'll be looking out for more from Janice Hallett.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.