I must admit that I was perhaps setting too high expectations of this book. I absolutely adored Janice Hallett's first book "The Appeal" and was expecting something similarly gripping. I am afraid that I was a bit disappointed.
She is still using an original form, this time reading recorded transcripts about events in the past but I just found it a bit tiring after a while.
I also struggled to warm to the protagonist, Steven. I really do feel bad because I would probably have enjoyed it more if I had not been quite as excited about its publication. I am giving it a three and a half star but I will still look out for any future novels, perhaps they will recreate the magic of her first.

The follow up to Halletts excellent debut 'The Appeal', sadly for me doesn't quite match up to it's predecessor. Using transcripts to tell the story worked brilliantly in Joseph Knox's True Crime Story, but here things are told through the transcript of a recorded event, and then by our 'hero' recounting events - this slows things down, is repetitive and at times I thought I'd somehow gone back rather than turning pages forward. The final quarter is better paced as other point of views are included but several of the twists are easy to see coming. This didn't live up to my expectations, although Hallett has the knack for an inventive format and I'll always look out for future books by her - even if this one didn't quite gel for me.

Absolutely brilliant. I hadn't heard of Hallett at all, and only chose the book because the cover was attractive, and I like codes. After reading this, I'm gagging to get hold of The Appeal.

In The Twyford Code, we get rumours of World War II secret caches of gold, wrapped up in an entirely new - and possibly more credible - way. Framing devices serve to make an unreliable (newly released, only partially literate, ex-con, Steve Smith) even more dubious, but our pity for his harsh life story suspends disbelief.

He interleaves the story of his life with that of codes hidden in a series of children's books written during WWII, and the abrupt disappearance of his beloved remedial teacher during an unofficial school outing. It was riveting and the only caveat I can issue to potential readers is: go to the bathroom, and eat, before you start this, because you will not be able to tear yourself away from it to attend to more mundane matters after about page 3.

I sincerely hope Hallett's agent is in negotiations with Hollywood, because this has all the hallmarks (especially the forehead-smacking ending) of The Usual Suspects - although, unlike that, once you've finished this, you will probably re-read it, just to double-check all the clues.

Rollicking read, huge thanks to Netgalley and Serpent's Tail for the ARC, now lock that woman in a room until she produces another one as good!

The intersection of mystery and technology is a real area of interest for me, and there are some authors doing brilliant things. There also seems to be a resurgence of love for the epistolary novel (including Hallett's first novel, The Appeal), taking advantage of the many and varied ways social groups contact each other these days using the written word. The Twyford Code sits beautifully square at the centre of this Venn diagram, and does interesting things with methods of storytelling while providing a real romp of a story.

The Twyford Code is a series of voice recordings taken from an abandoned phone in which Smithy tells his probation officer about trying to track down an ex-teacher of his who went missing while on a school trip. Along the way we learn about Smithy's previous career as a grunt working for the local mafia, and uncover a tale of literary espionage from the Second World War.

One of the things that fascinated me is the clever way Hallett uses our implicit mistrust of the accuracy of technology as a plot device in a story that revolves around codes left in texts right under the reader's nose. Reliability in general is called into question throughout the novel, as the reader is presented with an Enid Blyton-esque author who might be bigot, patriot, double-agent, or simply a children's author. Smithy himself is called into question for his reliability as his narration seems to increasingly contradict itself.

What I don't want to suggest is that the story itself is over-shadowed by the way it's told. Hallett packs in a lot of content, filled with twists and turns, that will leave you promising 'one more chapter' late into the night. Smithy himself is a loveable character, easy to root for, and an engaging narrator.

Hallett barely pauses for breath in this brilliantly paced spy (?) thriller, but there is still room for emotional connection with the characters, and a last act twist that will have you wanting to read the book all over again.

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett is published on January 13th, 2022, and is available for pre-order here.

With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley.com for providing an electronic ARC.

My goodness, what a read! Completely blindsided throughout a multi layered and detailed book and I loved it. I loved thinking I knew where it was going… and realising I didn’t have a notion. It starts with Steven Smith and a copy of a famous children’s book he finds while on a bus. Handing it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Isles, she believes this particular copy is key to solving a decades-long puzzle. But growing up, Steven’s got other worries (you cannot not feel sorry for him as his story unfolds) to contend with – his mixed up family situation for one. However, the secret code that runs through Edith Twyford’s books proves too delicious and enticing to ignore, certainly for their teacher, who takes the class on a field trip with a difference. Now out of prison and getting to grips with technology for the first time – the story is told through voice recordings, an innovative and clever way of putting it across – Steven wants to find his old classmates and get back on the trail. And this time, it’s personal. I’m not sure any review is going to adequately explain this book, it is simply one you have to enjoy (give up everything else, you will only want to read this book).

The Twyford Code | Janice Hallett
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Hallett's first book, The Appeal was all over #bookstagram a couple of months ago and I read and devoured it in a very short space of time. It was brilliant, so clever and not like any crime book I'd read before. So I was mega excited when I was approved to read her follow up book The Twyford Code on @netgalley.
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Sadly, for me, this one did not have the same hooked in feeling, I felt like she suffered from difficult second album syndrome (possibly made that up).
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It follows a different format to the first, we are reading transcripts of audio files rather than case notes with texts, emails and letters. And we're just seeing one point of view for the majority of the book, initially I was drawn in by this but it soon became repetitive until about the final quarter of the book where other POVs came in to play.
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I will definitely read any other books written by Hallett as I enjoyed The Appeal so much, this one just didn't float my boat.
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#netgalley #review #theappeal #thetwyfordcode #crime #code #codebreaker #mystery #bookworm #booksof2022 #booklover #bibliophile #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #readingtime

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Thank you NetGalley and Viper Books for the eARC!

I read Janice Hallett's debut The Appeal last month and loved it, so I couldn't click the Request button quick enough when I saw The Twyford Code on NetGalley!

Yet again, the author uses an unusual format to tell the story. In this case it's transcripts of voice recordings found on a phone. An inspector sends the transcripts to a university professor asking for his opinion. It's not just the format that's quirky, but the writing too. The system used to transcribe the voice recordings occasionally 'heard' wrong, so, at times, the reader isn't sure what is meant.

The messages were recorded by Steven Smith, an ex-convict recently released from prison after 11 years. Steve has become obsessed with finding out what happened to one of his school teachers who disappeared during a class trip +40 year ago. Trying to solve this mystery leads him to...the Twyford Code.

I really enjoyed it. It's very clever and I couldn't wait to find out more, to see what else Steve discovers and where it leads him, but also what happened to him, since we find out from the start that an inspector has his phone.

My biggest complaint on The Appeal was that I didn't find the characters' reliance on emailing believable, but the use of voice recordings makes sense in The Twyford Code.

Loved the ending! I did not have any suspicions (almost) until it was all revealed, but perhaps I read it too lightly (plus I suck at codes haha). The only thing I didn't like about it was that the author had to rely on using the characters to explain everything to us in the last bits. So I didn't get the same sense of excitement as I did with trying to answer questions in The Appeal, but the eARC format didn't help at all! It wouldn't even store my notes, so I didn't really bother trying to go back to find clues. I just read the explanation and that was that.

Overall, I liked the plot and characters more than those in The Appeal, but I had more fun reading Janice Hallett's first book.

I would definitely recommend The Twyford Code, though!

I loved The Appeal and so I was so excited to be accepted to read this book and i loved this just as much as The Appeal. Janice Hallett has such an unique and interesting approach to writing that is so engaging and allows the reader to feel like they are solving the puzzles alongside the people investigating the crimes/mysteries. I loved it and really hope another book comes along soon

I loved Hallett’s debut, The Appeal, so I was very excited to receive a copy of her new release, The Twyford Code.

Steven Smith, recently released from a long stretch in prison, tells of his childhood through a series of audio files. Like her previous novel, Hallett presents the mystery to the reader as a transcript of police files, with the objective of a mystery to solve.
Forty years previously, Steven found an old children’s book by author Edith Twyford and shows it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Isles. She believes that he has discovered the key to a secret code. On a school trip, Miss Isles disappears. Steven is determined to solve the mystery of what happened that day and sets out on an adventure of epic proportions.

I absolutely loved this. The transcript of the audio files takes a while to get used to, and there are some amusing translation errors, but you soon get drawn into the story. This is a very clever, complicated, intriguing and unique novel.
The ending was absolutely fabulous and, for me, totally unpredictable.
I eagerly await Hallett’s next release!

Thanks to Viper Books and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and Viper Books for allowing me early access to The Twyford Code. I really enjoyed The Appeal so had to swiftly request this one as soon as I saw it was available.

Whilst I did really enjoy this one I didn't love it as much as The Appeal. Let's start with what I did enjoy;

- I loved the unique format of this book and think this is something Hallett does really well with her books. They're not your typical format which makes it even the more intriguing; I enjoyed the voice note format and the transcription of those voice notes.
- Overall I enjoyed the story and how this developed; I thought that it was a unique story and I liked the way everything weaved together by the end of the book. It definitely made me look back at other things that had cropped up in the book in a different light.

What I didn't quite love:

- The plot felt very long and slow; I felt like it definitely went on longer than it needed to and the open ending really didn't work for me because that is just not something I enjoy. It felt like there were a number of things unanswered.
- Whilst i enjoyed the format I didn't expect it to last the whole book and so having one perspective throughout sort of slowed it down for me.

Overall I thought this was a really unique story and interesting format but feel it could have been faster paced.

I've just finished this INCREDIBLE work of fiction and I needed to lie down for a moment. What a rollercoaster. Janice Hallett has well and truly done it again. My mind is officially blown!

Hallett is a master in weaving together an impenetrable plot and taking the reader along for the ride. You really do crack the code with every page.

What a book. What an author. What an original piece of art. And I think Janice Hallett is only just getting started!

Uniquely Told…
What exactly happened to Miss Isles? Steven Smith, fresh from prison, decides to revisit his past and discover exactly that. Something that has forever haunted him. What did happen forty years ago and was the code a reality? With the use of audio transcriptions, which the reader becomes rapidly accustomed to, the mystery begins. Uniquely told with flair, well crafted and with an intriguing premise that delivers through to a wholly satisfying finale. This author at the top of her game.

No need for second book fears here! Yet another totally unique novel from Janice Hallet.
I’m so impressed by how we (the reader) gets to feel the characters simply by - In this case - transcripts. Brilliant work, intriguing story that had me utterly gripped. I absolutely cannot wait for Hallet’s next book.

Brilliant - I was really excited for this as I loved The Appeal, but this is even better. Loved the twists and turns and enjoyed the style once you get used to the format - much like The Appeal. I am so impressed and looking forward to publication so I can share with all I know.

Inevitably, this book will be compared to Janice Hallett's previous novel, The Appeal. For those of you who haven't read it, why the hell not? Why are you reading this review? Stop now, go read The Appeal and when you enjoy it as much as I did, come back and read The Twyford Code.

Seriously though, for those unfortunate enough not to have read The Appeal, Hallett tells the story in the form of written communications between the characters, predominantly emails but also text messages, Whatsapp messages etc. Whilst it shouldn't work in theory, it certainly does in practice!

In The Twyford Code, Hallett employs a different story telling device, transcriptions of audio files. Steven Smith has been in prison for a long stretch and, when released, remembers the mystery surrounding his remedial English Teacher Miss Ilses (or missiles as the software transcribes her name!). One day at school Steve gave Miss Isles a book by Edith Tywford full of notes and annotations. Miss Isles became intrigued by the code but disappeared on a school trip to Edith Tywford's home town with her remedial class.

Steve is determined to find out what happened to Miss Isles that day and in doing so tries to unlock the Twyford Code.

Whilst the transcriptions took a bit of time to get used to (must have is transcribed as mustard etc.) once you get used to it, you will fly through this book.

I love authors who have the creativity and ingenuity to tackle such a unique task such as this one and deliver it in such a way that will leave you looking for clues everywhere.

The ending is fantastic and when you finally unlock the Twyford Code you will not be disappointed. I cannot praise this book and author highly enough and now can't wait to see where she goes next. This is the book I wish I could give more than 5 stars!

Thanks to Viper Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. And thanks to the author for a fantastic novel!

I was lucky enough to be approved on NetGalley by viper books to read The Twyford Code, second novel of Janice Hallett.

I adored Hallett’s first book, The Appeal, so much I think it’s my book of the year. Told through documents such as email and texts, I found it very original and extremely well crafted.

The Twyford Code is no different! This time, the story is revealed through the transcribed audio files of one Steve Smith. Steve is on a mission to discover what happened to his remedial English teacher Miss Isles forty years ago, after she disappeared whilst supervising them on a school trip. Shortly before she disappeared, Steve gave her a book by children’s author Edith Twyford, full of annotations and markings. Was the book the key to Miss Isle’s disappearance, and does it have even greater significance? Find out as you read on…

I’ll admit this book took me a tiny bit longer to get into than The Appeal, but I believe that’s due to the language used. To be as authentic to the style as possible, the audio files are transcribed by software which cannot always discern certain words and phrases in regional dialects, so some words such as ‘must have’ become ‘mustard’ etc. Once I’d gotten used to that I was fully invested in the story!

Part mystery part adventure novel, The Twyford Code shows itself to be excellently plotted and crafted with care. Several plot lines run perfectly, teasing the reader with just enough information to encourage us to read on ever faster!

Even when I thought I knew where the story was going, the story surprised me; the rug deftly pulled from under my feet!

Hallett definitely has a talented for making characters come alive through her original format, as they are as vivid and realistic as any other character given a more traditional style of dialogue and prose.

A fabulous adventure by a skilled writer, try your hand at cracking The Twyford Code.
5⭐️

Absolutely brilliant! I loved this, so cleverly plotted it's a completely absoring story! It's written in the form of transcripts, our protagonist, Steven, uses his son's old mobile phone to voice record notes as he goes about solving a decades old mystery. We are reading the transcripts of all those messages he recorded. It becomes clear that writing isn't perhaps Steven's strong point, hence the use of a recording device. It's a great way to tell a story and all the clues are there for the reader to either put together, or wait for the final reveal. There are some great twists in this, we learn about Steven's past and how it informed some of the choices he went on to make. It's very compelling, I wanted to find out what happened to Miss Isles just as much as he did. The Twyford Code quickly becomes an obsession and I couldn't put it down! If you enjoyed The Appeal, which I also highly recommend, then you will probably enjoy this too. It's full of secrets, mysteries, hazy memories, spies, treasure, secret agents, hidden maps and of course, codes. Really, really recommend!

I think like most people, I had high expectations for this one. An interesting choice of form using audio file transcripts. I think this felt a little too 1 sided for me and I prefer to see more of other character viewpoints. Also how some words got mistranslated I found irritating rather than amusing. However, when this gets going, and even more so after the audio transcripts are read, for me it came into its own. The intricacies of this and how it all unfolds is completely unguessable. I know you shouldn't really compare but I preferred The Appeal just due to the change in character perceptions. Challenging, mysterious, complex.