3.5 rounding up to a 4. I appreciate how complex and interwoven Hallett's mystery is in this story. It took my some time to get used to the formatting of the story, but once I did it flowed very well. My struggle is that the middle chunk of the story dragged a bit for me. Overall, I would recommend this to readers who enjoy digging into a mystery.

This is my second book from this author, but this one did not live up to The Appeal for me. I found this one hard to follow, and while I typically love epistolary and unique formats, the format of this one just didn't work for me.

Although the book was interesting, I found the format to be confusing. I struggled with the narration and it took me a while to get into this one.

This is a clever and heartfelt book. The middle got a little slow for me, but the ending made it all worthwhile. I loved the main character, Steve, and enjoyed learning more about his past throughout the book.

Wow. Another incredibly inventive story from Janice Hallett. If like me you loved The Appeal, get ready for this one.

This won’t be for everyone. It’s an epistolary, told via transcribed audio recordings. If you’re willing to embrace the highly unusual format, then happy reading!

There’s a lot to keep track of amid the intertwined stories - unfolding the mystery of the Code/Steven’s childhood, and his troubled adult life - but the payoff is worth it. The last few chapters were pure aha moment.

I also loved that words and word play are such important parts of the story, but won’t say more for fear of spoiling anything.

Beyond the wonderful mystery about Miss Iles and Edith Twyford, it also has a ton of heart. About family, relationships, growing up, etc.

I read The Appeal by Janice Hallett and loved it. The story was engrossing and the format it was told through made for an unputdownable read. I was curious how her follow up book would be, and requested it as soon as I saw it on NetGalley. Thank you Atria books for my DRC.

Well quite simply I loved this very clever mystery and its main character Steve. Toggling between 2019 and Steve’s quest to discover what happened to his teacher in 1983 to his life with the Harrison crime family,The Twyford Code pulled me in. And it had me constantly questioning what was real and what wasn’t.

Sharp, a bit mind bending, and extremely well plotted out. Add in characters that you can’t help but root for, and this becomes a book I would highly recommend.

This fun, sharp, puzzle of a story centers on ex-con Steven Smith, recently released from prison and on a mission to solve the mystery of the disappearance of his remedial English teacher Miss Isles that happened about 40 years prior. While in prison, he lost his wife and became estranged from his son, but not before his son gifted him with an old iPhone 4 which he uses to record his story. The novel consists of the 200 audio files that have been recovered from said iPhone using new deciphering technology. While there are still some kinks being worked out with the software and the words end up being a little less than perfect, the transcriptions are easy enough for the reader to understand.

When Steven is in his remedial English class back in the day, he stumbles upon a story book by author Edith Tywford that even in those days was considered to be ‘banned’. But Miss Isles believes this story is a little more than meets the eye and reads it to the class anyway. When the class enjoys the book, Miss Isles takes them on a field trip to make for an even richer learning experience of Twyford’s book and works. But after that trip and the mysterious disappearance of their teacher during it, Miss Isles and Edith Twyford are largely forgotten about for years until Steven reunites with his remedial English class after release from prison to get to the bottom of it all.

In the words of the author, this story combines “wartime intrigue and subterfuge with a dash of conspiracy theory”. And it was a super fun ride! Although the writing style did take me a minute to get used to, I caught on quickly and it definitely added to the whole story and reading experience. The story was multi-layered and complex at times, so it was definitely helpful to sit down with for longer stretches at a time to keep track of the characters and the plot in all its detail. For having a decently large cast of characters, each one had their own distinct, developed personality despite the whole story being told in the form of interviews and first-person voice memos. The ending was so smart and took me completely by surprise! I did not see it coming, but it was so super satisfying as the reader is slowly able to see all the clues and put it all together.

All in all, The Twyford Code was fun, different and made me think - a winning combination! Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Steven Smith is riding on the bus to school and finds a children's book full of markings. He brings it to his Remedial English teacher, who takes up a big interest in what the book contains. After a class field trip, the teacher disappears. Decades later, Steven is out of prison and tries to figure out the mystery of what happened to his teacher and the mystery contained within that children's book. As he dives into the Twyford Code and the secrets hidden within his own memories, he realizes there is a much bigger story he has to discover.
This whole story is presented in the form of audio files on Steven's iPhone. Once you get used to the style of the audio transcriptions, the book reads well. The mystery is very fun as Steven investigates the Twyford Code, but the momentum does not stay up throughout the whole book. When the story is really moving it was really hard to put the book down. The ending also redeemed a lot of the book for me, putting many of the pieces together, and Janice Hallett earns all of her praise. The Twyford Code is a creative mystery in a unique format, even if its constraints limit its greatness.

The Twyford Code is cleverly written in a series of transcripts mainly featuring the main character who is trying to solve the title code.
I must admit that the transcripts were sometimes annoying to read but I was interested in the story enough to carry on.
The ending of the book was clever (maybe too clever?) and pretty much wrapped the whole thing up with a twist or two.
I am sure fans of The Appeal will enjoy this book.

I expected a lot from Janice Hallett's new book, The Twyford Code, but my expectations were well exceeded. Clever, diabolical, intriguing, witty, and so much more, The novel unfolds in a series of transcriptions of conversations and monologues recorded by ex-convict Steven Smith, in which he recounts his life before going to prison while simultaneously telling the tale of a series of children's books that are filled with secret codes. It posits that the effort to take the UK's government's gold supply out of the country during WWII for safekeeping may have been a hoax takes readers along with the current effort by a group of people who are united by their assignment to a Remedial English class while still in school to decipher the code. The book is filled with twists and turns, word puzzles, acrostics, and so much more. Although I was wary about the format at the start, not only did I acclimate to it quickly, but I must conclude that it is an exceedingly clever way to present this story. The Twyford Code is a wonderful read that left me waiting eagerly for author Hallett's next book. I hope it is coming soon. Readers who do word and/or number puzzles or who appreciate a clever mystery will love The Twyford Code.

This book was very confusing for me. Told in the format of audio files recorded on a old iPhone 4 it was very hard for me to follow. I stuck with the book because I felt it was going to be a great story but it just never grabbed me.

The ending may have redeemed the book a little bit but overall I did not enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and the chance to post my honest review!!!

It's time to solve the murder of the century...

Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children's book, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. He took it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Isles, who became convinced 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 on a class field trip, and Steven's memory won't allow him to remember what happened. Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Isles 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 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... (Goodreads synopsis)

I have not read any of Janice Hallett’s novels prior to this one, but I will start.

I used the Goodreads synopsis because I did not feel that I could write much without spoilers. I will say that Janice Hallett deceived me. It is very rare to find a novel that I don’t see the outcome because I read these types of novels all the time. However, I did not see this outcome at all.

If you are like me, and reading a physical copy, please please keep going. I promise it is worth it. The writing is audio transcripts made on an old IPhone 4, so there were times that the grammar, punctuation, and simple phrases annoyed my OCD brain. I told my husband hundreds of times, “I wish I had this as an audiobook.” Now that I am finished, I’m glad I had an e-book, because I was flipping back and forth. A physical book would have made it easier (and trust me I am preordering it as we speak.)

The novel is a code within a puzzle within an enigma. I hated it and loved it at the same time. In the end, I was enthralled. I want to know more about the characters and where they are. I want to know more. More of what? Read it and find out.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

With The Appeal being one of my favorite books of the year I was SO excited for the latest by Janice Hallett. I enjoyed the format and most of story. But truthfully I found myself to be a little confused and felt like I was missing something as I read. By the time I reached the end I was waiting for a big exciting reveal but I just wasn’t that invested at the end.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the Appeal I was beyond excited to see this novel coming out and being give a chance to read it early. It started off with exactly what I was looking for, the mystery, but this time in audio file transcripts. I felt like I was flying through the pages and then boom it was almost like a stop sign was thrown up and the book to me moved at a snails pace all of a sudden. It was like the story just fell into a rut. It stayed like this all the way until just before the end when it picked back up and the truth came out.
I know not all that read this will feel the same way and that for every reader the story is different. This novel just wasn’t for me. It was still a good read, it just didn’t suck me in whole and spit me out needing more like The Appeal did. I will still be looking forward to reading more of the authors work and enjoying her style of writing again. 3.5 stars total

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.

This is a very clever, complicated, intriguing and unique novel. I eagerly await Hallett’s next release!

Thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for an ARC.

Steve "Smithy" Smith is both Magwitch and Pip in this unusual story of wild expectation. The majority of the novel is told via audio transcripts of recordings made by Smithy. At times he is interviewing others, but is it mostly him telling his story of both childhood and the long-delayed solution to a mystery that has haunted him for decades.
All my life it's haunted me. But now I know, I'm haunted by different ghosts, that's all. ~Pg. 268

[spacer height="20px"]Smithy is finally out of prison after a stint for running drugs and robberies. Low level stuff, but enough to put him away for several years. Determined to live clean and make up for lost time, he gets an old iPhone 4 and begins recording voice memos, telling these stories. His focus is children's book author Edith Twyford, a hidden code, and Miss Iles, his missing school teacher.

Smithy recalls Miss Iles reading a Twyford book to them in his special remedial English class (even though it was banned). He and the others loved it, but one day she slams it shut and refuses to read any more of it to them. She did however borrow the school's outing minibus and take them to Edith Twyford's cottage for a field trip. Smithy remembers having a lovely time until they started loading up and Miss Iles was nowhere to be found. In his memory, one of the other children drove the bus back to school and no one ever saw or heard from Miss Iles again.

So who drove us home? They can't believe I don't remember, but it turns out, it were me. Well, me and Paul. He knew how to drive a car thanks to working with his old man in the garage, but couldn't reach the pedals in a minibus. Nor could I, but with him on pedals and gears, me sharing the driver's seat steering and indicating, we did it. Donna navigated using a road map from the glove box. Between us we got home before dawn. Left the minibus outside the school gates for the caretaker to wonder about. Ran home. ~Pg. 268


Her disappearance underlined his idea that there was something more to Twyford's books. Now, Smithy is looking at these memories through the eyes of an adult and he is even more convinced there was a hidden code, Miss Iles was close to cracking it, and he is getting close himself.

The narrative includes these present-day investigations, recollections of his school days, and interviews with childhood friends that remember that school trip. What's most endearing is Smithy's everyman status. He's smart and excellent at figuring out puzzles, but he grew up with a reading disability and lacked advanced education. Between a lack of schooling and years lost in the penal system, he is catching up on so much of what many would consider common knowledge. And yet, he does not see these at setbacks. He finds answers, he solicits help from booksellers, librarians, and professors, and he learns. His tenacity is admirable.

Words are in sections of rhythm, they said, just like music, and got us to see the sections separate before we put them together. kos us dyslexics don't see detail like regular people, we gotta adapt, and that's how I look at words now, in waves of music. ~Pg. 116

It also allows the average reader to follow the clues as Smithy discovers them. As the novel progresses, and the solution (and possible treasure) gets closer, it truly does get exciting. Author Hallett has created a modern day Goonies treasure hunt for those of us who assumed the days of such adventures were over.

This review will go live Jan 23.

This was a good book, though I found the format it was written in, transcripts of audio files, to be a bit difficult to follow at times. Steven Smith, a recently paroled convict, has become obsessed with find out what happened to his remedial english teacher from this elementary school days. Back then he had found a book by an author that was eventually banned for her writing style, the book was taken by his english teacher, Miss Isles who read portions of the book to the class. She then takes them on a bus trip to the house where the author, Edith Twyford, lived, they also visited a few other locations in the area. Miss Isles doesn't return from the trip and the students are worried about her. Steven drops out of school and soon starts working for a local enforcer type of group. Steven gets help in this search by a librarian, Lucy, who comes with him on his various searches for clues. He also connects with some of the classmates from back then. There are a lot of red herrings in this book and a lot of misinformation recorded from the audio files. Though I did enjoy it and would recommend it. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Atria Books for the ARC.

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

I adored The Appeal and was really excited to read The Twyford Code, but I just couldn’t get into it. I had a hard time with the structure this time around and ended up not finishing. I may give it another try later down the road, but this wasn’t a hit for me.

Embedded codes and clues are spread throughout Janice Hallett’s latest puzzler, The Twyford Code. The novel is comprised of a series of voice recordings (often erroneously transcribed) by a man seeking to relate his story to his parole officer. After attempting unsuccessfully to reunite with his estranged son after his eleven years of imprisonment, Steven Smith is compelled to explore his past and solve a personal mystery. He recalls a field trip from his youth that resulted in the mysterious disappearance of his teacher. Steven hunts down his fellow classmates to obtain a more complete picture of that day and enlists their help in locating the missing woman. Steven suspects that the chain of events may be linked to an old children’s book containing cryptic notes about a lost treasure. Accounting his constantly evolving theories and discoveries about his lost teacher’s fate, Smith diverges into confessions of his past crimes and reveals how he became convicted. The Twyford Code rewards the perseverant and those willing to re-examine earlier chapters to fully appreciate the novel’s intent. The casual reader may become easily overwhelmed, and at times the clues are so clever as to appear random. Hallett uses the unusual narrative form to misdirect the reader in a meticulously calculated way. Grammatical mistakes in the transcripts and the narrator’s abrupt switches between two intersecting timelines create an interrupted flow that slows the pace. This results in a virtual mandate for deeper scrutiny of the plot and acceptance of uncertainty about some unexplained quirks. Fans of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Stuart Turton) and The Cartographers (Peng Shepherd) would be most likely to successfully untangle and enjoy Hallett’s new knotty mystery.

Thanks to the author, Viper and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow! Very different book that kept me quessing and trying to figure out right to the last words!
Told as a transcript from phone recordings, Steven is recently released from prison and is trying to find out what happened to his missing middle school teacher from decades ago. Stolen gold bullion, former classmates, clues in novels and of course nefarious men all figure in the recordings to Maxine..his parole officer.

A great read with lots of twists, characters that make you wonder.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!