The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

 

 363 pages

Publisher: Serpent’s Tail

Published: 2022

Library

 

Blurb

 

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...

 

Review

Another fabulous read and another superb mystery from Janice Hallett. There’s layer upon layer. There are quite a few misdirections except that they’re more than that – yes, I’m being vague on purpose. And while this story is most certainly a perfectly plotted mystery, it is also a lot more than that and the story behind the mystery both broke my heart and brought me joy.

Just like The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, the story in this book is not told in a traditional way. Because Steven Smith, the main character and narrator in The Twyford Code is dyslectic, what we get is transcribed audio files. Because no corrections are made after transcription, there are quite a few ‘sound-alikes’ on the page. It takes a little getting used to, but I can’t say it impeded my reading enjoyment at all. In fact, it gives the text an immediacy and intimacy that would probably be impossible to achieve with a different approach.

Similarly to the Alperton Angels, this is also a story where the reader can’t take anything for granted or at face value. We are once again dealing with an unreliable narrator, Steven in this book, and the way he strings us along is nothing short of fascinating and ingenious.

I have a lot more thoughts about this book. In fact, the more time passes between the moment I finished the story and writing this review, the more, previously missed, clues and possible explanations I discover. There are few things I love more than a story that continues revealing its secrets (long) after I’ve finished the last page and The Twyford Code certainly does that. I can’t share any of those thoughts for fear of spoiling this wonderful tale. Just take it from me when I say that you shouldn’t take anything at face value and that you are unlikely to figure out exactly what is going on and why. Not because the clues aren’t there (they are!) but because you won’t recognise them for what they are until all secrets have been revealed.

I also love that this book is basically an ode to the mysteries written by Enid Blyton. As much as modern sensibilities frown upon some of her (outdated) ideas and points of view, the adventures she created for children are still widely read and continue to provide a springboard to, for example, Agatha Christie mysteries for many youngsters.

I have one problem though…

What is the ‘Murder of the Century’ the tagline refers to? Certainly, there are murders in this book but… unless I missed something (which I don’t rule out because there is A LOT going on in this story), none of them are remarkable enough to be labelled as such.

That one minor issue aside, I loved this book. The Twyford Code was compulsive reading leading to a surprising and satisfying conclusion. Janice Hallett has been added to my list of favourite, must-read mystery authors.