Review of The Twyford Code

If you’re looking for a book that’s really different, this is the one for you. It’s an epistolary puzzle, a missing persons case; a story of family, friendship and redemption. Here’s my review of The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett.

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

To be published in the U.S. on January 24, 2022

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.

What is The Twyford Code About?

Forty years ago, Steven “Smithy” Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations.

When he showed it to his remedial English teacher Miss Iles, she believed that it was part of a secret code that ran through all of Twyford’s novels. And when she disappeared on a class field trip, Smithy became convinced that she had been right.

Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Smithy decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. In a series of voice recordings on an old iPhone from his estranged son, Smithy alternates between visiting the people of his childhood and looking back on the events that later landed him in prison.

But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code holds a great secret, and Smithy may just have the key.

What Else Has Janice Hallett Written?

Her first book was The Appeal, which I reviewed back in 2021. I have a Spoiler Discussion Post for The Appeal too!

Review of the Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

(This is the UK cover of the book. Why are the UK covers always better? Fish are a big part of this book!)

Okay, so what did I think of the Twyford Code?

Surprisingly, I liked The Twyford Code. I say “surprisingly” as I am not generally a fan of epistolary fiction and this one was hardcore epistolary. (The Appeal was also epistolary, if you are interested).

The Twyford Code is entirely comprised of transcribed voice memos taken off the phone of a missing person. The transcription was done by computer, so there are misspellings and a fair amount of garbled words. Steve, the main character (who is now missing) is the one who made the voice memos. Steve os also dyslexic, part of the reason he records himself and others as he investigates.

But I also feel like I was misled a little by the blurbs that were included in my e-book of The Twyford Code. They suggested to me that the book had puzzles to solve and codes to break, so I was literally taking notes the whole time (which will be useful for my Spoiler Discussion).

But do not worry: you can just sit back and enjoy the story. Also, don’t worry if you don’t understand everything right away. Just be patient and all will be revealed. Yes, there are codes to crack, but the characters in the book will do that for you. (You can try, of course! But don’t feel any pressure…)

The book’s title refers to a (fictional) children’s author called Edith Twyford, who is clearly based on British author Enid Blyton, author of several children’s series in the 1930s, including The Famous Five and The Secret Seven.

I’m wondering if The Twyford Code was partially inspired by the fact that, in 2021, English Heritage, an organization that manages historic monuments, updated its website to acknowledge racism and xenophobia in Blyton’s work. In the book, Edith Twyford’s work is also dismissed by many characters as racist and xenophobic.

The Twyford Code, even with its unusual narrative structure, does have two cohesive strands: main character Steve’s memories of his youthful experience as a low-level member of a criminal gang, and his attempts to puzzle through his childhood memories of a mysterious Edith Twyford book and a missing teacher. In addition, he is hoping to form a relationship with his adult son, a child he only found out about after ten years and was separated from during a stint in prison.

By the time I was halfway (or so) through The Twyford Code, I began to have some theories about how these two strands tied together. And I was happy to be right.

I thought the Twyford Code was a refreshingly original book that turns traditional storytelling on its head. If you love epistolary fiction or are looking for something unlike anything you’ve read before, you should definitely check it out.