It’s almost two years since I featured The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett on Linda’s Book Bag but I never actually got round to reading it. Consequently, when it appeared on the list of possible choices for the reading group to which I belong I simply had to choose it because I had so enjoyed Janice’s The Christmas Appeal (reviewed here).

The Twyford Code was published by Viper on 21st July 2022 and is available for purchase here.

The Twyford Code

Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, full of strange markings and annotations. Wanting to know more, he took it to his English teacher Miss Iles, not realising the chain of events that he was setting in motion. Miss Iles became convinced that the book was the key to a secret code that ran through all Twyford’s novels. Then she disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven has no memory of what happened to her.

Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Iles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today?

But as Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood, seeking answers, 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…

My Review of The Twyford Code

Steve Smith has a mystery to solve.

What an intriguing story! I’m not entirely sure quite what I’ve just read as The Twyford Code is part mystery and part thriller told through the eyes of a not entirely honest protagonist who can be somewhat economical with the truth, so that I feel I really need to reread the story immediately to discover all the clues laid out along the way that I missed the first time. This makes for a highly engaging and intriguing reading experience.

I found The Twyford Code really fascinating. It’s sinuous in its twists and turns so that the truth of its layers of narrative only become fully clear right at the end. Janice Hallett proves herself to be disconcertingly skilled at sleight of hand and obfuscation. Reading The Twyford Code is akin to watching a skilled magician at work and I did need to suspend my disbelief at times – just as I would when watching someone apparently sawn in half by an illusionist. 

I loved the allusion to Enid Blyton, the references to other books and the concepts of World War Two, duplicity and international history that are threaded through the story. I found the transcripts an innovative and intriguing way to convey the narrative and was beguiled by the multiple time frames and the Agatha Christie style denouement. The fact that it is Steve’s illiteracy that means he has to record his story felt authentic and affecting. And it is Steve who is the huge success of the novel.

What I hadn’t bargained for here is the depth of feeling engendered by injustice, by Steve Smith’s sad and neglected upbringing and the way justice is seen to be done but actually can be so wide of the mark that it made my blood boil. The Twyford Code may be an entertaining mystery, but it is also a social commentary that strips back how we are shaped and constructed by our lives. I was incredibly touched by Steve’s story.

The Twyford Code is deceptive and I suspect it may divide readers. It feels like a light-hearted Enid Blyton-esque romp with added murder but it has a depth that takes time to be uncovered. Whilst I enjoyed being duped and manipulated by the narrative, it was the people, the reminder of those I’ve taught who were just like Steve Smith and found themselves in prison too, that made the book successful for me.  It was the why of the story as much as the what that engaged me and made me think and I really enjoyed it. 

About Janice Hallett

Janice Hallett studied English at UCL, and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal was inspired by her lifelong interest in amateur dramatics. Her second novel, The Twyford Code, was published by Viper in 2022 and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels in 2023. The Examiner will be published in August 2024. When not indulging her passion for global adventure travel, she is based in West London.

For more information you can follow Janice on Twitter/X @JaniceHallett, or find her on Instagram.