The Twyford Code

A Novel

By: Janice Hallett

Narrated by: Thomas Judd

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

The mysterious connection between a teacher’s disappearance and an unsolved code in a children’s book is explored in this new novel from the “modern Agatha Christie” (The Sunday Times, London) and author of The Appeal.

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 later disappeared on a class field trip, Smithy becomes 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, 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.

“Filled with numerous clues, acrostics, and red herrings, this thrilling scavenger hunt for the truth is delightfully deceptive and thoroughly immersive” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

©2022 Janice Hallett. All rights reserved. Originally published in Great Britain in 2022 by Viper (P)2022 Profile Books Ltd.

Interesting read with added exploration

I originally listened through with audiobook. It was a good story with a fun twist. The author engages the reader on multiple levels. I ended up purchasing the kindle version as well to better appreciate some if the codes.

just ok

This had a promising start, but my interest fizzled out in the second half. It felt overly long and tedious, with an ending that fell flat. The narrator did an ok job, but his female voices were not very convincing.

A boy, a treasure hunt, and the story of his life.

What an interesting story. So complex and yet so simple. The story of a young boy and treasure. A little confusing at times, but that’s what the rewind button is for.

Interesting and inventive way to tell a great story

I was worried when I first started this book that I wouldn’t like it because of the format, however, as I kept listening, I quickly became engrossed in the story. I loved all the twists and turns as the story unfolded. My advice to readers - stick with it! The story is really good!

the way you fascinate on reader demand!

Crafty and terrific, it always brings surprises of lasting uniqueness. To every listener: you'll linger over varied, elusive details then hear immensely satisfying truths! And loved ending! Choose and thrill! (0h, and read between the cats, Maxine 🐠)

Cool story, but the coded elements just don’t translate to audiobook.

This is a great book to read, not so much to listen to. A big portion of this book is various simple ciphers, like acrostics, that become very difficult to notice and decrypt when they’re read to you and not laid out on the page. I’d definitely recommend checking out this book, but do yourself a big favor and read it instead of listening. You’ll enjoy the whole thing much more that way!

Different

If you are looking for something different than you have ever “read” this is it.

Couldn't finish it

While the story was a bit interesting, the transcript style of writing was very annoying. Each recording starts with an assigned number, location, date, and time. I found it very distracting. This was a book club pick and those that read the book rather than listened to it didn't find these headings distracting. The other book club member who listened to the book found the headings as annoying as I do. He only listened for 2 hours, I managed to hang in for 5. If you want to read this book, I recommend using your eyes rather than your ears.

Interesting Story but…

Very interesting story and full of potential if written in a different format. The transcripts were distracting and frustrating to listen to, might be easier to just read book instead.

Not all good books make good Audibles

A lot of reviews were pretty hard on this one, but I think maybe it’s brilliant and just didn’t translate well to being read aloud. The format was blocky and some of the cool visual clues were lost when heard rather than seen. Still a very good story by an author who clearly enjoys a hidden treasure.