The Twyford Code: Winner of the Crime and Thriller British Book of the Year

Product Information

When he was 14, Steve found an old children’s book on a bus. He showed it to the teacher who recognised it as one written by Edith Twyford, a popular writer in the 1930s who wrote about a group of six children and their adventures. Despite Twyford’s books now being banned from school libraries because of their inherent racism and sexism, she read it to the class and later took them to Cornwall to visit the locations in the book as well as Edith Twyford’s cottage, before suddenly disappearing and leaving the bewildered children to find their own way home. Damnnn, that was impressive. A literary treasure hunt the likes of which may never be matched. I am so in awe of this! The one thing I can say about this book before you start is to have patience. There were a couple of times around 40-50% in that I started to glaze over and wonder if powering through would be worth it. When I got to the end I came to the conclusion that it absolutely was worth it.

And...... I just didn't love it at all. Still trying to get to grips with why not - it felt like it was trying to be too clever with the final unveiling of what the whole book was about, along with a very confusing (intentionally, I'm sure) mix-up of stories and narratives along the way. In fact, maybe its that the heart of the book is (to me) has an unreliable narrator, and I don't generally get on too well with them??? The unique format of this book makes it very original. Initially, I thought the audio files would lend itself to a fast read, but instead, i found it difficult to get through. The transcription includes many awkward breaks and frequently jumps around from topic to topic. Ultimately, the reader is led on a journey into the mind of an ex-con, whose ultimate goal may not be what it seems. A schoolteacher, Miss Iles, vanishes while on a field trip in 1983. Years later, one of her former pupils, Steven, an ex-convict, tries to make sense of her disappearance. This is no straightforward crime caper dredging up an unsolved mystery, however. Instead, Janice Hallett ( The Appeal) cleverly deploys clues in transcriptions of 200 audio files recorded by Steven on his phone. This innovative approach adds heartbreak to the thrill of the chase as he digresses into his life in and out of prison. The Twyford Code is a lot of fun, but Hallett also writes with care and empathy. Is This Love?Steven Smith has just been released from prison, and he is finally free to investigate a mystery that has haunted him since childhood. Forty years ago, he found a copy of a famous children's book, full of strange markings and annotations, which had been left behind on a bus he was riding.

Oh dear…It isn’t often I don’t finish a book but I seriously debated whether to persevere with this one. I did finish it though and in hindsight wish I had just DNF’d it. I was looking forward to reading it as The Appeal was a genuinely fun read, but I found this annoying and to be honest, tedious.

The Twyford Code

Dad worked in a video shop. It might sound archaic, but videos were like the mobile phones of the 80s and 90s. He considered himself a bit of a yuppy. Mum worked in an office for the gas board.