The Twyford Code

Lost interest

I was utterly bored while reading this so by the time the reveal happened I was completely uninterested. I'm really disappointed that I didn't like this one because the format being in audio transcriptions is really fun!

Anyway, I hope my next read from Janice Hallet goes better.

Final rating: 2.5 stars ✨

How do I begin to describe The Twyford Code? Well, let me start by saying it is compulsive reading, and very, very immersive. It won't be everyone's cup of java, however.
If you've read The Appeal, then you'll know that Hallett does things differently narrative wise, and with The Twyford Code, she has opted to do things differently again. The narrative comes in the form of transcripts of audio files from an iPhone 4, made by the protagonist, Steve Smith.
The first two thirds of the book are an account of Smith's life, and his attempts to crack the Twyford Code. It is when we get to the final third that we realise that it has all been one big deception.
This book is pure genius, and Janice Hallett is the queen of misdirection. I simply can't wait for her next book.

I forced myself to finish this because I'm sick of seeing it on my Currently Reading and I wanted to know what the bloody code was in the end, but honestly I was bored to tears by this.

I loved The Appeal so really thought I'd love this too, but it just did not live up to her first book at all for me.

The format is quite original and imaginative, but it just was not engaging at all. The characters were dull and flat, and I just didn't care about Steve's history.

I love this author omfg!!!!!

Really enjoying Janice Halletts books, they're very clever!

This was good. The ending made it. But it was engaging mostly the whole way through.

i feel like i can fully appreciate this book once I reread this bc I had no idea where it was going and it ANNOYED ME SM but the last quarter of the book things got really interesting!!!

The ending was incredibly satisfying but the large majority is a chore to get through.
Still, an achievement.

I liked all the puzzles that led to the investigation. I mostly liked the twist, but it did make me stop and wonder how realistic that could be. But then I decided that I didn't care how realistic it was because it was a fun read. I think that is what I came away with. It is a fun mystery with several puzzles. There are a couple clues along the way that lets you know there is more going on than the surface level of the story.

It's a unique set up where we find Stephen Smith fresh out of prison and obsessed with uncovering the mystery of something that happened when he was still in high school. He starts recording his exploration and we are presented with a transcript of his thoughts as he starts peeling back the layers.

Is this the ravings of a deluded conspiracy nut seeing unlikely patterns everywhere or is Stephen onto something, uncovering ciphers, cracking codes and connecting the dots? As he reconnects with former classmates it seems like there might be something bigger happening just at the periphery of his understanding.

But it wasn't connecting with me. The further I got into the story the more convoluted the mystery became, it wasn't until the end that I realized I'd been reading it wrong all along but by then all my literary goodwill had been squandered. The problem certainly lies with me, but I was more relieved than satisfied when the book finally came round to its explanatory conclusion.

I liked The Twyford Code better than Hallett's debut, [b:The Appeal 54621096 The Appeal Janice Hallett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600352529l/54621096.SY75.jpg 85222105]. The story is told primarily through transcripts of audio tapes from an old iPhone, so it reads like a first-person memoir. This allows the reader to become emotionally involved with one (possibly unreliable) narrator, instead of the numerous characters whose letters and emails comprised The Appeal. I am not adept at deciphering codes or solving mysteries, but I was caught up in Steven “Smithy” Smith's story, from his Dickensian childhood to his attempts to find meaningful connections after 20+ years in prison. But I only partially understood what happened when the mysterious Twyford Code was unlocked and how the important questions were answered. 3 stars for the convoluted mystery and 5 stars for the compelling human story underneath it all. I'd like to see what Janice Hallett can produce when she doesn't use narrative gimmicks, although for now she's established an intriguing niche for her books.

Very fun.

Freshly out of prison, Steven Smith reunites with a son he barely knows. Steven has difficulties reading and writing, so he decides to keep a diary in the form of audio files on his son's hand-me-down phone. The diary reveals Steven's troubled past as a criminal, a connection with a mysterious teacher, and an even more mysterious series of books. These books may hold the answers to the teacher's disappearance and lead to something far greater than Steven could have imagined. Told through Steven's recorded diary transcripts, The Twyford Code is skillfully written and is a solid follow-up to [b:The Appeal 58070069 The Appeal Janice Hallett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641411390l/58070069.SY75.jpg 85222105]. However, both books drag a bit in the middle, and if you're not invested, you might find your interest waning enough to give up on the story. I know I didn't feel quite as invested in solving the mystery along with the characters as I did in [b:The Appeal 58070069 The Appeal Janice Hallett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641411390l/58070069.SY75.jpg 85222105] because my brain is not great at codebreaking and the like, and I feel that was a detracting factor to me and could be for others as well. I hope people stick with it, though; what was a solid three stars turned into four stars once revelations were made, and it was quite the ride.

Dit was geweldig!
Toegegeven, het was even wennen en verwarrend in het begin, gezien het verhaal verteld wordt aan de hand van automatisch gegenereerde transcripties van audiobestanden, waarin spellingsfouten en verkeerde interpretaties van woorden niet vreemd zijn. Maar het duurde niet lang eer het verhaal zelf me helemaal mee had. En dan hoe alles spectaculair samen komt op het einde! Dit is eentje dat ik zeker opnieuw ga lezen om de gemiste aanwijzingen te kunnen ontdekken!

A complex, intricate read and once it hold ahold of me it was clear it would never let me go. Hallett has done it again, and produce what i think will be another soon-to-be classic that will live on for years to come.

Review coming soon

This was an interesting read, partly because it was written in a style I'm not used to, which was the transcripts of video files recorded by our main character, Steven.

The other reason was because Steven, despite his troubled past, was a very likeable character.

I thought the story itself was very cleverly written.

Thank you to PH and Janice for the chance to read this book.