The Twyford Code - Janice Hallett

Earlier this year I was looking for some new books to read and came across The Twyford Code. It sounded interesting so I added it to my hold list at the library. After I finished reading it I thought it was such a different take on a mystery that we should make it part of Cover to Cocktails. Jen likes to listen to audio books, but this book is one I told her she had to read and to my knowledge, there isn't an audio book out at this time and I'm not sure it would work in audio book form!

The book is written as the transcript of audio recordings. The transcript was mailed to Professor Mansfield by an inspector investigating a mystery. The inspector requests the professor's assistance in understanding the transcript. The letter notes that the professor has a personal connection to the subject, but we don't learn until later what that personal connection is.

The Twyford Code follows Steven "Smithy" Smith after he gets out of prison. Smithy has always wondered what happened to his teacher Miss Iles and decides to investigate, enlisting the help of his former classmates in the remedial English class.

It all started forty years ago when Smithy found a book by author Edith Twyford on a bus. He was in a remedial English class and had a difficult time reading, likely due to dyslexia, so he asked Miss Isles about the book. She read it to the class and told them it was a banned book, but also alluded to the book having another meaning. She later took the class on an unauthorized field trip and the class returned without her. She was never seen again.

As Smithy remembers more and gets additional information from his former classmates he realizes the depth of the mystery. He gets help from a local librarian who helps him look for information online. She even goes along with him to get more information from experts on Edith Twyford.

The book takes lots of different twists and turns before we finally understand what really happened to Miss Isles and what really happened to Smithy. I don't want to tell you anything that might reveal some of the mystery to you! So I'll leave the synopsis there and you'll have to read it yourself.

Both Jen and I enjoyed this book. It was such a different way to write a mystery. I haven't had the chance to read it a second time, but I think it would be very interesting to read it again and follow the code once you know how. We hope you follow the code and enjoy this book!

Until next time, have a drink, read a book, and be happy!