“The Twyford Code” by Janice Hallett

Something has bothered Steven Smith for decades. What happened to Miss Isles on their school trip all those years ago and why can’t he seem to remember that day? After finding a book on the bus on his way to school, Steven had handed it over to his reading teacher, having no idea what the strange markings in the margins meant. Miss Isles began reading the story to their class and fell deep into the belief that the author left behind a secret code in her words that unlocks a puzzle. Deciding a class trip to see the sites that are mentioned in the book was a good idea, Miss Isles piled the small group into a school van but when the class returned Miss Isles was nowhere to be found. Now years later, fresh out of prison from a lengthy stay, Steven is determined to figure out the question that has been nagging at his brain since he was a boy. What happened to Miss Isles? What would cause her to abandon her class? Was she running from something? Someone? Was Miss Isles actually on to something with the code or are there other factors at play? Convinced the answer lies somewhere in that book, Steven sets off to decipher a long ago mystery. This is the second creatively written book I’ve read by Janice Hallett. The first book, “The Appeal” was crafted out of emails and this one is primarily transcripts of voice memos. Placing you in the detective chair Hallett has written another great mystery that you won’t be able to put down. If you have yet to read Hallett’s work I highly recommend both titles for your TBR list.

Purchase a copy of “The Twyford Code” here.