The Twyford Code: The Sunday Times bestseller from the author of The Appeal

Description

Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children's book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, full of strange markings and annotations. Wanting to know more, he took it to his English teacher Miss Iles, not realising the chain of events that he was setting in motion. Miss Iles became convinced that the book was the key to a secret code that ran through all Twyford's novels. Then she disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven has no memory of what happened to her. Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Iles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today? But as Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood, seeking answers, it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn't just a writer of forgotten children's stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and he isn't the only one trying to solve it... 'Even better [than The Appeal]... This fiendishly clever book manages to be both tricksy and surprisingly moving' - Guardian

Janice Hallett studied English at UCL, and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat. Her debut novel, The Appeal, was a Sunday Times bestseller, the Sunday Times crime book of the year, and shortlisted for the Waterstones book of the year. When not indulging her passion for global adventure travel, Janice is based in West London.

'Hallett has aced it... Every page is a joy, with laugh-out-loud moments even as the plot becomes more outlandish, and the startling final reveal crowns Hallett as the queen of unreliable narrators' - Sunday Times 'Even better [than The Appeal]... This fiendishly clever book manages to be both tricksy and surprisingly moving' - Guardian 'A tour de force - a genuinely complex puzzle with real clues to be solved... A mind-bending, heartwarming mystery that is not to be missed' - Observer 'A brilliantly clever, deceptive mystery with a unique twist' - Heat 'The Twyford Code turned my brain inside out. It totally foxed me. So clever and totally brilliant' - Lisa Hall, author of The Party