Ratings48
Average rating3.5
The mysterious connection between a teacher’s disappearance and an unsolved code in a children’s book is explored in this new novel from the “modern Agatha Christie” (The Sunday Times, London) and author of The Appeal.
Forty years ago, Steven “Smithy” Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. When he showed it to his remedial English teacher Miss Iles, she believed that it was part of a secret code that ran through all of Twyford’s novels. And when she later disappeared on a class field trip, Smithy becomes convinced that she had been right.
Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Smithy decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. In a series of voice recordings on an old iPhone, Smithy alternates between visiting the people of his childhood and looking back on the events that later landed him in prison. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code holds a great secret, and Smithy may just have the key.
Reviews with the most likes.
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.
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!
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.