The Twyford Code

Hallett, Janice. The Twyford Code. New York: Atria 2023. Print.

First Sentences:

Dear Professor Mansfield,

I am investigating a mysterious case and suspect you may be able to help. Let me explain.

An iPhone 4 is among a number of items belonging to a recently reported missing person. It is not associated with any phone carrier and at first appeared to be blank, with no call records, music, emails, texts, or photographs. Upon closer examination it was found to contain a series of deleted audio files: voice recordings in various encrypted formats, with dates that span eleven weeks in 2019. We recovered these files and deciphered them.

Description:

Ever had a fabulous meal at an exclusive restaurant, where the food was so delicious that for the next few days all other food seemed blah and uninviting? All you can think about is the layers of flavors in that restaurant meal, the carefully-orchestrated delivery of each course, and the overall atmosphere that subtly reinforced the pleasure of the dining experience.

For me, reading Janice Hallett's The Twyford Code, was such an memorable meal, one that spoiled me into dissatisfaction with all other books I tried to read over the next week. None of these books offered the complexity of characters, the hidden flavors of plot and exposition, and the aromatic pull that The Twyford Code had offered and still lingered in my mind. They probably were worthwhile books, but in comparison they just fell short. Fast food, not fine dining. Unsatisfying.

I'm not going to give you much about this book; you'll have to experience it yourself. Like trying to describe a mouth-watering dinner. People will just need to taste it for themselves.

But a brief description is necessary. The book focuses one man's search for a children's book written by Edith Twyford that might contain a secret code in its text. His search is documented solely through transcripts created from restored audio files found on an otherwise blank phone.

 

The creator of these audio files turns out to be Stephen Smith, a small-time gangster, newly out of prison after serving an 11-year sentence. Smith's recordings (shown in transcripts only) reveal that besides looking for the Twyford book, Smith is also trying to discover what happened to his teacher who first hinted there might be a code before mysteriously disappearing while leading a school field trip. He hopes the book and/or teacher will help him decipher any code and maybe lead him to a rumored treasure. 

 

His short, confusing transcripts document his searches, and also reveal tidbits about his early family life and criminal activities. Smith recorded his conversations with various people who might know something about Twyford, or narrated memos in secret to preserve his research. These text files are enticing, tangled, revealing, incomplete, and sometimes undecipherable.  But information is sketchy, contradictory, and seemingly dangerous as they evolve to include spies, stolen British gold, and betrayals.

There's truth in everything here, even if some bits are not strictly to the letter. But what's important now is all made up, constructed to hide secrets, and reveal them only to the person they're meant for.  

A great meal ends with the perfect dessert, and author Hallett saves the best for last. The final chapters are the finest I have ever read.

I admit it's a confusing narrative format, making readers try to decipher the brief transcripts that jump between Smith's current search, his boyhood recollections, his family life, and early criminal episodes. Keeping people straight about who is talking in the recorded transcripts can require going back to familiarize yourself with who is actually talking. 

 

But readers will discover the effort to piece together information and characters mentioned in the transcripts is definitely worth their efforts. And when you reach the final page, all you will want to do is begin the entire novel again to now recognize the subtle clues and twists inserted throughout.

It gets my highest recommendation for all lovers of a great mystery and amateur code-breakers. It's a meal you won't soon forget, trust me.

Some things, when you finally hear them confirmed, it's like a veil drops away from a statue. The size and shape are familiar, they've always been there, it's just the detail in the caving is obscured. All that stands before you is evidence of what you knew all along.

Happy reading. 

 

Fred

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Brown, Dan. The DaVinci Code.   

Probably by now everyone has read or at least heard of this book describing the convoluted trail and clues involved in code-breaking. Still, it's a great read full of excitement, intrigue, intelligent people, and puzzles.