The dazzling new bestseller from the author of The Appeal

*** THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE APPEAL *** ''It totally foxed me. So clever and totally brilliant'' - LISA HALL ''Enid Blyton meets Agatha Christie with a cracking twist'' - MARION TODD ''Outstanding. Unlike anything you''ll ever read'' - IMRAN MAHMOOD ________________________________________ It''s time to solve the murder of the century... Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children''s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins 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 solving a puzzle, and that a message in secret code ran through all Twyford''s novels. Then Miss Iles 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? Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Iles, Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood. But 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... Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Alex Pavesi and S.J. Bennett, The Twyford Code will keep you up puzzling late into the night.

Vorwort
The instant Sunday Times Top 10 paperback bestseller, selling 20,000 copies in first 10 days

Autorentext
Janice Hallett studied English at University College London and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. She then worked in government communications for the Cabinet Office, Home Office and Department for International Development. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat and went on to write the Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard, as well as a number of other plays for London's new-writing theatres. Her debut novel, The Appeal, **was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month and won the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger award. The Twyford Code was named the Crime and Thriller Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels was a Richard & Judy Book Club pick. Her fourth book, The Christmas Appeal, is the Sunday Times bestselling follow-up to The Appeal. Her latest novel, The Examiner, will be published by Viper in 2024. When not indulging in her passion for global travel, she is based in West London.

Klappentext

*** THE PHENOMENAL SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE QUEEN OF COSY CRIME ***
*** LONGLISTED FOR THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIAR CRIME NOVEL AWARD *

A SUNDAY TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2022
A TELEGRAPH BEST BOOK OF 2022
A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2022
A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2022
**
'Every page is a joy. The queen of unreliable narrators' SUNDAY TIMES
'Brilliant - a mind-bending, heartwarming mystery not to be missed' OBSERVER
'She's an absolute master of what she does' RICHARD COLES

Can you crack the Twyford Code?

Edith Twyford was once a world-famous children's author, but now her only legacy is the rumoured existence of the Twyford Code: a series of clues hidden in her books leading to... what? No one knows - but that hasn't stopped the speculation.

Steve Smith can trace nearly all the bad things in his life back to Edith Twyford. As a child he found one of her books, covered in strange symbols. He showed it to his teacher, Miss Iles, who was convinced it held the key to the code. Within weeks Miss Iles had disappeared, and Steve has no idea if she is dead or alive - or if she was right. Now he's determined to find out.

But the Twyford Code hides secrets some would do anything to possess, and Steve isn't the only one on its trail. The race is on to solve the mystery of the century. Could you get there first?

The top ten bestselling cosy crime sensation of the summer from the author of The Appeal, perfect for fans of Richard Osman and S. J. Bennett.

Zusammenfassung
The dazzling new bestseller from the author of The Appeal.