The Twyford Code - Janice Hallett

I thought Janice Hallett's book, The Appeal, was a fantastic listen. But, I think The Twyford Code is even better! 

Steve Smith is in his fifties when he's discharged from prison. Having had lots of time to ponder on things, he is determined to solve a mystery from his childhood. As a child, Steve found an illustrated children's book left on a bus, took it to school and showed it to his teacher Miss Iles. As the five students in the remedial class cannot read well, she reads the book to them. And as a treat, she takes the children on a field trip to one of the places the book describes. And....she disappears.

Determined to find out what happened to Miss Iles all those years ago, Smithy starts investigating. Armed with an old iPhone, he records his thoughts, memories, interactions and more. What a novel way of telling a story. I love epistolary books and The Twyford Code is the audio version of that style. Brilliant!

I was completely caught up in the complex puzzles that arise as the search begins - and the direction they take. Hallett is a clever, clever writer. Listen closely to those iPhone entries - the answers are there. But they're difficult to see and hear. A story within a story is waiting for keen listeners. I was (happily) caught completely off guard at the final 'ah hah' moment. 

I've often said I feel more immersed in a tale when I listen to it. And that is absolutely the case with The Twyford Code. The narrator was Thomas Judd. His voice is pleasant to listen to and he enunciates well. The pace of his reading is just right. Judd interprets Hallett's book perfectly, capturing the emotions and actions of the plot. His voice is changed to work with different characters. An excellent presentation of a wonderful book! Hear for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt.

A Deadly Affair - Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie's mysteries are classics. I've read them all and watched the television and film versions at some point. But what I hadn't done was listen to them until Harper Audio started to release a number of Christie collections in audio format. One of the latest - A Deadly Affair, is a collection of  'Unexpected Love Stories from the Queen of Mystery'.

I've quite embraced short story collections on audio. Purists might listen in order of presentation, but I tend to pick and choose based on the length of the story and what time I have available.

This collection features a number of Christie's beloved and well known characters including Poirot (my favorite!), Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence as well as some lesser known, such as Parker Pyne and Harley Quin. Fourteen stories in total. And what a treat to find the last entry was Christie's own love life.

Each character brings a different style, tone and method to their crime solving skills. And it makes you realize truly how brilliant Christie was with her writing. I enjoyed each tale as they were all so different. But, what they all have in common is crime. 

The narrators were David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Joan Hickson and Judith Boyd. These are the original actors who portrayed the iconic characters of Poirot, Hastings and Miss Marple on television. That familiarity was wonderful and I had mental images of each character while listening. I did have to adjust the speed on Hickson's stories due to her accent and rapid fire delivery. Easily done. Other than that, everything was spot on!

A must for Christie fans and a great introduction for new readers/listeners. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of A Deadly Affair. Run time is 6 hours 47 minutes.

The Night She Disappeared - Lisa Jewell

I've enjoyed all of Lisa Jewell's previous books, but her latest - The Night She Disappeared - is a new favorite!

Tallulah and her boyfriend Zack disappear one night without a trace. Tallulah's mother Kim knows her daughter would never abandon her wee son. But a year passes and the police are no closer to an answer. That changes when a new headmaster and his girlfriend Sophie, a cozy mystery writer move into the village. When she finds a sign saying 'Dig Here" in her back garden, Sophie does. And the first clue to what might have happened is found...

Jewell tells the tale in three timelines with multiple points of view. I was hooked as every chapter gives us more hints to the past, more information in the present and a cold inkling as to what might have transpired. 

Jewel gives us well drawn protagonists in grieving parent Kim and amateur detective Sophie. These characters are imbued with personal storylines as well, quite believable in their relationships, doubts, loss and more. Jewell ekes out the story of Tallulah before she disappeared and the reader can see what's coming as her narrative progresses. (Don't peek ahead though! I wasn't entirely right in my guess) There are plenty of supporting characters and each and every one of them seems to have trouble with the truth. Who should we believe? 

I really enjoyed Sophie's sleuthing skills. I always wanted to grow up and become Nancy Drew, so mysteries are favorite genre. And Jewell has written a great one - the plotting is excellent, the settings are atmospheric (love the creepy mansion in the woods) and the varying timelines and voices really worked for me. And kept me up late as I really needed to know what (or who) happened to Tallulah. A great page turner. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Night She Disappeared.