Rule #7: “Use local dialect, patois, sparingly.”
So said the great crime writer Elmore Leonard in his Ten Rules for Writing
Janice Hallet would have done well to remember his advice.
Transcription Errors
Hallet’s second book, The Twyford Code, follows her hugely successful epistolary novel The Appeal and is told almost entirely through computer-transcribed voice notes.
But straight away there’s a twist, because the software frequently mishears the main character and narrator Stephen ‘Smithy’ Smith’s words. For example, Miss Isles is always written as missiles. Smithy’s strong London accent only makes things harder for the fictional programme to scribe for him. Towards the end, these transcription errors feed into a plot twist.
It’s very clever, but also exhausting to read. I also didn’t enjoy having to reread some sections to establish the identity of “Voice 1” and “Voice 2.”
What saves this clever novel?
- Smithy’s backstory. His narration of his life is gritty, authentic, and occasionally moving.
- The gangland setting. The Guy Ritchie-style depiction of late 20th-century London gang life is vivid and well-drawn. It reminded me of the world I explore in my upcoming novel No Way To Live.
- The twists. They’re undeniably smart, and the final sixty pages, when everything comes together, are particularly satisfying.
- The Blyton connection. As a child, I was a member of Enid Blyton’s fan club. Hallett’s fictional author Edith Twyford is based on Blyton, and I enjoyed the homage. I also appreciated Hallett’s inferred criticism of Britain’s cancel culture.
Final Verdict
Like The Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects, The Twyford Code is probably rewarding on a second pass, once you know the truth behind the twist.
But there’s a problem: because of the voice notes, I don’t want to read it again. The way the author chose to tell the story got in the way of the story.
If only Hallett had followed Elmore Leonard’s advice.
Rating: 7/10
Note
If you enjoy crime stories with a gritty London backdrop, my novel No Way To Live (out late September) might be up your alley.
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