What do you think?
Rate this book
Peter Maxwell Mystery #19
Maxwell's Academy
The end of civilization, as Peter Maxwell knows it, is just around the corner. It comes in the form of Fiona Braymarr, the new superhead of Leighford Academy. She is a new broom, sweeping away the cobwebs of educational mediocrity and she sweeps good people along the way. And the odd thing about her? She has no past.
And within days of her arrival, two local women have no future; one is found dead in a car showroom, the other is stabbed at the foot of her own stairs.
Two murders so closely linked in time and space must surely be connected. Maxwell's wife, DI Jacquie Carpenter-Maxwell, thinks so. So does her boss, DCI Henry Hall. And Maxwell? Well, it's hard to keep a good amateur sleuth down, especially when the kids of the deceased attend Leighford Academy. So he takes it all personally and puts his life on the line in the process. He's got a murderer to catch and a school to save.
Whatever will he find to do after lunch?
And within days of her arrival, two local women have no future; one is found dead in a car showroom, the other is stabbed at the foot of her own stairs.
Two murders so closely linked in time and space must surely be connected. Maxwell's wife, DI Jacquie Carpenter-Maxwell, thinks so. So does her boss, DCI Henry Hall. And Maxwell? Well, it's hard to keep a good amateur sleuth down, especially when the kids of the deceased attend Leighford Academy. So he takes it all personally and puts his life on the line in the process. He's got a murderer to catch and a school to save.
Whatever will he find to do after lunch?
- GenresCrime
Unknown Binding
First published July 1, 2015
45 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Trow
149 books119 followersMeirion James Trow is a full-time teacher of history who has been doubling as a crime writer for seventeen years. Originally from Ferndale, Rhondda in South Wales he now lives on the Isle of Wight. His interests include collecting militaria, film, the supernatural and true crime.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 30, 2019
Absolutely loved this book . Forgotten how good this series is .
December 6, 2020
Listening to this audio book feels like coming home. I have missed Mad Max sooo much and am torn between wanting to listen to it all day long and fearing it will be over all too soon. Peter Wickham's voice is perfect for this.
November 10, 2025
It was a bit of a shock to realise that this book was published back in 2015 meaning it's a decade or thereabouts since I last read this series! Still a few pages in & it's like Mad Max & I have never been apart. I knew I'd enjoy this but had forgotten how delightful the characters are & I love the humour that is thread throughout.
In short, Leighford High is changing to Leighford Academy, bringing with it a new superhead in the form of Fiona Braymarr - she's not so much a new broom sweeping clean but a bulldozer ploughing down all in her path & no-one is safe. Unsurprisingly her & Max lock horns from the off....she's even had the temerity to tell him to take down the film posters in his office!Brave Foolish woman...
Just as Braymarr arrives, two women are found dead - coincidence? Max doesn't think so & with wife Jacquie investigating the deaths obviously Max is going to poke his nose in but in doing so, also puts his life in danger.
An absolute joy from start to finish & I'm certainly not going to leave it so long to read book #20
In short, Leighford High is changing to Leighford Academy, bringing with it a new superhead in the form of Fiona Braymarr - she's not so much a new broom sweeping clean but a bulldozer ploughing down all in her path & no-one is safe. Unsurprisingly her & Max lock horns from the off....she's even had the temerity to tell him to take down the film posters in his office!
Just as Braymarr arrives, two women are found dead - coincidence? Max doesn't think so & with wife Jacquie investigating the deaths obviously Max is going to poke his nose in but in doing so, also puts his life in danger.
An absolute joy from start to finish & I'm certainly not going to leave it so long to read book #20
July 24, 2025
I read this one last. Dis bot realize I had skipped it. Not my favorite. And it was okay.
This story, as all the rest have been, was well written. Great Characters...And , Heinous , Terrible And Terrifically Uncomfortable Crime! Not just Murder which is always heinous and uncomfortable but Crimes sometimes, often not considered Crimes by the general public but devastating to All those Involved.
Another series of crimes related directly and indirectly to Leighford High School and Maxwell, himself but to all of the Staff and students there.
It happens in real life, I have witnessed this very problem...not just in High Schools and Elementary Schools but also in Churches band Retail Stores and Manufacturing Plants and Offices. Leadership Matters! Bad , Horrible, Immoral, self-serving Leaders who cars Naught for those who work with or work well without them...always, always always spoil the atmosphere, the relationships, thebtrust, the singleness of purpose of a
This story, as all the rest have been, was well written. Great Characters...And , Heinous , Terrible And Terrifically Uncomfortable Crime! Not just Murder which is always heinous and uncomfortable but Crimes sometimes, often not considered Crimes by the general public but devastating to All those Involved.
Another series of crimes related directly and indirectly to Leighford High School and Maxwell, himself but to all of the Staff and students there.
It happens in real life, I have witnessed this very problem...not just in High Schools and Elementary Schools but also in Churches band Retail Stores and Manufacturing Plants and Offices. Leadership Matters! Bad , Horrible, Immoral, self-serving Leaders who cars Naught for those who work with or work well without them...always, always always spoil the atmosphere, the relationships, thebtrust, the singleness of purpose of a
September 24, 2025
This is the 19th book in the Peter Maxwell series, and they just keep getting better.
Maxwell has lost the tiniest bit of his curmudgeonly edge, softened, no doubt, by marriage and a child. But He's not going to sit by and wait while Fiona Braymarr (bray more, like a donkey??) "academizes" his school.
Then two women, both of whom have children at his school, are murdered. What's a teacher to do?
The writing is witty and erudite, the plot is intruiguing, and this is an altogether satisfying mystery.
Maxwell has lost the tiniest bit of his curmudgeonly edge, softened, no doubt, by marriage and a child. But He's not going to sit by and wait while Fiona Braymarr (bray more, like a donkey??) "academizes" his school.
Then two women, both of whom have children at his school, are murdered. What's a teacher to do?
The writing is witty and erudite, the plot is intruiguing, and this is an altogether satisfying mystery.
April 3, 2025
I love the Maxwell books because he is a fantastic character. I enjoy how he inspires his pupils, to the extent that they trust and respect him even after they have left the school. He has the ability to empathise on an emotional, as well as a cerebral level.
Two murders take him on a quest to find the truth, as well as to help his wife. The twist were incredibly unexpected and unsettling in some cases. A very good read.
Two murders take him on a quest to find the truth, as well as to help his wife. The twist were incredibly unexpected and unsettling in some cases. A very good read.
April 28, 2023
I love this series!
February 15, 2025
Wonderful as usual.
March 21, 2025
Fantastic mystery
I sometimes get lost in some of the words but never in the mystery. It's exciting and intriguing with humor and sarcasm to spice it up. Amazing characters.
I sometimes get lost in some of the words but never in the mystery. It's exciting and intriguing with humor and sarcasm to spice it up. Amazing characters.
Read
August 13, 2017quirky.love this series
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews