Maxwell’s Academy

Peter Maxwell Mystery #19

by M.J. Trow, Peter Wickham (Narrator)

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?

Genres: Crime

Audible Audio

First published July 1, 2015

About the author

Meirion 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.

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book . Forgotten how good this series is .

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are all getting older and as we age we change, don't we? Without going back to the first book of the series, I reckon Max has probably put on about 10 years. In those years he has definitely lost much of his 'old schoolboy' humour and sillyness (although I liked that side of him).  At the beginning he was alone in the world except for his cat , his 54 mm model soldiers and his encyclopedic knowledge of old films.

Now he is a respectable married man with a woman policedetectiveinspector Jacquie for a wife and a young son.

He has mellowed but although the last couple of stories have been of a more serious nature, his sense of humour is still there albeit quieter and more subtle.

The series has also seen his relationship with the police develop especially with his wifes boss who is now a family friend although some of the junior ranks still dislike him.

Previous stories have moved the action away from his school. This one brings us back as the authorities have plans for it to become an Academy and a 'superhead' makes a devastating appearance.

At the same time Jacquie's boss's sister is having problems with a noisy neighbour and a body is found having fallen into a car showroom.

The  complex story  is easy to read and a surprise with a bit of excitement  at the end.

Most enjoyable again and now only three left of the series.


17th February 2026

[Kabrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is trouble at Leighford High: the school governors have decided to make it an Academy and have hired Fiona Braymarr, a formidable woman whose rule is law. In no time at all, heads are rolling and morale is sinking, and Max just doesn’t know quite what to do about it all. In the meantime, not one but two women are murdered on the same day, an unusual coincidence in Jacquie’s policing world, and she knows that her boss Henry does not believe in coincidences. How all these events intersect and who is responsible seems to be impossible to untangle…. In some ways, the Maxwell books are a bit formulaic in that there is always something threatening the school and Jacquie is always having to deal with a boorish colleague at work; but the actual events and interactions are varied with each book and the main characters are so interesting and charismatic that one doesn’t mind the formula too much. This is the 19th book in the series, probably not one with which to start the series, but as always quite entertaining; recommended.

[PR · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Eirlys · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series!

[Jill Stirling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful as usual.

[Margaret Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesmerizing Mystery

Fast paced plot I could Not see where things were leading! Had to finish reading it then wishing for MORE!!!!! This series never disappoints!!!!!

[cheryl horne]

quirky.love this series